BENGALURU: When ancient Greek tragedian Euripides penned Medea in the late fourth century BCE, he could have sparsely imagined that the play would continue to resonate across millennia. Among the most powerful characters from ancient Greek mythology, Medea is arguably one of the most interesting, whose tragic story has been retold and reinterpreted throughout history. It’s a tale of despair, rage, and the lengths one might go to find a place called home. But Euripides’ telling transcends the earlier stereotypical depiction of Medea and is instead a nuanced exploration of complex yet universal themes that still find relevance.
Now, thespian Kirtana Kumar is collaborating with Jagriti Theatre to bring a fresh adaptation of Euripides’ Medea to Bengaluru early next month. “It blows my mind that this play has been running for 2500 years, pretty much non-stop. Clearly, there is something that remains relevant about it,” says Kumar, adding, “We live in times of massive migration, wars, the quest for, and loss of identity and home. So the question of relevance is moot.”
The Greek tragedy regales the story of a woman so fearful of her impending exile and statelessness that she chooses to destroy that which she loves – her children. For director Rebecca Spurgeon, Medea’s complex reality and the influences behind these actions were a key attraction. “I am very drawn to the place literature and culture create for women. I am interested in the agency they are afforded and how often this agency is sacrificed for the male protagonist’s catharsis,” she says, adding, “Medea is mostly summed up as the story of a woman who kills her children as an act of revenge against her husband.
The horror of her actions is the horror that a mother could do this to her children but it misses the horror of her existence. It forgets her history. This performance began as an examination of her complex reality and how that influences her actions. For me, the truth of a story is in its nuance. So I want to be horrified by her actions but not before I am horrified by the rest of her story.”
Featuring sound design by Ananth Menon, the solo play promises a blend of classical narrative with contemporary elements. “Performatively, we worked hard to ensure its accessibility. There are three layers of meaning being created on stage, through text, image, and sound, so that the form itself is modern, resonant and offers a meta-story as well as the classical one,” says Kumar.
Given the play’s exploration of difficult subjects, the production might not necessarily be for everyone. “It was clear to me that a retelling of Medea had to find its relevance in the world that I live in. Countries at war, millions of refugees, the disenfranchised, women giving birth in filthy hospital corridors next to the dying and the dead, and babies alive for just a few minutes before hospitals are bombed. I stand as a witness to see this time, this world and the least I can do is not look away,” Spurgeon adds.
(Medea will be staged from February 2 to 4 at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield. The tickets priced at D400 are available on BookMyShow)