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 70s 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.
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.
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..
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.
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.
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
and 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 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 Thump Thump
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 the 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 the 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 the 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 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 loooooooose 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 sL 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 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 dS 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 1st 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
Hubristaking 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 McR 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 McCrory'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. 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.