The Production of King Oedipus

The Production of King Oedipus is a masterful behind-the-scenes account of the production of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex at the Festival Theatre Stratford, Ontario, in 1954. Written by the theatre's Artistic Director, Tyrone Guthrie, and the theatre's designer, Tanya Moiseiwitsch, this longform essay offers remarkable insights into their collaborative process, exploring the symbolism of the play, the ritualistic tone of the performance and the technical challenges of acting in masks. As Guthrie explains in the essay: "Above all, the attempt was to raise the tragedy from the triviality of detail and particularity, onto the plane where it belongs, of abstracted and remote grandeur." With foreword by designer, Clare Ferraby, and interview with Colin George and Tanya Moiseiwitsch.