Euripides’ Medea

Production photo from SBU Theatre's production of Medea. Pictured: Medea center stage, surrounded by the Greek chorus of women.

As dramaturg for Medea, I had a wide range of responsibilities throughout the production process.

Before production meetings and rehearsals began, my job was to conduct research about the play and assemble dramaturgy packets for the cast and crew.

At the first rehearsal and production meeting, I was given five minutes to present the most pertinent information in the packet to the cast and crew.

During the rehearsal process, my job shifted to answering questions about the text and historical context which arose throughout the process. At this time, I also had the responsibility of planning, designing, and preparing the front of house display.

The display that I designed for Medea involved actors, so my job grew to include casting and creating dramaturgy packets, scripts, costumes, and props for them. I also conducted the meetings and rehearsals necessary for the front of house actors to be prepared on performance nights.

During performances, my job was to maintain the front of house display and oversee the front of house actors. The front of house displays at SBU also traditionally feature student designs, and, as the dramaturg, I was in charge of collecting, organizing, and displaying those designs as well. Overall, acting as dramaturg for Medea tested my responsibility and management skills, and was extremely rewarding overall.

Sample Actor’s Packet

A document about Greek tragedy, including its myths, history, significance, structure, and notable playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Medea, and Luke Mastin.
A page of a text document titled 'The Play' with sections on 'History' and 'Characters' discussing ancient Greek tragedy and characters Medea and Kreon.
Map of ancient Greece highlighting the cities of Athens and Corinth, with surrounding waters and regions labeled.
A typed document listing characters from Greek mythology, including Jason, Aegeus, Nurse, Tutor, Messenger, and Chorus, and providing brief descriptions of each, along with a section titled 'Setting' about the city-state of Corinth.
Page of a printed book or article discussing Greek history and feminism, including quotes from Nicholas Dromgoole and Luke Mastin about Medea and ancient Greek society.

Front of House

Despite Medea being the title character and protagonist of the play, I knew SBU’s audience would struggle to identify with her because of her violent actions and manic behavior.

I needed to create a front of house display which would inform the audience of Medea’s backstory and encourage them to empathize with her.

The concept for the front of house display that I developed was inspired by political campaigns and the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob craze created by the Twilight franchise in the mid-2000s. The front of house display was split into two sections: one labelled “Team Jason” and the other “Team Medea”. At each of the stations, actors explained the mythology preceding the events of Medea from the perspective of the “team” that they were on. 

THE CONCEPT

Four young people standing in front of a sign that reads 'DAYS-NEWPORT THEATER', with purple and blue decorations hanging from the ceiling.
People standing in line at a box office inside a theater or event venue, with a decorated wall and a television screen above.
Interior of the Davis-Newport Theater with decorations and display tables for an event, featuring purple and teal tablecloths and hanging paper decorations.
Three women wearing blue paper crowns with 'Team MEDA!' written on them, smiling and standing together at an event.

In order to encourage empathy with Medea rather than Jason, the front of house display exaggerated Jason’s negative characteristics, especially his sense of entitlement and mistreatment of women. The Team Jason actors were costumed to look like stereotypical “frat house” boys in order to play into Jason’s “entitled rich kid” aesthetic.

The Team Medea actors were costumed following Instagram trends like space buns, dark lipstick, feminist t-shirts, and flannel layering to give them an instant “cool and relatable” vibe. The Team Medea actors not only focused on Jason’s negative qualities, but on Medea’s strength and empowerment in the face of a dominating patriarchy.

After hearing both sides of the story, audience members had the opportunity to vote for Team Jason or Team Medea on a poll on SBU Theatre’s Facebook page. Audience members were also encouraged to post photos with the front of house actors using #TeamJason or #TeamMedea. 

Social media poll with two options, 'Team Jason' with 30% and an angry face emoji, and 'Team Medea' with 70% and a crown emoji, along with a blue bar graph showing poll results.
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