May. 16, 2012 - Issue #865: Road Trips
Medea
Though Medea is an enduring story, Baratta hasn't forgotten that a good adaptation needs some twists and risks. So, she's chosen a version that has no chorus, and is adding in a fractured representation of Medea's turmoil: five other women will play the roles of Medea's inner struggle.
"When you are that broken, you lose a sense of self," begins Baratta. "I want to show that from the moment Jason leaves her, she's divided. And, while the five divisions protect her, and convey different emotions, I've been careful to keep her as a woman who ultimately stands alone."
Directing Medea has been on Baratta's bucket list for years. Though the piece has shocked audiences for millennia thanks to Medea's horrifically creative definition of revenge, Baratta hopes that her audience will also see that Euripides' complex character is worthy of some sympathy.
"I always find myself needing a challenge, and this definitely is," says Baratta. "Medea is alone and yet she finds an amazing amount of power. This play shows the love between Jason and Medea while doing justice to the grief that tears them both apart and leaves them broken. I think months after this I'll still be wondering if she had to go that far."
Above all, though, Baratta is thrilled about the team she's put together for the finale of her degree, and credits their talents as a large part of the production.
"This has really become a dream project," Baratta excitedly explains. "It's been the most joyous I've had here. My cast and production team are phenomenal and incredibly gifted. All the images I saw, and wanted, they made happen. I want the audience to leave mesmerized by the world we've created on stage."
Thu, May 17 – Sun, May 26 (7:30 pm)
Directed by Donna Marie Baratta
Timms Centre for the Arts, $10 – $20 vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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