I sent Dr. Euba some quick questions about his process.
How did Dionysus of the Holocaust evolve from “The Frogs?” What drew you to this particular work?
The work evolved naturally from The Frogs. Having read that play umpteenth time, it suddenly occurred to me, it could be updated to meet modern needs and concerns.
Aristophanes is my favourite Greek author, precisely because of his skills as a satirist. Plays such as Lysistrata resonates very much with modern reality; the question is, how can The Frog resonate? Hence, Dionysus of the Holocaust.
As a playwright, how would you describe the importance of exploring the damage of colonialism in your work?
In a play such as Dionysus that deals with race issues, it is necessary to look at the past to inform the present. Much of what is happening in those colonized countries and states today could be attributed, in part, to what happened in the colonial past. As such, any African that lived through that past–even if, as in my case, at the tail end of it–cannot but reflect on the arrogance and air of superiority, and yet the short-sightedness, that molded those colonial creatures. If you want to see some of that, watch PBS’ Downton Abbey.
Dionysus of the Holocaust is rich with allusions to religious icons, the history of colonialism, and historical references. What was the process of combining so much seemingly disparate references into this cohesive whole like?
Really, are religion, politics and history that much disparate? I thought they fed into one another. At any rate, it’s the province of satire to expose and ridicule them all at once.
What do you want the audience to walk away with?
I don’t know. I want them to have fun of course. But, as satire doesn’t stop there, I want to also make them be aware and think.
Question from Alexander Adams:
Has Dr. Euba ever said why he waited to have this show produced for so long after he wrote the play? Or was this a spur-of-the-moment production?”
The play was workshoped some years ago when I first wrote it. I have since had about three or four revisions of it. One of the problems of the play is that it has so many characters. For a start, it would be a hard sell for a production by a professional company, just because of the anticipated expenses. I’ve explored every possibility of cutting down the characters, but to no avail. However, I had hoped before now it would be taken up by an educational theatre and its student resources, but principally I wanted to workshop it one more time to see what I could still revise. Then there was this talk about celebrating Euba, and I thought it might be a good occasion do the play, so I hurriedly gave it another look. It was to be a production of both graduates and undergraduates; as it happened, due to impossible scheduling, it turned out to be an all undergrad endeavor. But all is well, Steve Young is somebody I have great faith in as a professional director.
Dionysus of the Holocaust 