A marriage betrayal ending in murder—a story that has shocked and unsettled audiences since it was first performed in 431 BCE—is coming to the UTC Fine Arts Center’s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre.
A landmark of Greek tragedy, “Medea” confronts what happens when betrayal and exile push a person past the point of no return. The title character, a woman abandoned by her husband and cast out of her home, answers injustice with calculated force.
First performed over 2,400 years ago during the City Dionysia festival in Athens, “Medea” still tests audiences with its questions about loyalty, power and consequence.
The UTC Theatre Co. will present Euripides’ “Medea,” translated by Diane J. Rayor, from Nov. 18-22, with nightly performances at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The . production is directed by Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing Drew Davidson, in his first show since joining the Department of Theatre faculty this academic year.
“The challenge with these old plays is they can feel inaccessible; people assume the language is a barrier,” Davidson said. “Diane Rayor’s translation is accurate and was workshopped with actors, so it’s both academically sound and built for performance.”
He added that the script runs fast—less than 90 minutes in a single act—and preserves the poetry without losing clarity. “You get the theatricality and you also understand it,” he said.
To bring the story closer to home without losing its form, Davidson said the UTC production is rooted in a familiar American landscape.
“We’re setting it in 1920s, Depression-era Appalachia, but keeping the high Greek form,” he explained. “There will be masks. There will be a chorus of seven women speaking and chanting together. Instead of a lyre you’ll hear a dulcimer, and instead of Greek percussion we’re using Appalachian bones and wood flutes.
“I want people to feel immersed, not like they’re looking at something distant or academic. It should feel close enough that the audience recognizes the world, but they will still feel the weight of an ancient tragedy.”
Later in the play, Davidson said the ethical ground begins to tilt.
“The story keeps forcing you to reassess who you’re with,” he said. “You start the play empathizing with Medea, this woman who has been cast aside, and by the end you may be leaning toward Jason, the husband who betrayed her—and you’re disturbed that you are.”
He said he hopes audiences leave wrestling with the cost of revenge.
“If everyone keeps trying to get revenge, the cycle never ends,” Davidson said. “At what point is getting even not worth what it destroys?”
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here and through the UTC Fine Arts Center Box Office—in person or by phone at 423-425-4269. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students (with proof of student ID) and seniors.
The UTC Fine Arts Center is located at the intersection of Dr. Roland Carter Street (formerly known as Vine Street) and Palmetto Street on the UTC campus.
