This is Medea, But Not as We Know It

This is Medea, But Not as We Know It

Silo Theatre presents

MEDEA

Written by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks
Original concept by Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides
Directed by Rachel House

"Cast aside all your preconceptions of what tragedy is in the theatre. This is something new."

– Sydney Morning Herald

Watch two brothers play out the final hour of their lives in this contemporary update of Euripides’ classic text Medea, which radically shifts perspective to that of the previously unheard children of Medea. Frequently retold and reimagined throughout history, thisMedea is unlike any other. Running at Auckland Live’s Herald Theatre from 16 June – 9 July, Silo Theatre’s Medea will be led by 9-14 year old boys, offering a truly unique theatrical experience.

Onstage, an ordinary bedroom. Two brothers play, bicker and wonder, under the watchful gaze of goldfish Cornelius, Hector the teddy bear and the carpet of stars on their bedroom ceiling. Offstage rages the fateful duel that has been retold for thousands of years. Medea’s back is against the wall and she’s about to draw her two sons into the story.

This New Zealand premiere of Medea marks the first time Silo Theatre has worked with children. But this is no halfhearted attempt at taking on the challenge of youth - in this production the kids are on stage for the full 75 minutes, driving the story and contributing their own ideas to the script.

Drawing on her recent role as youth acting coach for Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople (which she also stars in as Ricky’s Case Manager) and Boy; alongside her vast theatre experience (Director of Hui, Have Car Will Travel, The Mercy Seat and the Te Reo Māori version of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida which performed at the Globe Theatre in London), 2012 Arts Foundation Laureate, Rachel House will direct these children in material rarely given to actors of their age.

This adaptation of Medea, penned by Australian theatre-makers Kate Mulvany andAnne-Louise Sarks, was devised with the original young cast who Anne-Louise says, “gave us the precious gift of seeing again.” The play originated at Sydney’s Belvoir Street Theatre in 2012 before having a London season in 2015 at Gate Theatre. It was met with widespread critical acclaim and received multiple awards, including the 2012 Sydney Theatre Award for Best New Australian Work and the 2013 Australian Writers Guild Award for Best Stage Play.

Kate Mulvany is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter in addition to being a high profile stage and screen actor. Anne-Louise Sarks works professionally as an actor, director and dramaturg and won Best Direction at the 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards forMedea. Sarks says the play still has much to tell us: ‘There are too many recent stories of parents taking the lives of their own children for us to dismiss its relevance.’

"Deeply affecting and profoundly disquieting…MEDEA will linger after the final blow."
–The Daily Telegraph

Performance: Quinn Bevan, Aedan Burmester, Levi Kereama, Joe Valentine & Bronwyn Bradley
Design: John Verryt, Kristin Seth, Leon Radojkovic

For more information and bookings, visit silotheatre.co.nz

ENDS

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