Medea
Based on Euripides

GREEK DEBUT

It is quite likely that no other Ancient Drama heroine has been as staggering as Medea. What if Medea were alive today? Inspired by the story of a Kansas doctor who killed her husband and two of their three children in the mid-1990s, distinguished Australian filmmaker Simon Stone offers a contemporary reading of the drama, featuring the acting ensemble of the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, one of the strongest theatre companies in Europe. The core of the myth remains unchanged and is ‘kneaded’ against the backdrop of today’s middle-class America.

Having just been discharged from a psychiatric hospital after a difficult divorce, Anna hopes for a reconciliation with her husband Lucas, despite having previously tried to poison him. Their reunion is expected to be disastrous as their home turns into a battlefield.

A world-class artistic event, Simon Stone’s Medea has been performed on the world’s most important stages (London, New York, Amsterdam, Madrid, etc.) to rave reviews. It premiered in 2014 in the Netherlands, with Ivo van Hove’s company ToneelgroepAmsterdam (the predecessor of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam) and Marieke Heebink in the leading role (Theo d’Or award). Although Stone is familiar to the Greek audience as a writer, this is the first time we get to see a performance directed by him.

An avid reader of the classics and one of the world’s most sought-after playwrights, Simon Stone (b. 1984) approaches the plays he chooses using contemporary and everyday means. Starting from the dramatic characters and working with improvisation, he creates, together with the actors, a version of his own, bringing out the brilliance of the original anew. He has directed The Dig for Netflix, among others, and has worked with some of the biggest names in world cinema (Geoffrey Rush, Ralph Fiennes, etc.). His performances have been presented in the world’s major theatres, operas, and festivals. Most recently, Bohuslav Martinů’s opera The Greek Passion, which he directed, thrilled audiences at the Salzburg Festival and was awarded by Opera Magazine as the best performance of the year.