How an ancient Greek play being staged in Greeley taps into some intense post-election vibes

In The NoCo

How an ancient Greek play being staged in Greeley taps into some intense post-election vibes

By In The NoCo,

Published November 15, 2024 at 5:35 AM MST

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Two actors, a man wearing jeans and a beige jacket, and a woman in a red dress, tan boots, and holding a baby doll rehearse on stage for a production of "Lysistrata" — Members of Aims Community Theater rehearse for an upcoming production of the timeless Greek play "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes. "In talking about Greek history from two thousand years ago... I think that really made it so we can connect on a very normal, everyday human level, and see ourselves in those situations," says director Benjamin Kessler.

Of all the responses to the results of last week鈥檚 presidential election, one of the most unusual involves something called the 4B movement.

It calls for women to cut off or limit their contact with men. That includes dating, marriage, childbirth 鈥� and physical affections.

The in South Korea, but gained attention on social media in the U.S. after Election Day. Some women equated president-elect Donald Trump's victory to a low point for women's rights 鈥� and said they鈥檙e cutting off relationships with men.

But women withholding physical contact from men is not a new idea. It's the subject of the Greek comedy Lysistrata by the playwright Aristophanes, which was first staged more than 2,400 years ago. The female characters in the play withhold their affections to protest a war, and it ultimately leads to peace and harmony.

Lysistrata is being at the Ed Beaty Hall Theater on the Aims Community College campus in Greeley.

The show's director, Benjamin Kessler, spoke with ITN鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole about why this production is a conversation starter that taps into the current political mood in potent ways.

Four actors rehearse on stage for a production by the Aims Community Theater group

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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