With no other lighting than the sun, Shackouls Honors College students will recreate a classic Greek tragedy the way it was originally performed — outside.
The Mississippi State University Shackouls Honors College presents “Medea,” the Greek tragedy by Euripides, Sept. 24-25 at 5:30 p.m. on the Griffis Hall patio in Zacharias Village on campus. Admission is free. The presentation is offered as part of the Mississippi State University Lyceum Series season.
The production, which runs about an hour, will follow a short production of “Jason and the Argonauts,” a farce. All students involved in the production of the ancient Greek play are members of the Shackouls Honors College.
Dr. Donna Clevinger, director, senior faculty fellow in the Shackouls Honors College and theater professor, said the play is this year’s cornerstone of the Shackouls Honors College’s Classical Week after the success of last year’s production of “The Brothers Menaechmus.”
As “Medea” is a universal tragedy of love and revenge, Clevinger said the characters experience universal emotions of love, lust, greed and jealousy.
“The different emotions that Medea and the other characters experience during their time on stage have carried with us all these centuries,” she said. “We are looking at the big R-word: revenge.”
Connections
As the play is emotional, the actors have had to connect with their characters. Kellie Mitchell, a junior Shackouls Honors College student who is playing Medea, said she has been “getting into the pain of the character” in order to create an authentic experience.
“It really digs into the core of humanity and what it means to be hurting and what it really means to take revenge on someone for hurting you,” Mitchell said.
Members of Clevinger’s Honors Introduction to Theatre class are also assisting with publicity, house management, engineering and technical aspects of the production in order to experience what it is like to run a theatrical production.
Parker Middleton, a class member who worked on the publicity committee and a freshman Shackouls Honors College student, said he has enjoyed helping put on the show and contributing ideas. “I’m glad I’ve gotten the opportunity to be a part of this,” he said.
Through the collaboration of students and teachers, “Medea” will transport the audience to the ancient Greek times while experiencing universal emotions of love and revenge.
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