Mercer County Community College (MCCC) students from different departments are collaborating on an interpretation of a classic Greek tragedy The Bacchae of Euripides and A Mouthful of Birds, November 21-24, at the Kelsey Theatre on MCCC’s West Windsor Campus.

Both productions involve students from the Theater, Dance, and Entertainment Technology; Fashion Apparel/Design; and Advertising and Graphic Design programs serving as performers and costume designers and providing advertising/promotion support.

According to Jody Gazenbeek-Person, MCCC’s Theatre, Dance, and Entertainment Technology coordinator, the intra-program experience serves as a real-life lesson for a career in the entertainment industry, where understanding all aspects of a production is important for success.

“We have this wonderful collaboration across programs,” she said. “When you come to this college, you’re not just stuck doing your own program. These are really important opportunities that prepare you for the professional world.”

The Bacchae of Euripides is based on the original Greek tragedy The Bacchae, written by Athenian playwright Euripides around 400 B.C. It is considered one of Euripides’ greatest tragedies, and one of the best ever written. The Bacchae of Euripides is a 1973 adaptation written by Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature. In his adaptation, Soyinka adds a scene to mirror the civil unrest in his native Nigeria, with a new ending that will surprise even the most dedicated scholar of ancient Greek literature.

A Mouthful of Birds is a play with dance loosely based on The Bacchae. This dance/theater collage depicts a Dionysian clash of seven urbanites on the verge of violent transformation — thus weaving tales of possession, lust, and madness into a swirling blend of contemporary and ancient forces. The performance is a series of seven independent vignettes, each focusing on a different character.

Similar to The Bacchae of Euripides, A Mouthful of Birds builds on themes and emotions of Ancient Greece and puts them in a modern perspective, Gazenbeek-Person said. 

Performances of The Bacchae of Euripides are Thursday, November 21 and Saturday November 23 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 24 at 1:30 p.m. A Mouthful of Birds performances are Friday, November 22 and Sunday, November 24 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m. Both productions will be presented in the Black Box Studio Theatre, adjacent to the Kelsey Theatre on MCCC’s West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Tickets are $22, $18 for seniors, students and children. Visit kelseytheatre.org.