Medea

Director’s Notes

Murder.  Royal marriage.  Infidelity.  Divorce.  Filicide.  Revenge.  Religious fervor.  A rabidly curious public.  Is it Greek Tragedy?  Sure!  It is also the content of many tabloid headlines at the grocery store, and the fodder for evening investigative news programs such as 20/20 and Dateline.  The human condition and the things that hold our attention span the centuries.  The names and places change; the style of the storytelling varies, but at the core, artists of all generations are exploring what it means to be human.

When COVID turned our season upside down, we found ourselves scrambling to find scripts that we could present without navigating the uncertain terrain of copyright issues, knowing that we would likely be broadcasting or recording our productions rather than performing them live with a live audience.  In doing this we leaned on public domain pieces and new works.

I scanned my bookshelves and MEDEA caught my imagination.  Rather than simply take a traditional approach I wanted to highlight how accessible the story is by nestling the traditional story within a fictional media broadcast.  My research led me to note that Jason’s death some years after Medea’s departure would provide that culture with an impulse to “look back” and retell the story.  This led pretty naturally to treating the chorus – a central feature in any Greek Tragedy – as newscasters, bloggers, and paparazzi.  I spent the summer writing a few drafts of the script in preparation for our production. 

We began rehearsal in January – Sometimes on ZOOM…. Sometimes masked and distanced. Cast members moved in and out of quarantine.   Understudies stepped in.  We explored a variety of outdoor locations thinking we might be able to perform unmasked if we kept safe distance, perhaps in one of the many tents on campus.  The set was designed for that reality.  We learned we would not be able to do that.  We were moved indoors with masks.  Our tent-sized set was finally erected in McCrary Theatre where we performed for two cameras.  Phew!  What a rollercoaster!

Through all the changes, this cast and production team maintained positive attitudes, worked hard, and reveled in their creativity.  Together we shared this exercise in releasing control and rolling with the punches.  I like to think the ancient Greeks would have recognized this lesson in dealing with fate.  They might have also noted that we performed this version of the play in masks as they did- albeit a very different kind of mask.

A final note about our work:  As you watch this recording, please know that our goal was to create a stage production that is documented with cameras; not to make a film version of Medea.  We employed limited camera movement and simple editing to ensure the clearest view.  I hope you enjoy our efforts to bring new life to a classic play, and to doggedly continue our work, even in this time of pandemic.

Fredrick J. Rubeck

Director

Special Thanks

Orlando Shakes, Rick Earl, J. McMerty

Bios

JP Mullican

Jack A. Smith

Fred Rubeck

Andrew Altmann

Natalie Taylor Hart

Naiya Banks

Sydney Bell

Mari Blake

Brianna Boucher

Haley Bronzino

Angelina Cerami

Kendra Chideya

Alexander Carnot

Callie Fabac

Monique Fogg

Emily George

Liam Heery

Cara Johnson

Emily Kopchains

Jordan Kulick

Grayson Lichtenthaler

Brynn Lackey

Caity Ladda

Peyton Otis

Sivan Propper

John Lee Rudolph

Payton Robinson

Jasmine Smith

Anika Waco

Jaxon Wilkerson

Allyson Vogel

Jared Wise

Jordan Young

John-Luke Lindstrom

JP Mullican

JP has served as the Performing Arts Technical Director since Fall 2017. Prior to Elon, he worked as a lead craftsperson and project manager on productions such as Paw Patrol Live. Outside of Elon, he continues work as a freelance technical designer on productions such as the Frozen Australian Tour, The Beauty and the Beast in Shanghai, and The Phantom of the Opera World Tour. In his free time, JP builds custom furniture and runs an ever-increasing number of virtual Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. He couldn’t do any of this without the constant support of his amazing partner.

Jack A. Smith

Jack is an Associate Professor of Performing Arts. He has worked at many regional theaters from The Orlando Shakespeare Theater to The Actor’s Theater of Louisville. He spends most of his summers either working at a small theater in Missouri (City of Maples Rep) or traveling the world looking at textiles, antique garments, or cultural wonders. His passions include antique textiles (specifically American Women’s Costume from the 19th century and the politics of 18th-century French fashions) and his dog, Neha!

Fred Rubeck

Fred is completing his 33rd year at Elon and is one of the founding members of the Department of Performing Arts. He coordinates the BFA Acting program and served as Department Chair for twelve years. He has directed nearly one hundred productions at theaters in the midwest and on the east coast. Local audiences may remember some of his favorite Elon productions, including Instant Laughter, You Can't Take It With You, Angels In American, Noises Off!, Lend Me a Tenor, The Shadow Box, and many more. They may also remember his performances in the roles of the Stage Manager in Our Town, and Beverly in August: Osage County.

Andrew Altmann

Andrew Altmann is a 21 year old senior at Elon University. He is very grateful to have had the chance to work with the amazing cast of Medea and perform for Elon this last time before graduation. He was last seen on McCrary Stage in Twelfth Night but was more recently seen in the Zoom production of Pheromone as Jim. He’d like to thank his family and friends for always supporting him.

Natalie Taylor Hart

Natalie Taylor Hart is a Scenic Designer and the Associate Chair of Performing Arts at Elon University. Selected Scenic Designs: New York: Tech Support (59E59TH, Off-Broadway); Tartuffe (Queens Theatre, Off-Off-Broadway); Slave Shack (Algonquin Theatre); Associate Designer for The Wiz (The Netherlands). Regional: Life in the Fat Lane (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Having Our Say, Our Town {Scenic Consultant}, Fences {Finalist in World Stage Design 2017 Taipei}, White Lightning (Triad Stage). Exhibitions: USITT Design Expo, Prague Quadrennial, World Stage Design Finalist 2017, Lincoln Center Portfolio Review. MFA, Ohio University. Proud member of IATSE USA Local 829. natalietaylorhart.com

Naiya Banks

This is Naiya's junior year in the BFA program and she is so happy to add Medea to her list of productions here at Elon! She'd like to thank her amazing family, the wonderful production team, and every one of her friends that have pushed her to be the best. Instagram: @naiya.alexis

Sydney Bell

Sydney Bell is a senior Theatrical Design and Technology and Arts Administration major from Atlanta, Georgia. She is honored to work with so many talented artists and is overjoyed to close out her Elon career with this beautiful show. Sydney’s notable Elon credits include Beast Mode Champion (Stage Manager), We Will Rock You (Asst. Stage Manager), and Clown Bar(Asst. Stage Manager). Sydney has enjoyed working with this wonderful team and is excited to share this production with everyone! Sydney would like to thank her parents and friends for their love and support.

Mari Blake

Mari Blake is a senior BFA Acting and BA Creative Writing major from New Jersey. Mari is so grateful to be working on this incredible production with such an amazing team. Past Elon credits include Pheromone, Trojan Barbie, The School for Wives and APO's production of Dog Sees God. Lots of love to Mom and Wyatt for their endless support.

Brianna Boucher

Brianna Boucher (She/Her) is a junior pursuing a double major in Arts Administration and Theatrical Design and Technology with focuses in stage management and costumes. Recent Credits Include: Concord Floral (Stage Manager), Bye Bye Birdie (Asst. Costume Designer), Buried Deep (Asst. Costume Designer), Movin' On (Asst. Costume Designer), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Stage Manager), Bridging: The Spring Dance Concert (Stage Manager).

Haley Bronzino

Haley is a Senior BFA Acting major from Greenville, NC. Some of her favorite roles at Elon have been #13 in The Wolves, Oronte in School for Wives, and Viola’s understudy in Twelfth Night. She would like to give a big shoutout to her Please Clap! Improv family, her amazing Mom, stellar Professors, and BFA Acting ‘21 ensemble.

Angelina Cerami

Angelina Cerami is a Junior BFA Acting Major from New York and is so excited to be a part of The Inferior Sex. Recent credits at Elon include Sense and Sensibility (Gossip), Medea (U/S Chorus) and Pheromone (U/S Shelby). Some of her favorite credits are The Last Five Years (Cathy), Twelve Angry Jurors (Juror #3), The Drowsy Chaperone (Drowsy Chaperone) and Spelling Bee (Logainne).

Kendra Chideya

Kendra Chideya is a senior BFA Acting major at Elon University. Kendra has been acting in theatre since the age of eleven and has acted in films for about four years now. Besides acting, she also enjoys directing, producing, and writing work within the entertainment industry and will continue to have these pursuits within her future career endeavors. Kendra is extremely grateful to her phenomenal and devoted family who are some of the most selfless humans she has ever known. She's eternal thankful to have them in her life and for the amazing opportunity to be in this production.

Alexander Carnot

Alex is so thankful to have been a part of this amazing creative team in the creation of this show! His past Elon credits include The Steward in Into The Woods and U/S Tutor, First Correspondent in Medea. He would like to thank his family, friends, and especially Carenna for dealing with his chaotic schedule and self during this entire process.

Callie Fabac

Callie is so excited to perform in this show as she embarks on her senior year at Elon University. Previously, she played The Attendant in Medea and Popo in Clown Bar. Outside of Elon, Callie has performed in The Wizard of Oz with TheatreLeague and Nine with Spinning Tree Theatre. She also interned with MICHA this past summer during their workshop series and she has served as literary intern for Unicorn Theatre. Finally, Callie is proud to have participated in film projects both in and out of school (Bresee, Commuters, etc.). She is excited for what the future holds! @callie_fabac

Monique Fogg

Monique Fogg is a sophomore Acting Major from Durham, NC. She is ecstatic to be apart of this cast! Some of her favorite roles include, Caroline (I and You), Spirit (Bright Star), and Chorus U/S (Medea).

Emily George

Emily is a senior Theatrical Design and Technology major and is thrilled to be working as the Scenic Charge on the mainstage Spring productions this year! All my love to the TDT department (past & present). You make this worth it. <3

Liam Heery

Liam Heery is a senior BFA Acting major. Over the past twelve years, he has studied a wide range of dramatic styles and has explored all aspects of theatre, including acting, directing and writing for drama, musical theatre and collaboratively devised plays. He has participated in sixteen stage productions, including Sweeney Todd (Pirelli), Spring Awakening (Ernst), The Laramie Project (Dennis Shepard/Rob Debree) and, most recently, Elon’s productions of Arcadia (Ezra Chater), Clown Bar (Shotgun) and Dog Sees God (Matt). Before coming to Elon, Liam studied for six months at East 15 Acting School in London.

Cara Johnson

Cara Johnson is a junior Acting major fulfilling their first technical position at Elon as Assistant Stage Manager for this production. Previous Elon theatrical credits include Medea (Attendant U/S) and Sense and Sensibility (Elinor). This is Cara's third J-Term rehearsal process, and they are thrilled to be in the room learning from the other side of the table.

Emily Kopchains

Emily Kopchains is a Senior Theatrical Design and Technology major with a Scenic focus and is so honored to be the Scenic Designer for Medea. She is beyond lucky to be a member of the Elon TDT family and could not be more grateful for the faculty and especially her fellow students who have encouraged her to learn, make mistakes, and push boundaries throughout this process.

Jordan Kulick

Jordan Kulick is incredibly excited to be playing Alice in The Inferior Sex this January Term. She is a Senior BFA Acting Major and plans to move to New York City post grad. Past Elon credits include: Sense and Sensibility (Margaret) Pheromone (Ella), The Wolves (u/s #14), and Medea (u/s Son’s/Guards). She is so grateful to be telling this important story alongside such a remarkable team. @jordankulick

Grayson Lichtenthaler

Grayson is a Senior BFA Acting Major and is excited to be a part of such a fun and complex show! Prior Elon Credits include CB in "Dog Sees God", King Creon in "Medea", and Soldier/Dancer in "Trojan Barbie". Grayson is a 4-year member of Instant Laughter Improv and is a current student of the Groundlings School in Los Angeles. Grayson plans on moving to LA after graduation to pursue a career in film and improv.graysonlichtenthaler.com IG: @graysonlich

Brynn Lackey

Brynn is thrilled to be making her mainstage debut in Clue! Recent credits include She Kills Monsters (Agnes), Sense and Sensibility (Elinor U/S), and Oklahoma! (Ado Annie). Brynn recently studied at the Theatre Academy of London where she received her certification in rapier and dagger from the British Academy of Dramatic Combat. Special thanks to the Lackey fam, Meredith, Jennifer, MK, Toby, Fred, and the incredible cast and crew. instagram-@brynnxemily

Caity Ladda

Caity is a senior BFA Acting major and this will be her last mainstage production at Elon. Recent Elon credits include Dunyasha in The Cherry Orchard and Chorus in Medea. She would like to thank Fred & her cast and crew for a wonderful last show experience, and she is so excited for you to see the show. Merci d'être venu! (Thank you for coming!)

Peyton Otis

Peyton Otis is so grateful to be Stage Managing her third mainstage production at Elon University! A Senior Theatrical Design and Technology Major with a concentration in Stage Management, she wishes to thank the incredible cast, crew, and design team, as well as everyone in Elon Performing Arts for making this show possible. Past Elon credits include We Will Rock You (Assistant Stage Manager), Pheromone (Assistant Stage Manager), Medea (Stage Manager), and Heart of Shrapnel (Stage Manager).

Sivan Propper

Sivan is a Senior B.F.A Acting Major from Los Angeles, California. She is so grateful for the support, opportunities, and education she has gained from her professors at Elon University. After graduation, she plans on movie back to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Television and Film.

John Lee Rudolph

John Lee Rudolph is a senior BFA Acting major here at Elon and he is so excited to be a part of this incredible production. His past credits include Heart of Shrapnel (X/Y), Medea (Messenger), Hamlet (Guildenstern U/S), and Arcadia (Jellaby U/S). John Lee is also a proud member of the Department of Performing Arts improv team, Instant Laughter. He would like to sincerely thank the entire team for their artistry and their role in making this such a joyful experience. He hopes you enjoy the show!

Payton Robinson

Payton Robinson is a Senior BFA Acting and Nutrition Track Double Major, Minoring in Psychology from Fairhope, Alabama. Her Elon credits include, Woman C in Heart of Shrapnel, Malcolm u/s in Macbeth, #2 u/s in The Wolves, and Second Correspondent u/s in Medea. She is thrilled for you to see the show and thanks you for your support.

Jasmine Smith

Jasmine is junior Acting major and also pursing a minor in Theatrical Design & Technology. Her previous credits include Medea (U/S Medea), The Cherry Orchard (U/S Llubov), and most recently, Concord Floral (6/Nearly Wild). She would like to thank her family and friends for supporting her during the process.

Anika Waco

Anika Waco is a junior BFA Acting and Arts Administration major with a Spanish minor. She is from Chicago, Illinois where she performed in Hamlet, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet with Chicago Youth Shakespeare. Her Elon credits include #25 in last year's winter term production of The Wolves, Chloe Coverly U/S in Arcadia, and Chrysalde U/S in School for Wives. She is so excited to be working on Medea and is grateful to her family for their love and support and to Griffin for even more hours spent running lines on FaceTime.

Jaxon Wilkerson

Jaxon Wilkerson is a BFA Acting Major from Efland, North Carolina. Jaxon is honored to work with such a talented group of individuals in order to bring this show to life. His Elon acting debut was in Hamlet. He would like to thank his mother, Jennifer. He would like to decry all of his haters.

Allyson Vogel

Allyson Vogel is a senior majoring in Biology and Theatrical Design and Technology with a focus in stage management. She is excited to assistant technical direction and lead the crew for Clue! Her recent shows include Head Over Heels (assistant lighting designer) and 42nd Street (stage manager). She is so proud of all the hard work put into this show, and she looks forward to the rest of her senior year.

Jared Wise

Jared Wise is thrilled to have been given his first opportunity in a show at Elon! He would like to thank his loving parents for their support in his endeavor for a BFA.

Jordan Young

Jordan Young is a junior Cinema and Television Arts major at Elon University. She is currently a show producer for sketch comedy show Elon Tonight and was a member of the Juliet cohort of Elondocs. Some previous projects she worked on have been the short film The Right Black, produced by an iMedia alum, her documentary on representation of HBCUs in media, and Dancing in the Landscape. Jordan is passionate about inclusion and representation in media and is incredibly grateful to be a part of this project, The Moment.

John-Luke Lindstrom

John-Luke is a senior Acting Major from Maplewood, New Jersey. He was previously in Elon's productions of Medea and Hamlet, and understudied Trojan Barbie and Arcadia. He also studied Comedy in Chicago with Second City's Comedy Studies program.