A strong-willed and independent woman risks death for her beliefs in dramatist Jean Anouilh’s adaptation of “Antigone.”

The Grecian tragedy is a re-imagined, intimate rendition of Sophocles’ “Antigone” written during World War II. The production fuses ancient Greek storytelling with contemporary language and timeless issues, such as power vs. morality. The School of Theatre and Dance actors will perform “Antigone” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Holmes Student Center, Diversions Lounge.

“Antigone” takes place in ancient Thebes and is centered around Antigone, who, out of loyalty, is set on giving her slain brother a proper burial after a civil war left him deemed a renegade and traitor. Antigone goes against the word of the new king of Thebes, her uncle, Creon. The protagonist tests the law of her uncle as they clash over opposing views on whether Antigone’s brother should have a proper burial.

Graduate acting student Alys Dickerson plays Antigone and said she and the character were initially worlds apart, but Antigone taught Dickerson how to listen to her instincts and be brave.

“… She has taught me kind of how to stand up for myself and kind of how to listen to ‘Wow, how do I feel about that?’” Dickerson said. “Just really having that voice, and being OK with being scared of the consequences, she says, ‘No, I’m not going to do this.’

“But when it comes to death, she’s really scared. She’s genuinely scared. Death is not a little thing. It’s something she invites into her life because she doesn’t want to move with the animals anymore. She doesn’t want to be another one in the stampede… .”

Director Patricia Skarbinski said the complex tragedy deals with issues of power, privilege and history.

“… The play is sort of set in what I would call an apocalyptic atmosphere where you feel that something big is coming …,” Skarbinski said. “We all feel it with the polar vortex and all of the terrorism and what happened in Ferguson. There’s a sort of unrest in our country, all over the world … . This play deals with this energy of unrest, and so Thebes really could be contemporary America today.”

Graduate acting student Jake Ben Suazo plays Creon. Suazo said the process for preparing for the production has been “very intense but very wonderful.”

“There’s a real sense of care and concern to make sure this is really, really great,” Suazo said.

Suazo approached playing the villainous character by exploring Creon’s positive attributes.

“Creon is a really good guy, and I’ve really tried hard to unlock the light parts of Creon and see what he likes and the things about him that are likable because the character himself could be played very dark if you’re not careful,” Suazo said. “So, I really wanted to explore the side of Creon that was very earnest.”