Perse actors give powerful performance of Medea tragedy

Perse Year 11 actors took on a modern adaptation of the ancient Greek tragic myth of Medea for their latest production.

The original play was written by Euripides, telling the story of the eponymous character who is betrayed by her husband Jason after he marries Glauce, the daughter of king Creon, before taking revenge by killing her two children by Jason as well as his new wife.

Co-directors and Perse English teachers Kathryn Salmond and Hannah Flowers updated the time and setting of the play so the audience saw Medea in a house arrest situation after being captured by Creon.

Miss Salmond said: “We just see the aftermath of what’s happened and we used a modern translation that was appropriate for this age group.

“We chose Medea for the Year 11 production as we felt this year’s actors were a very strong and dramatic group, particularly in the realm of heavy drama and tragedy.

“As such, Medea played to their strengths and we thought was something that could get across a range of emotions, as well as an interesting female perspective.”

Miss Flowers added that while every actor had done a tremendous job, she felt Emma Walshe, who took the lead role, deserved particular credit.

She said: “Emma was on stage for 90% of the show and she had a lot of genuine praise for her performance. In terms of dramatic ability and endurance, she was fantastic.

“Everyone was amazing, though. The show didn’t have an interval, so it was quite intense, but they were really mature and committed, especially as it was such a heavy work.”