The Insanity of Mary Girard / Antigone by Spring Mills High School Theatre
in Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States

What To Know About This Production

The Insanity of Mary Girard:
The Insanity of Mary Girard is the real-life story of a Philadelphia woman who spent the last 25 years of her life in a mental institution. In 1790, Mary Girard is committed to an asylum. After she became pregnant by another man, her husband had her declared legally insane. Now, she sits in a chair as the "furies" dance around and impersonate people from her past. By the end of this haunting and highly theatrical piece, Mary has grown rather convincingly into her diagnosis.

Antigone:
A civil war has ended. Will there be peace or new rebellion? The question is asked by the Chorus. What if your family, your friends, everyone you cared about begged you to change your mind, begged you to be silent—be safe? What if your life was in danger because of a decision you made, an action you decided to take? Would you be willing to die for taking that action? Or would you refuse the responsibility of making that decision? Taking that action? The Chorus, not just bystanders but entities hoping to influence the outcome, speak not only to the audience but also directly to the timeless characters of Antigone. Each chorus member argues the side of one of the characters, hoping, this time, to bring understanding and peace to the war-torn land. There are no heroes, no villains here. Only individuals who face the choice: should I do what I feel is right? Or should I stay silent and safe? This adaptation can be set anywhere there is civil strife, or civil war—ancient Greece, modern America, a medieval castle, turn of the 20th century Ireland, the inner city, the future, any time and place that speaks to you. The possibilities are endless for staging and setting this timeless story.

Performance Dates

  • Oct 31 Friday 7:00 PM
  • Nov 1 Saturday 7:00 PM
  • Nov 2 Sunday 2:00 PM

View Rehearsal Schedule

Auditions For The Insanity of Mary Girard / Antigone

Audition Times

  • Aug 28 Thursday 2:45 PM
  • Aug 29 Friday 2:45 PM

Audition details are not yet posted. Check back later or reach out to Spring Mills High School Theatre directly with any questions.

Audition Process

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Cast List For The Insanity of Mary Girard / Antigone

Available Roles

  • Mary Girard - Mary Girard came from a lower class family, yet she caught the interest of a very wealthy man. Her mother had Mary married to him when she was 16 years old, hoping Mary would have a better life. Once she was married, her husband, Stephen Girard, wouldn’t allow her family to visit and tried to acclimate her to her new social status by discouraging her from talking to lower class citizens. Though Mary had every material thing she could have ever needed, she didn’t have what she really wanted–her husband’s affection. She knew her husband resented her for not being able to bear him a child, and she also knew he had mistresses disguised as “housekeepers.” Mary found the affection she craved through an affair, and when she became pregnant with the man’s child, her husband had her legally declared insane and locked her in an insane asylum cell for the rest of her life.
  • Stephen Girard - Stephen Girard is Mary’s husband, ten years her senior. He is incredibly wealthy and uses his money to manipulate people. The only thing he wanted from his wife was a child, so he was extremely disappointed when she couldn’t provide one for him. He is cold and never shows affection to Mary because of this disappointment. Though he has affairs himself, he was outraged when Mary had an affair and became pregnant. In order to avoid the embarrassment of society finding out, and out of pure anger, he has her falsely declared as mentally ill and locked away for the rest of her life. He truly doesn’t care what happens to her or her child, and he is willing to do anything to keep her in the asylum and never see her again. When he was a boy, his mother went insane; it’s suggested Mary reminded him of his own insane mother.
  • Fury #1 / The Warder - The warder is a middle-aged man named Frankie who works for the hospital as the warder of the mentally insane unit. When he locks Mary up, he tries to explain to Mary that he is simply following the orders he was given. The same actor will also play Furie #1. The furies are an ensemble that act as one and share lines. Furie #1 should think of himself as a “regressed child.”
  • Fury #2 / Mrs. Lum - Mrs. Lum is Mary’s mother. She is of the lower class and is very grateful to Mr. Girard for keeping her husband employed until he passed away and for taking Mary as his wife. Mrs. Lum strongly believes women should follow the rules society gives them and should never act out, even if it’s against an abusive husband. The same actor will play Furie #2. The furies are an ensemble that act as one and share lines. Furie #2 should have “delusions of grandeur.”
  • Fury #3 / Polly Kenton - Polly Kenton is Stephen Girard’s mistress disguised as one of his housekeepers. She is younger than Mary and enjoys making her jealous. She has won Mr. Girard’s affection by being honest with him and giving him a lot of attention. The same actor will play Furie #3. The furies are an ensemble that act as one and share lines. Furie #3 should be a symbol of “obsessive/compulsive” behavior.
  • Fury #4 / Mr. Phillips - Mr. Philips is a man in his forties working as a steward of Pennsylvania Hospital. He tries to act morally but, with persuasion, can be bribed with money. The same actor will play Furie #4. The furies are an ensemble that act as one and share lines. Furie #4 should symbolize “active/passive” behavior and is usually in a catatonic state. They say much less than the other furies, but they always deliver the references about “Dr. Rush.”
  • Fury #5 / Mrs. Hatcher - Mrs. Rose Hatcher is the woman who volunteers to take Mary’s baby and care for her. It is not the first time she’s taken a baby from the hospital and she alludes to an incident. Mrs. Hatcher proclaims she won’t repeat her past mistakes and is much better than she was before when the incident happened. The same actor will play Furie #5. The furies are an ensemble that act as one and share lines. Furie #5 should act as an “hysteric,” and they should deliver most of the religious dialogue.
  • Antigone - Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and the niece of Creon, the new king of Thebes. After the civil war, she resolves to bury her brother Polyneices so that his spirit may rest in the afterlife. Unfortunately, this is a direct violation of Creon’s orders--one that is punishable by death. Antigone is prideful and certain of her actions, and won’t let anyone (including her sister Ismene) help bury her brother. When she is caught, Antigone does not shrink from her actions, but instead boasts that she acted alone to defy Creon and honor her brother and the gods. Her demeanor challenges Creon’s certainty of kingship, and because of her passion, he loses his sense of right and wrong. Antigone is entombed alive (Creon’s way of fulfilling his decree of death without actually executing her), but she takes charge of her own punishment, and hangs herself in the tomb.
  • Ismene - Ismene is the sister of Antigone. Together, the two women are the last of their family: following their mother Jocasta’s suicide, their father Oedipus wandered in exile until his death. Their brothers--Polyneices and Eteocles--waged a violent civil war to claim the throne. Ismene feels this loss deeply, and clings to her sister. But while Antigone is ready to defy the king (their uncle), and bury Polyneices, Ismene is fearful of punishment. She initially refuses to help Antigone with the burial; after Antigone is caught, however, Ismene is at her sister’s side, trying to also bear the blame of Antigone’s actions. Ismene is devastated when Antigone rejects her, and begs to be punished with her sister--she claims that should Antigone die, Ismene will have nothing or no one, and therefore no reason to live.
  • Creon - Creon is the brother of Jocasta and brother-in-law/uncle of Oedipus. Oedipus’ sons plunged Thebes into a violent civil war in which they both died, so Creon assumes the throne. His first and most adamant decree is to leave the body of one son (Polyneices) unburied so that his soul will be tormented in the afterlife. To ensure loyalty and adherence to his rule, Creon declares that anyone breaking this command will be put to death. Creon’s excessive pride and certainty in his rule is put to the test by Antigone, who defiantly buried her brother. Creon struggles with how to react to Antigone’s brazen actions; one the one hand, he wants to be seen as a strong ruler who will not be swayed by any familial ties. At the same time, Creon has genuine affection for his niece--and more than that, Creon’s son Haemon is engaged to marry Antigone. When Creon is finally able to reconcile his pride with his duty as a father and uncle, it is too late: Antigone has killed herself, the first in a series of suicides. Ultimately, Creon is left tragically broken, a victim of his own hubris.
  • Aggellos - Aggellos relates the news of Antigone and Haemon’s deaths. He is in shock at the events that have rapidly unfolded, and tells the chorus and Eurydice (Haemon’s mother) how Antigone’s body was found, how Haemon lunged at Creon, and how Haemon ultimately fell on his own sword. Aggellos maintains an optimism that Creon will learn from his mistakes, and that Eurydice will lament her son’s death, but not take any drastic action. He is, however, wrong about Eurydice, who kills herself in the palace.
  • Hoplon - The guard is charged with watching the body of Polyneices, left exposed outside the city walls. He drew the unfortunate lot of delivering news to Creon: The body was covertly buried, a direct defiance of Creon’s orders, punishable by death. Before he tells Creon about the body, the guard asks that Creon not punish him, who is just the messenger (the origins of the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger”). While Creon violently rails at the guard, he does not harm him, and the guard thankfully leaves, vowing to never return to the palace. However, the guard catches Antigone in the act of reburying her brother, and brings her as a prisoner to Creon.
  • Haemon - Haemon is Creon’s son. He is engaged to Antigone, who openly violated the king’s decree to leave the body of Polyneices unburied. After Antigone is arrested, Haemon goes to his father to ask for mercy: He flatters Creon’s reason, and argues that the people want mercy for Antigone as she was following god’s law of burial. But in the face of Creon’s hubris and stubborn nature, Haemon loses his temper and accuses Creon of being childish and vindictive. Later, when Creon reverses his punishment against Antigone, Haemon is one of the first people at the tomb, and when he sees that she has killed herself, he goes mad with grief and rage--first attacking Creon, and then falling on his own sword. Haemon dies next to Antigone’s body.
  • Teiresias - Teiresias arrives in Thebes after he was given signs (notably by birds) that something has upset the gods. After offering a sacrifice and divination, Teiresias learns that Creon’s decree to leave the body of Polyneices unburied has angered the gods, and he sets out for Thebes to counsel the king. Unfortunately, the prideful and arrogant Creon has no intention of listening to the prophet. In a last effort to bring Creon to his senses, Teiresias predicts the future: Creon’s son Haemon will die before the king realizes his errors and finds humility by burying Polyneices and releasing Antigone. Teiresias’ words have a profound effect on the king--but Creon’s decision to reverse his decree is too late.
  • Eurydice - Although Eurydice has only one brief appearance, she is a sympathetic force within the play. She is the wife of Creon, the King of Thebes following the civil war between Oedipus’ sons. She is also the mother of Haemon, who is engaged to Antigone, Oedipus’ daughter. With the chorus, Eurydice listens to the report of Haemon’s death from the first messenger, and quietly goes into the palace. She has strong deference to the gods, as she kneels at an altar to pray before she curses her husband and takes her own life. Eurydice’s death is the final emotional blow to Creon, who ends as a broken and humbled man.
  • Chorus Antigone - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Chorus Ismene - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Chorus Haemon - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Chorus Hoplon - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Chorus Aggellos - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Chorus Eurydice - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Chorus Teiresias - The Chorus observe and comment on the action of the play. As the chorus, they comment on the events unfolding before them and provide wisdom to others to help them understand. Notably, this chorus advises Creon; while the king has ignored everyone else’s advice to release Antigone, he listens to the chorus. The chorus concludes the play, warning the audience that all of this will happen again.
  • Servants -

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