We caught Sivan Raz for this Q&A the way a lot of the best Fringe conversations happen — by chance. Minutes after she rolled into Scranton, before she’d even had a chance to unpack. That’s the spirit of the festival: artists showing up from somewhere else, and somebody from Scranton Fringe catching them long enough to ask what they’ve brought with them.
What Sivan brought is Anti-Gone, an interactive adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone from Needs More Work Productions, where the audience votes — using what the show calls “the most popular invention of Ancient Greece” — to decide how the drama ends. It was the most-awarded production at the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival, now on its first-ever tour, with Scranton among its stops.
Anti-Gone plays the Electric City Trolley Museum Friday, October 9 at 7:30 PM, and again Saturday, October 10 at 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM. We talked to Sivan about democracy, firsts, and what it means to keep returning to the same story.
In your own words, what is your show about?
Anti-Gone is about democracy, and what it really takes to live in one. Some of it might seem obvious, and some of it might really surprise us. That’s why we chose Antigone’s story, written at the exact place and time where modern democracy was born. Ancient Athenians were really trying to figure out how to make this new form of government work, enjoying the fun parts of the process and grappling with its challenges. We want you to step into their shoes for a moment and see what happens when we strip any specific party or modern agenda away and stay with democracy in its purest form. There’s only society, a leader, and a vote. What will you do then?
What does “Fringe” mean to you as an artist?
Fringe is family. It’s the place to go to if you want to find people who are truly and fully in love with art. I’ve never been as excited to talk about theater as I am with Fringe people, and that’s exactly where I think Anti-Gone belongs. It belongs with people who are so passionate about something they’re willing to be brave or get a bit silly with it, who aren’t afraid of trying something new and seeing, with curiosity and excitement, where it leads us. This is a show for people who don’t settle for watching, they want to get up and PLAY. And with that play comes one of the most important discussions I feel we can have as a society, which I am fortunate to learn from every time we present it to a new audience.
What do you want someone to feel — or think about differently — after seeing your show?
I think nowadays a lot of us are very quick to form and share our opinions. The time between us first learning about an issue and posting our thoughts about it on social media can really be SECONDS. In our show, you get the power to actually enact what you think is right and see how well it solves the characters’ problems… Or doesn’t. Maybe we have some political geniuses in the audience who could figure out a great solution, but I hope the rest of us will feel encouraged to spend more time researching the scope and complexity of political issues, or possible consequences of decisions on a state-wide level. This can only help us find more comprehensive solutions to the things that bother us and improve the world we live in.
What’s been the hardest or most surprising part of making this?
Hands down – the most surprising part of creating Anti-Gone was seeing people’s reactions to the show. I have been deeply moved and blown away by how many people connected with this strange, out-of-the-box adaptation. This show had so many “firsts” for me and the company; it was our first remount (now we’re on our FOURTH go!), the first music I’ve ever written (now recorded into a cast album releasing next month), first reviews (“brimming with educational potential”) and now our very first tour!
These firsts were all quite scary, though exciting, to step into, and every single one of them turned out better than I could have imagined. I think it says a lot that people keep relating to Antigone and her story, but also that people are interested in hearing this new version of it. For me as a BIPOC, Queer and Disabled artist, it’s an immense honor to have both artists and audiences keep coming back for my take on this beloved classic, to have people watch it now for the third or fourth time and still be excited to see what happens. I can’t wait to discover what wonderful things our new connection with Scranton adds to this story.
Anything else you want people to know before they walk in?
That we’re all friends and we truly have fun doing this show together, however it may look like in certain moments of the action… 😉
Catch Anti-Gone at the Trolley Museum Friday, October 9 at 7:30 PM, or Saturday, October 10 at 1:00 PM or 5:30 PM, as part of the 2026 Scranton Fringe Festival. Buy tickets here or grab that at the door.
