To be human is to desire – to want, to need, to strive for power and fulfillment; this is the story of The Bacchae. Desire guides each character as they search for fulfillment against the shifting sociopolitical climate of the early 1970s.

It’s important to acknowledge that the stories we present come from a place of privilege. The historic movements that allowed white women to find the power to break from their place in society and reconstruct gender roles stemmed from the fight for civil rights that had been created by people of color like the United Farm Workers and the Asian American UC Berkeley student protesters. Without these movements, the women of the 1970s wouldn’t have been moved to fight for their liberation – both in terms of gender and sexuality.

The play itself is presented through the lens of the two characters with the most privilege and examines how they use it to exploit those around them. The two men tear each other apart, using the people of the city as a vessel for their power. They make empty promises to win over the people, but ultimately strive to fulfill their own desires. After all, the people are the pawns of the powerful.