Director's Note:
A 2400 year old play can easily seem far from the concerns of a modern man or woman, particularly a play in which one of the central plot points revolves around filicide. Yet Medea resonates with an electrifyingly contemporary energy that dares us to look away from its complex portrait of humanity. The central engines of its characters- abiding love, lust, loyalty, collide with themes that are anything but far from our minds in 2016- gender roles, immigration, and a pervasive sense of sociopolitical crisis. We adapted the original Greek text by Euripides to gently release the conflict these massive forces press onto the heart of an individual person.
At top, we learn Medea is capable of magic, that she fell in love with Jason, was central to his successful pursuit of the regal Golden Fleece, followed him to his homeland, and now is abandoned by lovers and friends alike. She finds herself lost and at a party. The inherent aloneness she feels while inside a social gathering is a disorienting launch point for the story to come. Our initial distance from her is embodied in the development of the Chorus, who slowly recognize the fundamental humanity of this woman as she wrestles with a deck that is stacked against her.
The grace that a tragic hero gives us is the paradoxical feat of lifting the human spirit while plunging it into the most appalling of catastrophes. The tragic hero scatters popular thought, exposing its tendency to veer away from true insight and toward simpler modes of perception. We pretend Medea is not us at the peril of changing ourselves
A 2400 year old play can easily seem far from the concerns of a modern man or woman, particularly a play in which one of the central plot points revolves around filicide. Yet Medea resonates with an electrifyingly contemporary energy that dares us to look away from its complex portrait of humanity. The central engines of its characters- abiding love, lust, loyalty, collide with themes that are anything but far from our minds in 2016- gender roles, immigration, and a pervasive sense of sociopolitical crisis. We adapted the original Greek text by Euripides to gently release the conflict these massive forces press onto the heart of an individual person.
At top, we learn Medea is capable of magic, that she fell in love with Jason, was central to his successful pursuit of the regal Golden Fleece, followed him to his homeland, and now is abandoned by lovers and friends alike. She finds herself lost and at a party. The inherent aloneness she feels while inside a social gathering is a disorienting launch point for the story to come. Our initial distance from her is embodied in the development of the Chorus, who slowly recognize the fundamental humanity of this woman as she wrestles with a deck that is stacked against her.
The grace that a tragic hero gives us is the paradoxical feat of lifting the human spirit while plunging it into the most appalling of catastrophes. The tragic hero scatters popular thought, exposing its tendency to veer away from true insight and toward simpler modes of perception. We pretend Medea is not us at the peril of changing ourselves
Scenic Design: Joe Schermoly
Lighting Design: Brian Elston
Projections and Sound Design: Brittany Merenda
Costume Design: Mica Harrison
Lighting Design: Brian Elston
Projections and Sound Design: Brittany Merenda
Costume Design: Mica Harrison