Cheyenne Mountain High School Drama Dept. is so thrilled and honored to be presenting the world premiere of  TIG: A Modern Retelling of Sophocles’ ANTIGONE by local playwright, Jenny Maloney. Ms. Maloney utilized the Ancient Greek tragedy of ANTIGONE and placed its central themes and the impressions of its characters and chorus in a modern day high school. The result is a compelling conversation about “safe spaces” vs. “learning spaces” and the struggle to create a supportive culture that serves everyone.
PLOT: Thebes High School recently lost 2 members of its senior class; one to a drunk driving accident and one to suicide. The reaction from parents and admin results in a school policy that doesn’t allow anyone to talk about “triggering issues” for fear they may be cited and even expelled. Student Body President, Cleo, creates a compromise by installing listening booths at the school. With an already overwhelmed counseling staff, students feel as if they are screaming into the void and no one is being heard. Tig, the Valedictorian of the school, is afraid no one will remember her best friend and wants to find a way to honor her memory, even if it means risking her own college scholarships. With friends and peers on both sides of the issue, will Thebes High School Class of 2026 make it to graduation without losing any more members and will they leave a legacy of compromise that helps to pave the way for future generations? A play about censorship, TIG: A Modern Retelling of Sophocles’ ANTIGONE provides an opportunity for conversation around safe spaces vs. learning spaces, teen mental health issues, survivor’s guilt, and what it means to really listen and be there for the ones you love. This play is rated PG: 13 and contains discussions of underage drinking, depression, religion, bullying, stalking, domestic violence, suicide, suicide ideation, and death.

Tig - Connections to ANTIGONE

• Antigone - inciting incident is the death of two brothers; one of them not being allowed a proper burial.
• Tig -inciting incident is the loss of 2 seniors and Tig’s father forbidding her to give the eulogy at Pauley’s funeral.
• Antigone - Antigone and Ismene sisters, Creon is the father of Haemon
• Tig - Tig and Izzy sisters, Cleo is the sister of Hollis
• Antigone - Antigone and Haemon are engaged.
• Tig - Tig and Hollis are dating.
• Antigone - Tiersias, a blind prophet that warns Creon about the loss of his son and the support of his country.
• Tig - True, a blind senior that always speaks the truth and helps Cleo to see she is being led by fear. 
• Antigone - Creon not killing Antigone but rather imprisoning her in a cave.
• Tig - Cleo introduces the listening booth
• Antigone - the Chorus moves from fully supporting King Creon to fully sympathizing with Antigone.
• Tig - the Chorus shows a variety of reactions to the death of their friends, the new policies about language, the listening booth, and Tig’s removal as graduation speaker.
• Antigone - violence/death happens offstage and is reported on by messengers
• Tig - Euro’s attempt is behind a screen using shadow play
• Antigone - hangs herself in a cave rather than being silenced/imprisoned.
• Tig - loses her Valedictorianship and her college scholarships by defying school administration.
• Antigone - Antigone places her relationship with her brother above human laws.
• Tig - Tig places her relationship with Pauley above her father’s orders and the orders of school administration.
• Antigone & Tig - Central arguments and questions asked: What is more important - human-made laws or spiritual/familial laws and obligations? Is there a difference between what is legal and what is just? Do people have an obligation to follow or break unjust laws? When is it necessary to challenge the limits of authority?
• Audience - what other connections do you see?

Cheyenne Mtn. HS Drama has a long history of excellent Theatre Education & Productions. Students may take class in: Drama, Advanced Acting (entry through audition only), Theatrical Makeup, Improvisation, and Technical Theatre (Beginning level - Foundations of Production Design & Performance, Tech Theatre 1 & 2, Advanced level - Stage Production Management). Students in classes produce A NIGHT OF ONE ACTS in February for which Drama & Advanced Acting students perform and direct and Technical Theatre students design, build/create, and run crew.

All students may audition for school productions. A Fall Musical is produced every-other year in November and a Fall Play is produced on the "off" years of the musical. Often the Fall Musical is performed in the Lloyd Shaw Auditorium, which seats over 700 audience members. Fall Plays are performed in our intimate Black Box Theatre which, depending on the configuration of the set, seats between 100 - 135 audience members.  A Spring Play is performed in April in our Black Box Theatre. Drama students are encouraged to collaborate with Fine Art and Video Production students for such things as publicity (poster/program/merch design elements) and for aspects of the show that could benefit from video elements.

CMHS Drama Club hosts a Coffee House/Open Mic Night in January in the Black Box. All students are welcome to perform.  The Improvisation class performs Improv Night in the Black Box and develops the show as they see fit with short form, long-form, and sketch comedy.

Advanced Acting students perform in a Thespian Showcase in December before attending the Colorado State Thespian Convention. They write, direct, perform, and produce an end-of-the-year show, DON'T YELL FIRE IN A THEATRE! (30 plays in 60 minutes).