MEDEA

‘Medea’ is drama at its most powerful – a sharp contrast to recent school productions - and I relished the chance to be part of a team putting on such a famous play, with all its twists, shocks and darkness. Preparation time was short - just six weeks in total, requiring many weekend sessions and late-night rehearsals - but culminating in a spectacular production and three mesmerising shows.

I played the role of Jason – the great hero who led the Argonauts and carried off the Golden Fleece. But the play focuses on the later part of the story and the bitter end of his union with Medea, whom he abandons in order to marry the daughter of the King of Corinth – an act which fuels Medea’s revenge and ultimately results in the death of his new bride, her father and his children.

Crafting the character of Jason was tricky. The play deals with tainted love, ruthless ambition, loss and betrayal – and, while, thankfully(!), I have never experienced these, it was a challenge to deliver such powerful themes, especially as a younger actor. I wanted to suggest the multiple layers of Jason’s character is he a good father just looking out for his family’s security, or thinking only of his own happiness and position?

I worked hard to make his actions (abandoning his wife and children in order to marry a younger princess and gain a throne for himself) seem as reasonable as he clearly believes them and at the end of the play to capture the unbearable pathos of his situation. Another challenge was the need to deliver a high-energy performance of a play where words are all-important and some of the speeches very long – a characteristic of Greek drama. Memorising the words using movement - associating my character's emotion and words with certain actions - is a technique that I find very helpful. I was delighted to receive positive feedback regarding my character’s stage presence and the realism and authenticity of the most emotional scenes.

My favourite aspect of the production was the holistic collaboration between lighting, sound, costume and, of course, acting. These elements all combined to create a disturbing but breathtaking visual spectacle at the end - the murder of Jason’s children, the shocking and bloody horror creating a powerful sensory experience for the audience.

It was a fantastic opportunity to be a part of such a spectacular production and to build memories in the 400 Hall. My absolute gratitude goes to all those involved in this memorable show; it was both a pleasure and an incredible privilege.

Shaan S (L6C)