PETER STEIN |
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MEDEA |
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After the successful staging of the Pentesilea, Peter Stein has undertaken a new challenge in staging Euripides’ masterpiece, concentrating on another powerful female character and based on the new Italian translation of Dario Del Corno. Medea is embodied by Maddalena Crippa, who has been collaborating with the German director in Schönberg Kabarett, Kundrys Schwestern and Penthesilea. She is accompanied by a chorus of 12 young performers, who contribute to the strong musical part of the show. The show, commissioned by INDA (Instituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico), took place in the inspiring setting of the Ancient Greek Theatre of Siracusa in May 2004, where it was seen by a 100.000 spectators. Euripides' Medea opens in a state of conflict - Jason has abandoned his wife, Medea, along with their two children. He hopes to advance his station by remarrying with Glauce, the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth, the Greek city where the play is set. The play charts Medea's emotional transformation, a progression from suicidal despair to sadistic fury. She eventually avenges Jason's betrayal with a series of murders, concluding with the deaths of her own children. |
Euripides' role as a dramatic innovator is unquestionable: the simplicity of his dialogue and its closeness to natural human speech patterns paved the way for dramatic realism. Admired by Socrates and other philosophers, Euripides also distinguished himself as a free thinker; criticisms of traditional religion and defenses of oppressed groups (especially women and slaves) enter his plays with an explicitness unheard of before him. Even today, Medea’s infamous murders challenge our moral universe.
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PRODUCTION DATES
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