Greek tragedy comes to USD

The University of South Dakota theater department is bringing “Medea,” a traditional tragedy set in ancient Greece and laced with betrayal and revenge, to life the weekend of Sept. 28.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2 p.m. on Sept. 30, and 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre. There will be a post-show discussion following the Sept. 30 matinee performance.

Chaya Gordon-Bland, assistant theater professor at the university and director of the production, said the play was based on a Greek mythological story.

“It is about a woman named Medea who is part sorcerous and part deity and has some magical, mystical powers.” Gordon-Bland said. “When our play begins, we find out Jason, Medea’s husband, has taken on a second wife and has married the princess of Corinth.”

Medea’s heartbroken reaction to Jason’s betrayal is what launches the story into action, Gordon-Bland said. As the play progresses, there are eight characters who remain on the stage for a great deal of the performance.

“We serve as kind of the mediators between the characters on stage and the audience,” student Laurie Nordahl, an actress in “Medea,” said.

Another student and actor in the play, senior Jamie Fields, said the performance was a collaborative effort between the whole cast.

“Everyone has their own opinions but we’re able to find the happy medium that works for everyone in the group,” Fields said.

Playing the role of Medea is junior Lindsay Qualls, who Gordon-Bland said was born for the role.

“Physically and emotionally, she is a very powerful individual and a very powerful artist and actress,” Gordon-Bland said. “That is absolutely essential for the role of Medea.”

Alongside Qualls is sophomore Andrew Hanson, who plays the role of Jason.

“He’s kind of a Greek mythic hero,” Hanson said. “It’s always fun for me to play characters who have a lot of power and who are, I guess, very emotionally powerful in that they have strength in what they say.”

Gordon-Bland, Nordahl, Fields, Qualls and Hanson all said they looking forward to the reaction of the audience the most.

“There’s a visceral sensibility to ‘Medea’ and a rawness to it that is just so different from a lot of contemporary theatre and musical theatre, so I’m hoping that the audience will find that intriguing and enlightening,” Gordon-Bland said.

Hanson said he hoped “Medea” would bring a cultural experience to Vermillion that does not come around very often.

“For a large portion of the people that come to this show, it’ll be the first time they have ever seen a Greek play,” Hanson said. “It’s really kind of exciting to be one of the first and only experiences people in this area are going to have of that.”

Reach reporter Madeline Tesch at [email protected]