MEDEA TECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONS Analyse the extent to which

MEDEA TECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONS

Analyse the extent to which two of the following __did something__ in a theatrical presentation you have seen recently Tech 1 Tech 2 Tech 3 Tech 4 Your analysis must include details of the dramatic impact achieved and the audience response. You must give equal weighting to your two chosen areas. You must give analytical points to gain full marks. *** anything in colour is the variable that could change***

The wedding area of the stage was located on the upper section of the stage (the stage was divided into an upper and lower section joined by stairs. ) and had a highly decorated set placed behind windows at DSC. The area was littered with celebratory balloons and had several well decorated and modern tables against the back wall as well as an upright piano. This room had a door at the DSR that opened to a balcony right in front of the window. This area acted in a similar manner to that of a Skene from traditional Greek theatre but instead of simply being a painted wall there was a space behind the windows in which crucial points in the story were acted out. The area appeared overall upper class and well founded. SET Medea spends the entire play in the downstairs area of the set that hints at a decrepit 70 s hotel room. SR there is an aged wooden table with metal legs which becomes more littered with Medea’s belongings such as bottles, glasses etc as the play carries on. . There is also a metal rusty fold up chair in which Medea often sits to contemplate her circumstance. There is an old, dark wood cupboard U. S of the table where Chrystal glasses are stored. Behind this to SL of the bathroom door there was a wooden chair and a small table on which rested a vase with dead flowers. The stage left area of the downstairs set was suggestive of a living room area. There was a green couch with wooden arm rests. There was a basic wooden coffee table in front of the couch which had a few small animal figures on top and an array of books and toys underneath. Behind the couch were large blue and red boxes which also held toys. On the walls were interior furnishing style lamps. The wallpaper was white and had pieces torn from it hanging off the wall. Additionally the carpet was beige and cream with a cross pattern and was very dated. There was a plain beige area in the centre which suggested a dancefloor. In the middle of the wider empty space down stage there was an area where the carpet lifted and a trap door was revealed. USR in Medea’s living quarters was a bathroom. There was no door and the audience could see directly into the space. It had mouldy green wall paper which was starting to peel. As well as this the sink was also old and the mirror is also dirtied with finger prints. There were copper pipes for hot and cold water running adjacent to the mirror. The bathroom was used as an exit and for washing of glasses and teeth etc. The stairs in Medea are placed USL. They curve to lead to the wedding where we see Jason marry later in the play. They are smooth and rather dirty and quite dull. There is a contrast between the red lining the surface of each step and the dirty white sides. The stairs are highlighted nearer the end of the play when Jason walks USC there was a forest with trees and bushes. The trees were large and randomly placed to make this performance space as realistic as possible. The branches also crowded added to the realistic and cold or harsh atmosphere. There were also two swings which hung from the branches at the DS area of the forest. The forest floor was covered in moss and fallen leaves.

Jason’s bride was wearing a wedding dress which reached her knees and it had a sweetheart neckline. Her wedding dress had a short straps and the bottom of her dress had a chiffon material. It had a tight corset material at the top of the dress above the skirt. This created a joyful pretty and delicate character and suggested happiness and a bright future for Jason and his bride. COSTUME Throughout the entirety of the play The children’s nurse was wearing the same costume. This comprised of slightly worn white trainers tied at the top lace. , loose and ‘floaty’ navy blue trousers that stretched no further than her ankle. These were fastened tightly about her waist, almost like traditional sailor trousers. She wore a sleeveless grey blouse which she always had tucked into her trousers and had a curved drop collar that hung loosely around her neck line. As Medea became more resolved in her choice to murder her children she changed from wearing Jason’s old and dirty clothes ( a brown tank top and suit trousers) to a very feminine white jumpsuit that was cinched at the waist, cut low in at the chest and made more powerful with the use of shoulder pads. She also tidied her hair and applied naturalistic and feminine makeup. The change in her appearance suggested empowerment and togetherness while the white flowing material suggested purity. Aegeus wore a khaki button down shirt, brown trousers and a brown tie. They were inconspicuous in their plainness but were casual enough to suggest his travelling. The chorus was a visual metaphor for Medea’s mental state. They were composed of around 15 women ranging in age and appearance. In the beginning of the play they enter and speak to Medea. They were dressed in modest traditional house wife attire. Each in knee length skirts they wore floral or gingham atterns. in pale colours. To complete this look they work plain tops with cardigans in cream, blue and pink colours. Later The chorus were wearing A line cocktail dresses cut at knee length with capped sleeves and cinched waists. They were pink and cream in colour with a floral pattern. These dresses were very feminine and delicate in nature. As the Medea’s mind became clearer in her violent intentions the dresses became dirtier from the skirt up. When Medea had taken her children off stage and the Chorus were performing their stylised dance the dirt had extended onto the bodice and their faces as well as their makeup and hair had become disheveled. Creon wore a navy blue 2 piece suit which consisted of suit trousers and jacket. He had a white shirt and a brown tie. He wore a brown kerchief folded in his pocket and a pale pink rose on his lapel and brown shoes. He never changed and always looked sophisticated which showed his healthy mental state and happiness for his daughter being married. Medea’s boys were sent offstage right to the bathroom to change into their pajamas. They had been wearing navy shorts and grey longs sleeved shirts. They were clean and well-presented wearing long jackets when they went to the wedding. Upon their return they fell asleep on the couch then were woken by Medea’s speech. They went to change into brushed cotton printed pajamas. The older child was in blue grey colours while the younger one was in red and navy blue printed pajamas. . Medea returns from the off stage left area carrying the corpses of her children whom she has just murdered. She has not changed her costume however it is now covered in the blood of her children. As the murder happens off stage the only suggestion we have of the detail of the action comes from the costume itself. The manner in which the costume has been covered in blood suggests the murders were both intimate and brutal Jason entered from his wedding where he had been wearing an expensive nicely tailored suit. He called on Medea and went to the off stage left where it was suggested the murder had taken place. As opposed to his well-kept appearance in previous scenes he was now in a dirty white shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar making his vest apparent and his sleeves were rolled up. The suit jacket and tie were gone. His grey suit trousers were crumpled and dirty. Upon his reentrance onto center stage his shirt was stained with his children’s blood and his new wedding ring were apparent.

At the beginning of the play, before the action began, one of Medea’s children ran up to the upright piano located in the wedding area of the upper level of the set. He was alone and played an Ostinato, a repeated sequence, in a minor key. This suggested Medea’s repeated thoughts of her tragic plan to kill her children and sets up the tense and uneasy atmosphere of the play. While the wedding is taking place the cyclical singing and motive in the music is used to suggest that the events taking place are all linked by fate and cannot be undone. The wedding happens in slow motion while Medea and the nurse poison the dress and the older of the two boys rides in continuous circles around the lower dance floor. Throughout the play the chorus sang in a polyphonic texture by all singing at different times. It created a messy, disorderly sound which emphasised the uneasy and uncomfortable atmosphere and suggested the multitude of voices influencing Medea’s mind actions. For example when the servant came in to tell Medea of the murder he spoke in a monotone fashion while the chorus sang. Medea could not react to his speech but the audience was able to interpret her reaction through the use of choral singing. SOUND Various thematic sounds were used to introduce characters who Medea might have perceived as an enemy. For example when Creon or Jason entered there was a shudder from the cymbal and then a “fump fump” sound created using various percussion which created a significant and direct change in atmosphere and which put the audience ill at ease. . Goldfrapp used dischords on the accordion, cello, two violins and piano. As the chorus performed their abstract, staccato dance while Medea was offstage seemingly murdering her children, there were loud and sustained clashing notes that created atonal and ugly sounds which were uncomfortable to the ear. This created a cold and masculine atmosphere representing Medea’s harsh and deranged psyche, as she tried to strip Jason of the people he loved. Sound was used to highlight the tragedy at the end of the play when Medea was on stage with her dead children in sleeping bags. A piece of music was played by piano, cello, two violins and accordion. When Medea, triumphant in the execution of her plan, turned to walk USC the music grew in volume and a unified choral song. This music was eerie and disenchanting. As Medea removed the dress from the trap door a low atonal music began to play as Medea said “ we must do it as women always have. Poison” As the light faded from the trap door a loud clap of thunder rumbled as she said we must be “ experts in terror. Experts in pain”. The music rose in a crescendo and made the audience feel very uncomfortable. Even the thunder suggesting the Gods were displeased with her actions.

MORE SOUND When Medea makes the final decision to Murder her children she screams “Now! Throw off your sex now!” at which point a loud and poignant Thump marks the moment and echos the entrance accents of those who had wronged her earlier in the play In the moments Medea is contemplating and motivating herself to murder her children she is also waiting for the news that Creusa has died. There is an on running suggestion that Medea is a Goddess or a witch. The moment Creusa dies the music makes a very unpleasant and upsetting scratching screech. It is through the use of this effect that the audience see that Medea now knows that Creusa is dead and as a result so are Medea’s children. Whether it is at her own hand or that of Creon’s guards he boys are now to die. The moment the boys are murdered happens off stage. This music and action on stage previously has been utterly chaotic and frantic. Medea has marched the boys off stage left and while their swings are still in motion the audience hears a loud and echoing scream. As the boys say almost nothing during the play the scream is exceptionally haunting as they use their voice to scream out for help. The chorus begin as average housewives. They speak in a normal volume and sound very naturalistic. As the play continues the voices of the chorus become enhanced with the use of a microphone. They grow louder with each appearance and by the end of the play speak with the use of an echo or reverberation. As they represent the inner thoughts of Medea’s mind, this suggests her thoughts have grown larger than her control and are most powerful as she is murdering her children. Sound and thunder were used effectively as the very volatile scene with Jason and Medea finishes and he has left. The Chorus were almost sneaking onto stage all in their dresses and there was a loud “ zap” and a clap of thunder and another “zap” during this the Chorus scattered like cockroaches in the light of stage and Aegeus entered. This zapping noise could have represented the removal of evil and evil intent as a good and caring friend enters into Medea’s lonely world striking back hatching evil plans.

LIGHTING During the murder of the Princess, Medea was on the lower hotel section of the set. Medea was CS When Medea makes her entrance the audience hear her scream as the curtains open under a dim profile spot light, clutching her face and shoulders with her hands. The forest on the forest area which is dark except for a and chorus were visible but not purposely lit. pyrotechnic of a fire in a garbage can which Medea uses to burn Jason’s possessions. Simultaneously the light on the wedding area The Princess on the higher set of the set, was set behind a gauze. There were 4 drop “bar style” flashes brightly. Suggesting the duplicity of interior lights with wide lamp shades. During the Medea’s unhappy situation. poisoning many profile spotlights were flashed creating a strobe effect. During the play there is often natural washes. For example when Creon, Jason or Aegeus visit. When Medea is left on stage plotting or the nurse is commenting on the course of the action the lights are often very dim with brightness focussed subtly on different areas using the interior house lighting and harsh lighting for the actors. For example when the nurse is afraid of Medea’s actions she gets the boys from the s wings and the light snaps from the boys play area to the Nurse in a spot while there is a clap of thunder. This is cued on the line “ and don’t go near your mother” As Medea ponders her response to Creon’s visit she lights a cigarette. As she does so she drops her match into the ice bucket on the table while she refers to Jason and Creusas wedding. When she says “watch them burn as they take their vows” there is another pyrotechnic effect and the bucket burns brightly with a large instant flame. While the chorus are onstage performing their stilted dance the stage is lit with a general wash of plain but warm light lacking in any colour. Occasionally profile spotlights would fade up highlighting certain members of the chorus. In a Greek Tragedy action is controlled by fate and the course of the story unfolds in reaction to events. Lighting was used to highlight this as much of the action happened simultaneously in on different areas of the stage while characters did not interact. Often many of the characters, who were not involved in the main action, were in the dark. For example Creusa prepared for her wedding with the chorus in the light while below SR the nurse and Medea prepared the poison A smoke machine is used and begins as Jason is having dress in the dark illuminated only by the house his photo taken with his boys it creeps like a fog through lights. Simultaneously Medea’s eldest son rode the forest and by the time of Medea’s exit the US area his bike in frantic circles around the room while of the forest is almost white and cloud like not looking or speaking to anyone. There was a trap door DSL located underneath the carpet in the emptier area of the set. When Medea opened the trap door a bright white light shone upwards from within. This cast a shadow on Medea’s face making her seem both powerful and demonic. While this light was shining from the trap door the other areas of the stage were lit with a dim light. At the beginning of the play when only the children and the Nurse were present on stage the lights were very dim. The boys were watching tv and the flickering light of the program illuminated their faces. The boys also had a small torch to find props such as crisps and juice boxes. As a first scene this set up an unsettling atmosphere as the boys were participating in normal and endearing childhood behaviour while the dark and dismal surroundings suggested circumstances which juxtaposed the audience expectation of a family home. The boy then used the torch to run up the stairs to the wedding area and played a piano and then snuck down. During the moment the that Medea exited to murder her children a bright light shone from the off CSL of the woods through to Medea’s house Illuminating the majority of the set. This created a contrast of white and black. , was imposing and stark In it’s lack of colour. The chorus often scuttle in or out of the shadows. They are often on the fringe of the lit area and thus are visible but lurk out of the main area of action. It is interesting that the only area of the stage to be lit consistently through the whole performance was the toilet.

A white hand towel was used continuously throughout the play. It is first seen as Medea enters and brushes her teeth. She hands it to the nurses as she says “He is gone”. We saw it before and after the boys got ready for bed and finally after Medea killed her children Jason enters SL to CS holding a bloodied white hand towel. We believe this to be the children’s blood and suggests that he tried to save them by stopping their bleeding. at the beginning of the play both children were CS with a grape juice carton which was green and white in appearance and average size. The red juice could possibly foreshadow the blood which wlill be spilled in the end of the play. PROPS During the play Medea uses a knife to cut up the carpet for the trap door and to kill her children. The knife had a wooden handle on and a sharp 4 inch medium size blade on the other it was insignificant in its lackluster nature. Before she used it to murder the boys she sharpened it with a small rock. A red blue and yellow tricycle was used by one of Medea’s children as he playfully cycled in a circle centre stage While this happens Medea was poisoning The dress to kill Creusa and the wedding Was happening upstage. The bike could Suggest Medea running circles of thought of the recent events. The boy also enters Onstage with the trike as Ageus has arrived And is excited and happy to see him. One of Medea’s children carried a cuddley green dinosaur which was well keptand green in colour and medium in size. The dino begins clean but is significant as by the end of the play it is covered in the children’s blood. It first appears next to the children at the beginning of the play and is used as a comfort to the youngest son throughout the play. We see the prop last as Jason exits with both his children and new bride and family dead as though it is the only token reminder he has left of his family. We saw the sleeping bags in the first scene of the play where Medea’s boys were laying closely on the floor watching tv. One was blue in colour and the other was tan. This is a colour scheme that repeated in costumes and divided characters. They were nylon and utterly average in their design. In the beginning the boys lay closely together sleeping and later after the wedding the nurse put the boys in the bags when they had fallen asleep. We see them again most significantly in the final scene of the play where Medea brings them onstage soaking in blood and containg the bodies of her dead sons. The boys had a number of toys which were masculine in nature. A small plastic stag was on the table, stuffed dinosaurs as well as constructed Dino toys were always near at hand. These might have represented the struggle for power or class or a feminist agenda When Aegeus enters he pulls a present for the boys from a silver bag and hands them to the boys. They unwrap them and find a black Nintendo DS. The boys say “yes!” which remain their only words of the play. They then run USR and sit on the swings to play these new toys. Medea put the poisoned dress in a white gift box as a wedding present for Jason’s new wife. Creusa. The gift was wrapped formally with a patterned top and tied with a white ribbon. It was inconspicuous in that it was the image of what a wedding gift often looks like thus gaining the trust of those for whom it was intended.

A number of cardboard boxes and leather cases which were dully coloured and varied in size from small shoe box to moderately sized suitcase, were thrown onto CS by one of Creon’s servants. This was done in order to force Medea to collect her belongings and begin her travels away from Corinth into exile. They were seen only in this scene though bags and suitcases were seen on stage throughout. It was pathetic as the total of Medea’s belongings were meagre and basic. Medea pulls the snow coloured white dress from the trap door DSL. She reaches deep down in the yellow glow into what is suggested as a mystical trap door. Medea pulls out a brown package wrapped in a ribbon (blue? ) again repeating the colour scheme of costumes and other significant props. Later she unwraps the package and shows us the dress that is a pale chiffon dress with a bejewelled bodice which was suggestive of a wedding dress or even a night gown. She cradled it like a child rocking back and forth, tentatively stroking it. Her facial expression is in contrast with her body language as she smiles with evil intent whilst cradling her dress with maternal love. The Nanny is seen to be distraught holding the children’s possessions when Creon is forcing Medea and her family to leave Corinth. The Nanny is clutching the fluffy dinosaur, a small pair of white plimsolls and a selection of the boys’ clothes. This might suggest her first instinct was to grab what she considered to be the most important possessions to the boys before the guards removed them from their home. When Jason first entered the stage he walked straight to the drinks cabinet and pulled out a plastic glass and a bottle of whisky. Which he consumed. It showed he was comfortable with the surroundings and yet not comfortable enough to drink from Medea’s glasses. We see Jason converse with Medea DSR beside the ‘kitchen table’. As Medea congratulates him on his impending marriage two crystal tumbler glasses are collected into which Medea pours alcohol from a glass decanter on the right side of the table. It is clear that Medea is impoverished. These expensive items suggest she lived affluently when she was with Jason. Alcohol continued to be used through out the play either in times of s tress or contemplation or as a social gesture like when Aegeus came to visit. Jason took out a cheque book and pen to write a cheque to ensure Medea was well cared for when he was married to Creusa. “I’ll support you and our sons in exile” and then says “Medea let me help it is madness to refuse” More Props

Medea addresses Feminism and in this production explores female empowerment and transfer of power from men to women. This is shown in the final scene when Medea murders her own and Jason’s children. By doing this she takes all of the power that Jason has previously held as a confident powerful man seeking to better his station and reduces him to a grovelling misery of a man. A theme in Medea is manipulation, this is shown when Medea allows Jason to get a picture with their children and makes him think she has forgiven him and is happy for him. She then sends a wedding gift as a gesture of good will to his new wife using their children. Through these actions she suggests she is happy while simultaneously manipulating the situation to suit her intended disastrous outcome In Medea theme of greatness and pride are explored. Medea shows pride when she refuses to leave Corinth as requested by Creon. Pride is shown by Creon when he is trying to protect the reputation of his city by banishing Medea and not associating his kingdom with her. Jason shows pride when he marries into the royal family to try and improve his station. We see theme of exile in Medea as she is exiled from her home and the society to which she once belonged. She is separated from the other women who, in the form of the Chorus, comment and whisper about her behaviour. She has also been exiled from Jason through his remarriage to Glauce. She has a violent past and it could even be argued she has been exiled in the sense that she is a danger to herself and other people and is therefore alone. The theme of revenge is explored throughout Medea. THEME We see theme of sanity throughout the play. At the start of the play Medea is grief stricken and it is clear in thought and action that her sanity has been affected by Jason’s leaving her. However as the play develops Medea seems to regain sanity and she is able to think clearly and plan horrific events without an excuse of insanity. This is highlighted on stage explicitly when Medea chooses to kill her children in full control of her faculties. Jason, her husband, however, is grief stricken and opposed to his calculated behaviour in the beginning of the play, can now be seen portraying non sane behaviour. It is however, questionable that Medea was full sanity even though this intentions was not necessary

Medea ragged hair to composed natural look Chorus messy hair dirty faces MAKEUP & HAIR Blood … so much blood Both Medea and Jason have ragged cross like scars on their hands.

ACTING The following are moments I made a note of. This is not an example of good writing for your exam but might help jog your memory. Nurse has a very loving relationship with boys from beginning. Pats them on head as she comes to tem and says “We are all trapped in this place in this pain forever” After Medea enters from burning Jason’s things she is brushing her teeth with the towel around her neck. Why do this? Creon throws away lines casually like “ honestly because I am afraid of you. You are a foreigner” as he crossed to the table and sat down. If he didn’t intend to stay why sit down? Intimidation in Medea’s personal space? Medea responds with “ you think I am a witch or a _____ (something) because I am a woman or because I wasn’t born here” shows the type of person she is to manipulate. Creon says “ If tomorrow’s sun finds you within my borders you all shall die” then casually walks upstairs and kisses Creusa. Defines relationship but also by the next morning they are both dead at Medea’s hand Medea smokes these weird cigarettes from the black leather bag. Why? Medea then goes and takes out the dress in the package. She already has the knife and is plotting with justification. Creepy weird and intense moment but very still in her movement. Nurse then cuddles the boys from the swings as 2 claps of thunder roll and says “boys don’t go near your mother” The boys are then on the swings. The Chorus are upstairs and clapping in slow motion as they give Creusa 2 balloons and a floral head dress. Of the 9 chorus on stage with Creusa only 5 are in their wedding attire. The rest are still in casual wear. -- suggests a slow plan not yet completely formulated? Jason then cuts through the girls snapping the action back to reality and normal lighting. He rocks straight through the space and gets a drink in a paper cup. He is comfortable and casual in the space. Medea then goes yelly crazy yelly so Jason sits on the couch and just takes it…. Why? Then they have their soooooper passionate smooch. And she cries He says finally “This argument is over …Medea let me help it is madness to refuse. ” and exits. As he does the chorus girls sneak in from the forest and are all fully dressed in their wedding attire. (plan now fully hatched? ) then sound zap thunder zap and girls scatter Enter beardy beard Aegeus. He gets real glasses, washes them in the bathroom, takes out a vodka and chats in a gossipy tone. He is intended to be charming and kind and funny. Oh and has 3 drinks in the span of a 5 min scene. The boys clearly like him as they cycle on and give him a cuddle before he presents them with a DS. He is not long on stage but he is a memorable character and without him there would be no plan for Medea. (if only he hadn’t shown up 2 second after the crazy fight)

MORE ACTING The suggestion that this story is happening whether we want it to or not continues as Nurse and Medea poisons dress in the dark and the elder boy cycles repetatively in the living room area of the stage while the wedding dance is in action but characters move in slow motion. As the characters commit to their actions and they become more and more difficult to undo the lights become brighter. The nurse leaves Medea and goes and sits on the swing. And Medea enters now white and pretty with a gold necklace. The Chorus moved downstairs and are sitting hainging off the chairs. Medea sits at the kitchen table and strokes the box while she considers her actions. The Chorus question her but they remain in the dark. He body shakes subtly while she responds. Jason comes back on b/c Medea sent for him. She lies and manipulates Jason that she isn’t really mad. All the while there is a growing light on the swingset. The boys then enter. The elder says Daddy! And runs excitedly the younger stays closer to the nurse hesitant. Jason is delighted and uses his phone for a photo. The boys then return to the couch to play their DS while Medea and Jason hash it out. Smoke starts to come through the forest while Jason is loving his boys and Medea cries. She then gives him a drink in a real glass as she asks him to let their boys stay with him. By now the table SR has the ice bucket, 2 bottles, a bag, her cigarette folder and various glasses. Medea says “ go inside and prepare a bath for my sons” the nurse kisses her as Medea is sitting on the chair by the table. How could she still love her in all of this? Medea then says “ oh my boys what will I do? ” yes , no, yes, no speech. 3 chorus lurk in the forest. Having returned from the wedding the boys are tired and lie down and fall asleep on the couch. The boys sleep while she cries I am going to loooose you. “ on the line “ drag my self through this life without you” the elder boy wakes up and tries to comfort her she cuddles him and he goes back to sleep. She switches when she remembers her brother that she murdered for Jason and she switches to stern and looks to the sky (gods? ) and the Chorus comes closer on the stairs. He screaming wakes up the boys and like a psycho she screams “ get away from me!” Goes to the trap door. Cry cry kneeling holding heart. Holds knife. Drops it. Freaky music. Creusa is dead. It is like she knows. Boys reenter with jammies and towel. She goes to them. Is clearly weird so when she tries to kiss him he pulls away. “ let your mother kiss you. I will direct you to safety” older boy goes to hug her. They then take the sleeping bags and go inside. Light now on from s. L focuses on the 3 trees in centre. Lots of mist.

MORE ACTING Servant comes on and tells about Princess and Creon’s death. We have thunder and the monotone speech and singing and the trap door is still open On the cue “heaped mountain of death” there is the sound cue of rain. Then with “grieving eye there is thunder and lightening. On “run Medea” she shows us her back with the knife she is hiding. She sits “ I must take my children’s lives” she sharpens her knife. 4 chorus enter from the toilet and stare at her in the dark. Now! Throw off your sex! Now! Thump thump boys then go back to the swings. Why? Chorus do their crazy dance with the voice over style echoy monologue. There is a very dim light and as the monologue gets louder the dancing gets more frantic and the boys swinging gets as big as it can be. The music is nuts and the whole thing is a giant crescendo of crazy Chorus then neatly separate to the side of the stage and we see the kids go off stage. Then Medea goes with the knife in light off stage. Then the nurse runs diagonally from USR through the swing area to off stage Left. She then backs out in horror, turns and walks off. Jason screams from the balcony. Everyone but Jason are now acting in the dark. Medea! To the Chorus “ did she think she could do this? ” – he doesn’t know the kids are dead. “ where are my sons” chorus respond “ Jason you don’t know how unhappy you are. ”. When Jason says “ pull those word to the light. Jason goes to inspect. There is a wind type sound. Jason comes back on all in blooooood. And with the towel. “ gone. She has taken them” Medea comes on with the bags and drags them d. S down the 2 stairs as she speaks and is shaking. Possibly the body’s response to shock? Light comes from the back so medea and the trees cast their shadow over the acting area. She lays her boys out and cuddles them and comforts them. The white curtain upstairs which has just recently been dark lights up sooooper bright but we don’t see inside. There is a weird window style light in rectangular shape projected from stage right onto Medea. I ask you. You who watch. How can there be any other ending than this? First silence. Then darkness.

interview in The Guardian cracknell and guerin video of 1 st time working together we no longer see Medea borne away in a chariot provided by the sun god but making an exit that is profoundly pitiable and perfectly in tune with the insane contradictions of her character I do think we live in a culture of liking to know where we're being led, " she says. "I would much rather be drawn into a work, and asked lots of difficult questions, than be taken on a well-worn story where I know what the outcome will be. " She pauses then adds: "We still make enormous divisions between dance and theatre, and actually all acting is movement. All acting is breath. " Guardian review on Medea and directing Cracknell has long had an interest in bringing dance into her theatre productions, precisely because it's not so pointy. "Dance is interesting because it makes you very active as an audience member. You're being asked to make sense of it, to find meaning in it. It's not literal, it's not tied down to narrative. " DIRECTING MEDEA should be a sorceress or a goddess but is presented human in Danny Sapani's performance, however, he is less an obvious ogre than a politician who uses sophistry to justify his abandonment of Medea.

Skene –the building directly in the back of the stage and was usually decorated as a palace, temple or other building wedding Hamartia The fatal error or simple mistake on the part of the protagonist that eventually leads to the final catastrophe Downfall of a good person through a fatal error or misjudgement producing suffering from the protagonist and arousing pity in the audience Tragic actions take place off stage Hubris- taking action to shame another person (illegal in Athens) Nemesis The inevitable payback or cosmic punishment for acts of hubris chorus Fate- everything predetermined Main hero had to be in some way responsible for their own doom no one was innocently a victim of tragedy Parodos: (literally passage ways) are paths by which the chorus and some actors like those relaying messages made their entrances and exits. GENRE Orchestra: the lower area where the chorus danced sang and interacted with the actors. Literally meant ‘dancing space’ Anagorisis The moment of insight or understanding of the tragic hero when they realise the web of fate in which they are entangled. Main character had to be good but not too good or the audience would applaud their downfall Catharsis an emotional purging from the audience. We fee pity and fear at first only to feel relief and exhilaration at the end that life isn’t so bad

Ben Power I've always been more interested in retelling stories, or trying to find shape for existing material, than I have in making plays from scratch. " Ben Power ben power in interview COMPANY Ben Power on Site Specific Theatre

Helen Mc. R in Interview medea overall Some you tube links trailer HM random girl review Goldfrapp and actors in behind director Carrie Cracknell

not so impressed blog medium impressed review Paul Taylor, Independent: The heroine's formidability and vulnerability are brilliantly entwined in Mc. Crory's performance. Pacing frustratedly round these grotty quarters and trading in scathing, end-of-the-tether ironies, she is the embodiment of how if you leave a person with only their wits to live on, those wits are likely to warp. She runs rings of cool calculation round the male characters but there are stunning moments where her entire system seems to collapse under the pressure of maternal instinct - such as the superb point when she realises, with claustrophobic panic, that by using her sons as pawns in her vengeance against the bride, she has trapped herself into now having to kill them in order to protect them from a worse death at the hands of her foes. Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard: Its textures are a mix of ancient and modern. Though it reverberates with a sense of Greek ritual, there's an acute feeling of up-to-dateness. This Medea at first looks like she's just emerged from a yoga class in Primrose Hill, before surprising us by smoking like a slightly gauche student and later dressing in floaty white trousers. There's the same quality of wispy elegance in some of the music, by Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp. But as the plot darkens, the score pulses with malevolent intent and builds to snarling intensity. impressed review

MEDEA PLOT and CHARACTERS As stolen DIRECTLY from Spark Notes…. Euripedes' Medea opens in a state of conflict. Jason has abandoned his wife, Medea, along with their two children. He hopes to advance his station by remarrying with Glauce, the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth, the Greek city where the play is set. All the events of play proceed out of this initial dilemma, and the involved parties become its central characters. Outside the royal palace, a nurse laments the events that have lead to the present crisis. After a long series of trials and adventures, which ultimately forced Jason and Medea to seek exile in Corinth, the pair had settled down and established their family, achieving a degree of fame and respectability. Jason's recent abandonment of that family has crushed Medea emotionally, to the degree that she curses her own existence, as well as that of her two children. Fearing a possible plot of revenge, Creon banishes Medea and her children from the city. After pleading for mercy, Medea is granted one day before she must leave, during which she plans to complete her quest for "justice"--at this stage in her thinking, the murder of Creon, Glauce, and Jason accuses Medea of overreacting. By voicing her grievances so publicly, she has endangered her life and that of their children. He claims that his decision to remarry was in everyone's best interest. Medea finds him spineless, and she refuses to accept his token offers of help. Appearing by chance in Corinth, Aegeus, King of Athens, offers Medea sanctuary in his home city in exchange for her knowledge of certain drugs that can cure his sterility. Now guaranteed an eventual haven in Athens, Medea has cleared all obstacles to completing her revenge, a plan which grows to include the murder of her own children; the pain their loss will cause her does not outweigh the satisfaction she will feel in making Jason suffer. For the balance of the play, Medea engages in a ruse; she pretends to sympathize with Jason (bringing him into her confidence) and offers his wife "gifts, " a coronet and dress. Ostensibly, the gifts are meant to convince Glauce to ask her father to allow the children to stay in Corinth. The coronet and dress are actually poisoned, however, and their delivery causes Glauce's death. Seeing his daughter ravaged by the poison, Creon chooses to die by her side by dramatically embracing her and absorbing the poison himself. A messenger recounts the gruesome details of these deaths, which Medea absorbs with cool attentiveness. Her earlier state of anxiety, which intensified as she struggled with the decision to commit infanticide, has now given way to an assured determination to fulfill her plans. Against the protests of the chorus, Medea murders her children and flees the scene in a dragon-pulled chariot provided by her grandfather, the Sun-God. Jason is left cursing his lot; his hope of advancing his station by abandoning Medea and marrying Glauce, the conflict which opened the play, has been annihilated, and everything he values has been lost through the deaths that conclude the tragedy.

Medea - Protagonist of the play, Medea's homeland is Colchis, an island in the Black Sea, which the Greeks considered the edge of the earth--a territory of barbarians. A sorceress and a princess, she used her powers and influence to help Jason secure the Golden Fleece; then, having fallen in love with him, she fled her country and family to live with Jason in Iolcus, his own home. During the escape across the Mediterranean, she killed her brother and dumped him overboard, so that her pursuers would have to slow down and bury him. While in Iolcus, she again used her devilish cleverness to manipulate the daughters of the local king and rival, Pelias, into murdering their own father. Exiled as murderers, Jason and Medea settled in Corinth, the setting of Euripides' play, where they established a family of two children and gained a favorable reputation. Jason - Jason can be considered the play's villain, though his evil stems more from weakness than strength. A former adventurer, he abandons his wife, Medea, in order to marry Glauce, the beautiful young daughter of Creon, King of Corinth. Hoping to advance his station through this second marriage, he only fuels Medea to a revenge that includes the deaths of his new bride, her father, and his children. Children - The offspring of Jason and Medea, the children are presented as naïve and oblivious to the intrigue that surrounds them. Medea uses them as pawns in the murder of Glauce and Creon, and then kills them in the play's culminating horror. Their innocent deaths provide the greatest element of pathos-the tragic emotion of pity--in the play. Chorus - Composed of the women of Corinth, the chorus chiefly serves as a commentator to the action, although it occasionally engages directly in the dialogue. The chorus members fully sympathize with Medea's plight, excepting her eventual decision to murder her own children. Creon - The King of Corinth, Creon banishes Medea from the city. Although a minor character, Creon's suicidal embrace of his dying daughter provides one of the play's most dramatic moments, and his sentence against Medea lends an urgency to her plans for revenge. Glauce - Daughter of Creon, Glauce is the young, beautiful princess for whom Jason abandons Medea. Her acceptance of the poisoned coronet and dress as "gifts" leads to the first murder of the play. Although she never utters a word, Glauce's presence is constantly felt as an object of Medea's jealousy. (Glauce is also referred to as Creusa. ) Aegeus - The King of Athens, Aegeus passes through Corinth after having visited the Oracle at Delphi, where he sought a cure for his sterility. Medea offers him some fertility-inducing drugs in exchange for sanctuary in Athens. His appearance marks a turning point in the play, for Medea moves from being a passive victim to an aggressor after she secures his promise of sanctuary. Messenger - The messenger appears only once in the play--he relates in gruesome, vivid detail the death scenes of Glauce and Creon, which occur offstage. Nurse - Caretaker of the house, the nurse of the children serves as Medea's confidant. Her presence is mainly felt in the play's opening lament and in a few speeches addressing diverse subjects not entirely related to the action of the play. Tutor - A very minor character, the tutor of the children mainly acts as a messenger, as well as the person responsible for shuffling the children around from place to place.