Two ‘Oedipus’ actors find their next act at PlayMakers

At a recent rehearsal of PlayMakers Repertory Company’s production of “Oedipus: King/Colonus,” the cast and crew worked hard on the modern adaptation of Sophocles’ trio of Theban tragedies. Writer-director Carey Perloff gave notes to stage manager Aspen Blake, and actors Michael Hayden (Oedipus) and Jeffrey Blair Cornell (Kreon) blocked their movements through an emotional scene.

Yet there were also lots of smiles and lively conversations, thanks in part to Celeste Pelletier and Caroline Marques ’24, resident company members and graduate students in the Professional Actor Training Program, housed in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ dramatic art department.

Pelletier (Antigone) laughed with her castmates, sharing anecdotes, while Marques (Esmene) wove through the crowded rehearsal space, graciously offering gummy worms to cast, crew and visitors.

“You get really close to the people in this company,” Marques said. “We literally get to be sharing experiences with writers and directors from New York, Los Angeles and across the country, while earning a degree.”

The training program is aimed at early-career professionals, who after three years earn a Master of Fine Arts. A shared love of performing brought Pelletier, born just outside of Chicago, and Marques, a native of Brazil, to the program in 2024, but their paths were different.

Celeste Pelletier, who plays Antigone, rehearses a scene from PlayMakers Repertory Company’s “Oedipus: King/Colonus,” a new adaptation of Sophocles’ epic exploring fate, family and the consequences of confronting the truth. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Pelletier knew she wanted to perform at an early age.

“When I was in the second grade, I saw a play for the very first time, and I walked up to my mom, stomped my foot and said, ‘I have to be on stage,’” she said.

Marques’ passion for acting passion developed more gradually. She got hooked the more she performed in high school.

“It’s kind of like a drug,” Marques said. “It’s probably one of the only things in the world where you can’t think about anything else. You’re just fully in the moment.”

After graduating from high school, Marques began her journey as a Tar Heel, earning undergraduate degrees in drama and global studies.

Pelletier attended the University of Tennessee, where she graduated in 2021 with a double-major in drama and engineering. She started an engineering career but returned to the theater after a layoff.

“It was one of those moments where I just realized what truly mattered to me,” Pelletier said. “It’s creating theater, it’s being in the community — being around the people that I feel the most connected to.”

Both actors had nothing but praise for director Perloff, who has more than 40 years of experience, 25 of them as artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

They particularly appreciate how her adaptation of Sophocles’ classic tale puts more emphasis on Oedipus as a father to their two characters, Antigone and Esmene.

Pelletier called Antigone the “hotheaded” daughter, who stays by his side throughout most of the show. Marques described Esmene as a “negotiator,” a more law-abiding and cautious contrast to Antigone.

Caroline Marques, who portrays Ismene, rehearses alongside fellow cast members as the characters grapple with the fallout of Oedipus’ tragic fate. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

But perhaps the most important difference between the sisters comes down to one thing: who has the better wardrobe.

“Esmene is dressed very beautifully,” Pelletier said, “whereas I am wearing rags.”

As PlayMakers’ “Oedipus: King/Colonus” continues its run through Sept. 27, Pelletier and Marques are putting in hard, tiring work both on and off the stage. But they wouldn’t want it any other way.

“This program has really changed my life,” Marques said. “I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person, and I look forward to waking up every day and continuously challenging myself.”