“We are definitely ready. I am so excited for opening night,” said sophomore chorus member Hannah Richards. The actors and actresses involved in the play “The Trojan Women,” set to open Nov. 7, all appear to be in high spirits and ready for showtime. “The Trojan Women” opens with a dialogue between Athena and Poseidon about the best way to punish the Greek armies for their sacrilege against Cassandra, another character in the play.

What follows is the amazing story of the Trojan women and their continued suffering at the hands of the Greeks. Professor of Theatre Studies David Hammond, director of the play, feels that the play carries a universal and timeless message about war.

“It’s the perfect play for today because it’s about issues that are really in our lives,” said Hammond. “If you stop and look with compassion at anybody you’re just going to be a better person. I really think the play is about compassion. That compassion is necessary.”

“The Trojan Women” most certainly shows the need for compassion, as compassion is a lacking virtue throughout the play.

Hammond incorporated a Gilbert Murray translation of the original Euripides text but altered the form to make the play more modern.

“I think it’s a really creative piece. It mixes so many different concepts together,” said Richards. “The post-modern interpretation of ‘The Trojan Women’ shows that the subject at hand is not only relevant to a specific time period, but to all that have dealt with the ravages of war.”

The modern twist comes from modern costumes and scenery. The women in the play wear torn celebratory modern clothing. This represents the partying in Troy before the city fell.

The scenery is based on photos of WWII. “You are supposed to be conscious you are watching a work of art,” said Hammond.

On a separate visual note, Burke Brown, a 2000 Guilford graduate and professional lighting expert, is conducting all the lighting for the play.

“It’s really nice to be back at Guilford,” said Brown. “I have not participated in anything here at Guilford since my thesis. I’m really excited to work here again.”

The lengthy cast list for “The Trojan Women” includes Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies Tad Feekes’s seven-year-old son Dillon, who plays Hector’s son.

Richards seemed confident that the large but competent cast is ready for opening night.

“(Senior) Caitlin (Allen) is doing an amazing job as Hecuba. She is so natural, in the moment, and makes the text completely understandable,” said Richards

“I think the play is coming along amazingly. We have had the play staged for quite awhile so we have had a lot of time to really get to experiment. It’s just been a lot of fun work.”

“The Trojan Women” opens tonight Nov. 7, and will run on Nov. 8, 13, 14 and 15, at 8 p.m. in Sternberger Auditorium. Admission is $1 for Guilford student admission, and $5 for the general public.