A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Medea: a Noh Cycle Based on the Greek Myth

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 1m, 6any gender (adult), 2any gender (youth)

"Strikingly fresh ... theatrically arresting ... striking achievement." - Washington Post

How could a woman who killed her children be saved by the gods? The
shocking ending of Euripides' play is the starting point for a
meditation on modern woman and the role of the artist/shaman in a
synthesis of classic Greek and Japanese Noh Theatre.

Medea: a Noh Cycle Based on the Greek Myth

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 1m, 6any gender (adult), 2any gender (youth)
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Experimental
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1974 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, National Student Playwriting Award

Details

Summary
How could a woman who killed her children be saved by the gods? The shocking ending of Euripides' play is the starting point for a meditation on modern woman and the role of the artist/shaman. This synthesis of classic Greek and Japanese Noh Theatre retains the basic story of the former but is performed in a creative, stylized manner inspired by the latter, with chant, song and dance. These two theatre forms have many similarities - both are non-illusionistic and both grew out of religious ceremony and ritual - drawing on primitive myths and legends. In Japan the Noh plays have no thematic relation, but this play consists of five scenes - each corresponding to one of the traditional plays to form a single entity. This work offers exceptional opportunities for creativity and artistic innovation to directors, actors and designers.
History
1974-5 University of California at Santa Barbara; California State University at Los Angeles; and Kennedy Center, Washington, DC  - Winner, Best Original Play, American College Theatre Festival. Directed by the author. 

MEDEA - strong-willed woman, artist-shaman, sexual, an outsider revealed to be a goddess
JASON - an ambitious "hero" who owes everything to the intervention of the gods and the help of Medea, revealed to be a demon in disguise
NURSE - timid, conventional and loyal, but eventually discovers her own strength as a woman
CREUSA - a simpering, vain, unaware princess
CHORUS MEMBERS - require exceptional speaking voices
CHILDREN - cloying and grasping, played by non-speaking dancers able to enact various other roles (ex: magic bulls)

The two children (and various other roles) are played by non-speaking dancers, not child actors. The chorus can range in size, from approximatel 3-8 voices. All actors except the chorus must be able to move creatively in dance-like patterns.   

  • Time Period Not Applicable
  • Features Elaborate / High Volume Costumes, Fantasy Costumes
  • Additional Features Play w/ Music, Stage Combat, Special Effects
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"...an arrestingly dramatic production.... a hypnotic mood of sacred ritual... gripping... " - StarTribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul

"Strikingly fresh ... theatrically arresting ... striking achievement." - Washington Post

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Chorus Size Small

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Euripides

Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose full plays have survived. Of the more than 90 plays attributed to Euripides, 18 are extant in full: Alcestis, Medea, ...
View full profile

Carol Sorgenfrei

Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei, born January 14, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, is a playwright, director, and scholar of Japanese and cross-cultural performance. Her fifteen original plays include the award-winning Medea: A Noh Cycle Based on the Greek Myth (published by Samuel French) ...
View full profile

Community

Now Playing

Community Experiences