Rock Island’s Genesius Guild Closing Season With ‘Hippolytus’ This Weekend
The Genesius Guild will close the 2021 season by going back to their roots with a Greek tragedy. Euripides’ Hippolytus will be staged July 24, and 25. All performances begin at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Don Wooten Stage in Lincoln Park, Rock Island. Admission is free.
This performance continues a longstanding tradition. The Genesius Guild’s first performance in Lincoln Park was Antigone by Sophocles, and the group has continued to perform a Greek tragedy, in mask, each season. Genesius Guild is the only theater in the United States to make Greek tragedy in mask an annual occurrence.
Hippolytus tells the story of the show’s namesake, the son of Theseus (the Athenian king of mythological fame) and Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons. Hippolytus inadvertently angers Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and Aphrodite’s resulting wrath tears apart his family. The tragic story shows the dangers of jealousy and demonstrates how leaping to conclusions and giving into personal blind spots can have devastating results.
The Genesius Guild is a community theatre organization located in the Quad Cities specializing in free classical drama. Founded in 1956, the group performs Greek drama, Greek comedy, the works of Shakespeare, and other classical authors every weekend throughout the summer.
For more information, please visit www.genesius.org