Students Perform Medea at Knox

Medea ends by closing a door.

A bloody Medea, played by junior Nellie Ognacevic, having killed her own children, closes the door on her actions in the face of marital betrayal. Her husband, Jason, brought to life by junior Jack Dryden, is reduced to a heap and is left to come to terms with not only his wife's act of justice, but the realization that his own adulterous actions incited them.

Medea, a translation by Robin Robertson, was directed by Professor Jeff Grace who brought Medea into a contemporary setting. The modern staging of the Greek classic was meant to contribute to the "ongoing conversation about the ramifications of violence toward women and its effects on the most vulnerable in society," according to theatre department chair Liz Carlin Metz. It also coincided with the fall term course THEA 372: Classical and Medieval Drama and Theatre, taught by Grace, to help students experience what they studied in class.

Ultimately, according to Liz, theatre at Knox aims to "examine what it means to be human and how we negotiate that experience in nature and societies." It is also through participation in theatre that many students at Knox learn more of their own humanity.

To begin, a door must open.