Had you heard of Medea before this production?
What were your first impressions of Medea?
What do you think of her now?
Is Medea still relevant today?
In May 2018 the Oxford University Drama Society performed a modern adaptation of Euripides' tragedy Medea with an all BAME cast and crew. This video features interviews with the cast and crew filmed just before their final performance, where we find out what they think about Medea.
“You think that I might be a witch? That I might be a strange, dangerous monster? Because I wasn’t born here and because I am a woman.”
Set in a dystopian world, Jason has abandoned his wife, Medea, and their two children. He is remarrying the princess of the land, with the hope that this partnership will bring him security and prosperity. Medea, a barbarian and now left alone, is seen as a menace to the law and is threatened with banishment. After pleading for mercy, Medea is allowed one day before she must leave, during which she plans to complete her dark and disturbing quest for "justice”.
Medea is not just a play about fidelity, family and revenge, but an inquiry into the psyche of those most marginalised by society. It is an exploration of the themes of identity and belonging, the politics of power and femininity, and a psychological examination of how anyone can be sufficiently inflamed by insult, loss and the threat of isolation to harm the people they most love.
Featuring a BAME cast and crew, Oxford BAME Drama Society presents a modern adaptation of Euripides’ Tragedy, combining music with movement and spoken word to transform Robin Robertson’s translation into a celebration of culture and exploration of identity.
Dos Santos, V., 'Oxford’s students are diversifying their theatre scene', gal-dem (2018) http://gal-dem.com/oxfords-students-a...
Andújar, R., 'Play Review - Khameleon Productions’ Medea: Oxford’s first BAME play', Didaskalia: The Journal for Ancient Performance, 14(1). (2018) https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/16027...
