Euripides’ tale of betrayal and revenge brings to life the fictional, heard but never seen mistress in Suzie Miller’s adaptation of 'Medea'.
When Medea fell for Jason, she fell hard. Hard enough to sacrifice everything to be with him. She deceived her father, committed murder, left the comforts of her homeland and bore him two sons. So when power-hungry Jason begins seeing a younger woman, Medea's humiliation quickly turns to revenge and a horrible plan is hatched. Medea is prepared to do whatever it takes to restore power, and seeks to extract vengeance in a method where nothing is off limits – not even the children.
Marking Artistic Director Todd MacDonald’s La Boite directorial debut, 'Medea' is a visceral exploration of a brilliant mind railing against her status as both woman and foreigner. Miller’s adaptation of Euripides’ most performed classic pulsates with the tension of a psychological thriller.
Christen O’Leary ('Bombshells', 'Gloria') will storm the roundhouse stage in a performance of a lifetime in the titular role as La Boite’s Medea, and is accompanied by Damien Cassidy ('Kokoda', 'Sea Patrol') and Helen Christinson ('Caress/Ache', '39 Steps'), both of whom have attained critical acclaim for their performances in last year’s 'A Doll’s House'.
A Creative Industries graduate from Queensland University Of Technology in Acting, Helen Christinson has twice been nominated for Matilda Best Actress Awards. Taking to the stage in a range of roles, Helen also features on ABC's 'Through My Eyes' and 'Sisters Of War' as well as appearing in short films. Taking on the role of Glauce in La Boite's 'Medea', Helen explains how she's taking on the role of a 'ghost' character who for the first time will be seen on the stage and not just heard in the plot wings.
Are you familiar with Euripides work – or was it a research topic for this production?I'm familiar with Euripides’ body of work, but I’d never studied one play in particular or performed in one, so I did have to do a bit of research going into rehearsals for this show. I love that he took epic figures, mythical heroes and represented them as real people to whom we can (or cannot) relate.
There are many interesting works and facts on Euripides, which part do you find most interesting about his life?
If Wikipedia can be believed, Euripides' dad believed an oracle’s foretelling that Euripides was going to win ‘crowns of glory’ and insisted that Euripides train to be an athlete. He got sent to some ancient Greek equivalent of a sports training academy. In fact, Euripides was more interested in acting and writing and ended up winning awards for that rather than any sporting awards. Even back in ancient Greece, parents were trying to steer their kids away from being an actor!
You play the younger woman, who classically is never actually seen in the production, how is playing the 'ghost' character brought to life?We’re only two days into rehearsal as I write this, so it’s a bit tricky to answer that at the moment. It’s really interesting fleshing out a ‘ghost’ character. Because she has not been seen before, we have some licence to create a character and a backstory that we find both interesting and useful to serve Medea’s story. What we’re grappling with at the moment are issues like what are the most interesting choices for this character, What do we want her to be and how does she challenge Medea’s narrative? I like that her presence in this play may show a side of Medea or an aspect of the story that is not traditionally seen and, I think, may assist us in understanding the absolute betrayal that Medea feels and help us relate to the sequence of events that occur to place Medea in the position where she makes a choice to do what she does.
How does your character, Glauce, meet Jason? Is there romance and sparks…
Again, early stages and it may change but at the minute Glauce has heard of Jason who is a famous warrior Argonaut and is pretty impressed by his reputation. She sees Jason at court one day when she’s quite young (before she comes of age) and falls a bit in love with him. Glauce also sees the way he looks at Medea and wants that for herself. So, when she comes of age she tries to make that happen.
Is she aware he is a family man? Does it stop her in the slightest when she finds out?
In the version so far, Glauce is completely aware that Jason’s married to Medea. What I find interesting with what we’re exploring at the moment is that Glauce not only wants to assert her womanhood and her power by marrying Jason and challenging Medea’s power, but in those days and in that land, women couldn’t rule on their own. In order to become Queen of Corinth (which is her birthright) Glauce has to marry. So there’s lust involved, perhaps even love. But also a strategic play to ensure that Glauce can rule as is her right.
Can you relate with your character's circumstances in real life?I’m very fortunate in that I’ve had the ability to achieve my goals without needing to attach myself to a man or anyone really. I’ve had the fortune to have autonomy in my decisions and to make them regardless of my gender. Although, I recognise that this is not the case for many women. For the record, I’ve also never stolen anyone’s husband.
You've studied law; in your professional opinion how long would Medea – hypothetically– serve behind bars for the crimes she commits in this production?
Great question! Sorry but I’ll have to give you a lawyer-ey kind of answer and say: it depends where she committed the crime! In Corinth in the day, Medea would have been tortured and killed (barbaric – I am completely opposed to the death penalty). I didn’t study law in Queensland but as I understand it, if Medea committed this act in Queensland, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.
You've worked on a Suzie Miller production ('Caress/Ache') previously, what do you enjoy about her playwrights?
Suzie is absolutely brilliant to work with. She has such an intelligent and interesting take on every day scenarios and an incredible life force and passion, which she injects into her work. Suzie is also quite a feminist, which I am very grateful for, as she advocates representing women in theatre in such a strong way and challenging and questioning notions of 'the woman’s place', or 'the woman’s lot in life’. As a result, I think Suzie presents strong women really well. She’s also just a really great lady and a real collaborator. She always respects your opinion and engages in wonderful discussion.
Do you tend to drift towards more dramatic theatre than comedy?I love the challenges that both of these genres present. It’s actually really lovely when you can slip between the two. I’ve been really lucky in that I’ve been able to do both throughout my career. Lately, I’ve had a bit of trend towards dramatic roles. In the last show I did, I had to pretty much cry on stage for an hour and a half! It was fantastic but exhausting. I don’t think that 'Medea' will present too many overtly comedic moments, although there is a black humour that runs underneath the work. Nonetheless, I’m sort of hanging out for a comedic role now. I’ve done dramatic roles for a bit and it'd be nice to have a bit of a laugh again!
What can we expect when we see 'Medea’?
With Christen O’Leary in the titular role, Todd McDonald leading the charge, and the writing, supporting and creative team around it, you’re in for a 'Medea' you’ve not seen before, that will challenge you and hopefully knock your socks off.
'Medea' plays La Boite, 30 May – 20 June.
