Ken Cerniglia is a dramaturg, writer, editor, and organizational leader, best known for his work in Hadestown. We caught up with him to find out about his new show, coming to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Introduce yourself please.
I’m Ken Cerniglia, the book writer of ANTIGONE 1989. I’m a longtime student of democracy and drama who grew up gay in California in the 1980s. I’ve had the privilege of developing a handful of successful Broadway shows over the past 20 years, primarily as a dramaturg. Having the opportunity to write this particular show at this point in my life is a dream come true. kencerniglia.com @dramaturglia
How would you pitch your show to someone who has only recent gotten into Greek Myth?
Do you like prophecies? A world of gods and humans? The ancient Greek dramatists mined their myths to explore political challenges in contemporary society. We’re doing the same, 2500 years later.
And how would you pitch it to someone who prefers soap operas?
ANTIGONE 1989 takes a real high-stakes political situation and steps on the dramatic gas pedal for hightened romance, intrigue, jeopardy, loss, and collective action.
Why California?
For hundreds of years, California has been idealized by outsiders for its promise of fortune and pleasure. But in the 1980s, the gatekeepers of government and culture refused to acknowledge and address the plague that was killing a marginalized and ignored minority population.
What was the oddest thing you learned when researching this show?
That Tiresias, the famous blind prophet from Greek mythology, was a woman for seven years.
What is the hardest part of the show to do?
Bridging the gap between young Gen-X characters in 1989 and young Gen-Z performers in 2026.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
What better place to take a new musical that interweaves drama and democracy than the world’s largest theatre festival —in Scotland, a country that champions its citizens’ voice and vote?
What was your inspiration for the show?
Our conceiver and director, Elizabeth McKoy, has advocated for and supported young theatre performers for decades. When she pitched me her idea to set ANTIGONE in the 1980s amid the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, I immediately said… YES!
Where else can we see you?
In the end credits of HADESTOWN: The Musical — at a movie theatre near you when it premieres in the UK this fall!
Books or Theatre?
Ugh. These are hard!
Theatre
Gods or Monsters?
Gods
Truth or Beauty?
Truth
