MEDEA

Euripides

National Theatre, Budapest, Hungary

Director: Eirik Stubø

At the MITEM 2020 performed in Hungarian with English translation

1 hours 40 minutes, without breaks.

There are universal themes and figures that keep coming back in new guises. In reality, we know little about them, their characters are shrouded in mystery, but through them, we can express ourselves and our age. One such figure is Euripides’ Medea, the unfortunate, betrayed, loving – in Babits's words, "always modern" – woman who commits an inhumane act of jealousy: she takes the lives of her own children. In spite of what she does, Euripides attempts to achieve the impossible by getting his audience to sympathise with this desperate heroine battling against her demons. Through her, he depicts the fate of a woman subjugated to the male world. The fate of a woman who, to make matters worse, comes from a foreign, culture. Euripides' play enacts a familiar theme. And, of course, his adaptation has also been staged in many versions, sometimes including references to the original myth. It is definitely a welcome challenge for both the director and the actors, as with such a well-known subject, the emphasis is on how it is interpreted.

In Eirik Stubø's creative world, lyrics and the musicality of space are of prime importance, perhaps because he comes from a family of renowned jazz musicians. In addition, he always uses the actors’ personality as a take-off point, as opposed to foisting an off-the-shelf character on them. The roles of Medea and Jason are a great fit for Nelli Szűcs and Zsolt Trill, the couple who define the history of the Beregszasz Company.

Stubø, one of Scandinavia's most renowned directors, has already staged two productions at MITEM: American Elektra in 2017, and One Night in the Swedish Summer in 2019. Based on his track record, we can look forward to an exciting production.

Translated by: Zsuzsa Rakovszky

Medea

Nelli Szűcs

Jason

Zsolt Trill

Creon, King of Corinth

Zoltán Rátóti

Aegeus, King of Athens

József Szarvas

Attila Kristán

Medea’s nurse

Mari Nagy

Tutor to Medea’s children

Ödön Rubold

Messenger

István Kovács m.v.

Chorus of Corinthian women

Andrea Söptei

Eszter Ács

Judit Ligeti-Kovács

Medea’s two children

Buda Buzádi /

Ádám Niedermüller

Márk Botond Fogarasi /

Tamás Sille

Stage design

Péter Ondraschek

Costume design

Zsófia Mészáros

Dramaturge

Cecília Ölveczky

Translator

Zsófia Domsa

Stage manager

Ágnes Lovass

Prompter

Kati Gróf

Assistant director

Gábor Vida

Director

Eirik Stubø

Gobbi Hilda Stage

Eirik Stubø

Eirik Stubø was born in 1965 in Narvik, a city in the northern part of Norway. He studied at the universities in Oslo and Tromsř. In 1991, he completed his doctorate at the University of Tromsř. He then began pursuing studies to become a director at the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre. In 1997-2000, he served as the director of the Rogaland Theatre in Stavanger, a city in western Norway. He became the head and main director of the National Theatre in Oslo and the artistic director of the International Ibsen Festival, positions he held until 2009. In 2013, he was appointed to serve as the head of the Stockholm City Theatre, and in 2015 he was made the director of DRAMATEN, the Royal Dramatic Theatre until 2019. His productions have been performed at numerous international festivals. In 2007, he was awarded the prize for best director for one of his productions of Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck. He most recently came to Budapest in 2011 with his production of Jon Fosse’s play Someone Is Going To Come. He has won numerous distinctions in Norway, including the Critics’ Prize and the Hedda Award for best direction.

Gallery