Alexandra Whitehead

After reading the text, I wanted to explore themes surrounding the importance of a sense of place, and the destructive consequences of displacement or a corruption of that grounding force. I was also interested in the idea of two disparate ideals embodied by Medea and Jason and how their opposing natures could be represented by a physical space.

I designed a set that had the potential to represent the worlds of both characters and transform between the two through shifts in lighting and sound, combining contemporary minimalism with classical symbolism. I created rock formations made out of ripped paper to structure the space with the potential to represent both the enduring significance of the desert to Medea and the rock pools and aquatic nostalgia interwoven with Jason’s past.

With specific lighting I was able to create a glowing orange-red desert cave with Medea’s Chorus beckoning her back home, and then transform it into a cold, suffocating space as Jason is seduced by the self-destructive whisperings of his own Chorus.