Spring time is just around the corner, and for the Thespian Society at Gorham High School (GHS) that also means the annual One Act Theater Festival.

“Antigone Now,” is this year’s production, a modern adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone, 2,500 years later.

The story starts at the end of a devastating war. A woman, Antigone, played by sophomore Emily Paruk, is stuck with two dead brothers. One is honored while the other is disrespected, so she puts her life on the line to honor the disrespected.

Senior Isaac Martel plays Creon the King and freshman Julia Ordway plays Antigone’s sister, Ismene. The show is directed by GHS teacher Josie Tierney-Fife.

Along with shows in Gorham, the cast and crew will also perform at the One Act Festival in Caribou, Maine on March 9. At the festival, they have a set amount of time to put up the set, perform, and take the set back down.

They are judged on several aspects but Tierney-Fife said, “It’s more than a competition, it is art and subjective. The point is to create a really beautiful piece of work and experience others.”

The judges will view a total of 12 other productions from schools Gorham rarely interacts with.

“We go to the festival and see the shows that other schools have been working on for months and you get to enjoy the work that each other do,” said Tierney-Fife. “Most of the other students are from Northern Maine and we don’t really get up there that often.”

The cast and crew encourage people to come and enjoy the show.

“The story of Antigone, and the decisions that she makes and the reactions of her sister and uncle are really compelling and emotional and intense, and I think it’s a show that makes you think,” said Tierney-Fife.

Show times at GHS are Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students (the show does feature some mature content) and $10 for adults.