Medea in Exile: Origins of a Myth (Being Human)

We think we know Medea, the scorned lover and her act of monstrous revenge, but Euripides’ tragedy was just one of approximately 19 classical plays to feature her, and in antiquity she was also a familiar figure from epic and lyric poetry.

‘Medea in Exile’ features the world premiere of a trilogy of new plays written by Tom Holloway in collaboration with Emma Cole. The staged reading, directed by Caroline Steinbeis, blends cutting-edge research into fragmentary plays, epics, and vase paintings from antiquity with creative innovation to reconceptualise the ancient heroine Medea. Touching upon Medea’s exile from her homeland, Corinth, and Athens, as well as her relationship with fellow child-killer Herakles, the project places the ancient and the contemporary in dialogue and shatters our preconceptions about Euripides’ tragic heroine.

There will also be a post-show Q&A featuring Cole, Holloway, Steinbeis, and the cast.