Low Income Groups to See HDC Production, 'Antigone'

Low-income citizens from all over Greater Boston will get free passes to the Dramatic Clubs' production of "Antigone" next week.

In cooperation with Phillips Brooks House, HDC will invite persons of high school age and older to view weeknight performances of the play from the balcony of Sanders Theater. Of the 700 seats in the balcony, 500 will be allocated at each performance to settlement house groups.

On the two weekend nights of the performance, balcony tickets will be sold to the general public, Bradford S. Doane '50 of HDC has announced.

PBH will draw needy spectators from the settlement houses that it works with throughout the year. PBH gave hundreds of tickets for Harvard's home football games to poor Boston youngsters this fall. "Antigone" marks the first time this practice has been extended so extensively to adults.

French Author

"Antigone" was written by the celebrated French author Jean Anouilh during the recent war. It was first presented under the German occupation of Paris in 1943. The Nazis permitted it to be produced, not realizing the play's strong anti-dictatorial significance.

After its long run in France, where it was called "the clearest statement of individualism versus dictatorship in modern dramatic literature," "Antigone" played in London and New York. It will be HDC's first stage production this year.

"Antigone" is based on Sophocles' version of 2400 years ago. Since Sophocles dozens of writers have handled the story.

Lewis Galantiere, translated Antigone from Anouilt's French into English.

The drama played on Broadway two seasons ago.