{"id":690,"date":"2023-12-19T05:19:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T05:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/?p=690"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:01:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:01:59","slug":"untangling-the-wind-reflections-on-black-medea-in-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/untangling-the-wind-reflections-on-black-medea-in-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Untangling the Wind: Reflections on <em>Black Medea<\/em> in Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rick Brayford<\/strong><a href=\"#end\" name=\"back\">*<\/a>, <strong>Tom Heath<\/strong><a href=\"#end2\" name=\"back2\">**<\/a>, <strong>Leah Pigram<\/strong><a href=\"#end3\" name=\"back3\">***<\/a>, <strong>Teejay Woods<\/strong><a href=\"#end4\" name=\"back4\">****<\/a>, <strong>Myeesha Reid<\/strong><a href=\"#end5\" name=\"back5\">*****<\/a> and <strong>Julianna Thomas<\/strong><a href=\"#end6\" name=\"back6\">******<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"abstract wp-block-paragraph\">Quandamooka playwright Wesley Enoch\u2019s adaptation <font class=\"no-italics\">Black Medea<\/font> indigenises the Ancient Greek myth, reimaging the story within an Australian First Nations context. This paper reflects a 2022 studio production of <font class=\"no-italics\">Black Medea<\/font> performed by First Nations actors enrolled in the Aboriginal Performance program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Using yarning as a methodology, the rehearsal and performance reveal how Enoch\u2019s themes of destruction of Country, intergenerational violence and the Spirit World were embodied and realised, demonstrating how First Nations influences can be incorporated into performer training programs and creating a more culturally diverse curriculum for contemporary performance training.<br><br><strong>Keywords:<\/strong> First Nations performance, adaptation, First Nation performer training, diverse and inclusive performance curriculum<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-background-color has-background has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>A desert wind blows. The walls come alive. She winks in and out of sight as she walks<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Black Medea <\/em>by Quandamooka playwright Wesley Enoch (2002) is a retelling of the Ancient Greek <em>Medea <\/em>by Euripides from a First Nation perspective. The above stage direction from <em>Black Medea<\/em> might be considered an imaginative provocation, rather than a prescription, from playwright Wesley Enoch to the creatives working to realise the play in performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This paper records the reflections from student actors enrolled in the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) 2022 cohort of the Aboriginal Theatre program in their studio-based production of <em>Black<\/em> <em>Medea.<\/em> The studio production, directed by the co-author of this paper, Rick Brayford, explored the dramaturgical elements of space, sound and setting, as well as the interplay between traditional First Nations culture and classical Western performance. Using yarning as a methodology, this paper records the reflections of graduate cast members from this production.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"629\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image1-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image1-2.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image1-2-191x300.jpg 191w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Medea murdering one of her children,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Amphora\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">neck amphora<\/a>, circa\u2009330 B.C.,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Louvre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Louvre<\/a>. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Medeia_child_Louvre_K300.jpg\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Medeia_child_Louvre_K300.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Web\/Wikipedia<\/a>\/Public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper begins by examining how Enoch has adapted Euripides three-thousand-year-old play into a contemporary First Nation context. We highlight how Enoch incorporates elements of traditional First Nation culture within the work and detail the complexities the student actors from the WAAPA 2022 cohort of Aboriginal Performance faced in untangling these concepts. The experiential data was recorded through an hour-long yarn up: a semi-structured interview, with graduates from the 2022 Aboriginal Theatre cohort on September 9, 2023 (Geia et al. 13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper continues by exploring how the cast and director adapted Grecian iconography and traditional performance practices into a contemporary First Nation performance context. First, we explore reimaging the iconic Grecian pillar by covering it with chalk drawings. These drawings were inspired by the events of the plays, as well as traditional First Nation painting techniques. The second example explored is the use of the Chorus to represent the Spirit World throughout the piece. The paper concludes by encouraging contemporary Australian performer training programs to acknowledge and integrate First Nation\u2019s influences into performance curriculum more holistically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Classical and Cultural<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within an Australian context, contemporary First Nation performance concatenates elements of First Nations culture with contemporary Western performance storytelling practices. <em>Black Medea<\/em> offers a unique example of this, with playwright Wesley Enoch borrowing the story from the classical Greco-Roman myth and recontextualising it within a contemporary Australian First Nation setting. This section examines the classical story of <em>Medea <\/em>and explores how Enoch has incorporated elements of Aboriginal culture in his adaption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Enoch uses Seneca\u2019s adaptation of the myth of <em>Medea<\/em>, our production also drew from Euripides\u2019 dramatisation (431 B.C.), which has been interpreted by scholars and theatre artists in various ways (Boedeker 127). Nita Krevans argues that Medea might be considered a foundational heroine\u2014such as Europa after whom the European continent is named\u2014for the Medes (75). Medea\u2019s displacement from her home in Colchis has led contemporary thinkers to interpret the play as the story of a refugee (Kasimis 393; Marwah 77). Classicist Laura Swift describes Medea as Euripides \u201cmost complex and ambiguous character, a figure who is in many ways attractive yet whose actions are the most repellent in tragedy\u201d (90). In a response to Swift, Michael Ewans celebrates the capacity of the theatrical form to explore these complexities, explaining that \u201cEuripides was not painting a static picture in which all the facets of a character can be viewed simultaneously but writing a dynamic play in which now one, now another aspect of Medea predominates\u201d (7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American theatre director Ann Shanahan\u2019s 2007 production sought to use technology to \u201cremove Medea incongruously from a sexual space that does not, and cannot, contain the female\u201d (68). One such example occurred following the murder of the children when Shanahan had Medea\u2019s face projected on over the set, simultaneously evoking a news report and referring to Euripides\u2019 original story where Medea departs on a chariot above the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feminist theatre-maker Lena \u0160imi\u0107\u2019s 2009 adaptation of Medea, <em>Medea\/Becoming British<\/em>, drew on her experiences of motherhood and being identified as a foreigner as a resident spouse of a British citizen in the United Kingdom. \u0160imi\u0107 argues that through the murder of her children, Medea transgresses from mother to immigrant anti-mother (112). In 2015, Australian theatre makers playwright Kate Mulvany and director Anne-Louise Sarks retold the story of Medea from the perspective of the children, asking: \u201cHow does a child see the world? And how do they understand such epic events? What if I tried to tell the story of a tragedy through the eyes of that child?\u201d (14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The examples above offer a brief account of some of the theatrical adaptations of the Medea myth in the twenty-first century. The most impactful recent production for the current research project was Mulvany and Sark\u2019s adaptation which offers new insight into the myth by changing the perspective of the storyteller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quandamooka playwright Wesley Enoch offers a unique reinterpretation of the Medea myth in his adaptation of <em>Black Medea<\/em> (Hallett). Enoch borrows the characters and play structure from the Roman writer Seneca\u2019s telling of the myth (Kearns 236), and he places the story within a contemporary First Nation Australian context. Enoch\u2019s adaptation highlights the destruction of Country by mining companies, intergenerational violence and the influence of the Spirit World. Each of these themes is further examined below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Enoch\u2019s adaptation, Grecian Iolchos is replaced with the coastal city and Colchis is Medea\u2019s Country in the desert. Medea is connected to the traditional ways whose \u201c. . . got her language, she knows her dances\u201d<em>(Black Medea<\/em> 66), and Jason is \u201ca blackfella in a suit. Working his way up the corporate ladder\u201d (66). In the play, Medea meets Jason on her Country and is drawn to move with him to the city by \u201cdreams of living in a big house with a garden, in a place where sand doesn\u2019t creep under the door\u201d (66). The couple \u201csee a way of making the life they want\u201d (75) through money from mining. The text implies that Medea has shown Jason sites that could be used for mining, and he has informed the mining company that employs him. Through this act, Medea betrays her Country, choosing Jason and her personal wealth. Having moved to the coastal city, Jason and Medea have a child whom they raise without connection to Country or the Spirit World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The theme of domestic and intergenerational violence is prevalent throughout the play. An extract from the scene, \u201cBlackout Poem 1,\u201d a series of vignettes showing moments of the family\u2019s lives, offers an example: \u201cMEDEA and CHILD<em> huddle in a corner. JASON throws the beer bottle, smashing it, and throws a chair<\/em>\u201d (Enoch, <em>Black Medea<\/em> 71). Enoch emphasises these actions as intergenerational patterns of violence through a line from the Chorus&nbsp;that recurs throughout the play: \u201cAnd so the father becomes the son becomes the father becomes the son\u201d (71). Owen Richard, a reviewer of the original production, suggests that Medea\u2019s infanticide is \u201cto save the child from becoming a monster like him (Jason)\u201d (32). In <em>Black Medea<\/em>, it is only through the murder of the son that the cycle of violence can be broken. In the final moments of the play, before the murder, Medea exclaims: \u201cSpirits, this is my son. I have failed him. He has never known his Land, never left a footprint. I have abandoned him to follow his father\u2019s footsteps\u201d (78\u201379). The final moment of the play describes Medea walking with her child\u2019s broken toy boat before she \u201cdisappears and becomes the wind\u201d (81).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enoch incorporates the Traditional Spirit World through the motif of the desert wind. Throughout the play, Jason is \u201cpursued by the wind\u201d (<em>Black Medea<\/em> 62), which forces him to clutch his head throughout the play and exclaim continuously \u201cthat fucking wind\u201d (71). The wind might be considered the Country\u2019s revenge on the couple for their actions. Throughout the play, the Chorus gives voice to the wind and the Spirit World: \u201cThe Land reclaims you. In the end we will always welcome you back. . . . You belong in your Land. The Land will always reclaim you\u201d (78). By giving voice to the Spirit World, Enoch shows how the couple is tortured by their actions in the pursuit of wealth over Country. Through the motif of the desert wind, Enoch dismisses the Greek gods from the retelling and evokes the Traditional First Nation Spirit World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having examined the classical myth and Enoch\u2019s adaption of the play into a contemporary First Nation context, the remainder of the paper reflects on a studio-based projection of <em>Black Medea<\/em> performed by students in the 2022 cohort of WAAPA\u2019s Aboriginal Performance program. The performances were held between September 7\u20139, 2022. This paper assumes that knowledge can be created in rehearsal process and performance and that reflections of the performance can offer new insight. The experiential data was recorded through a yarn-up\u2014a semi-structured interview\u2014with cast members from the production. Yarning has been used in a range of First Nation-focused research projects (Coade et al.; Cumming-Potvin et al.; Godinho; Shay). The method emulates the rehearsal process, where the cast sits in a circle with the director to discuss the material. Therefore, yarning was chosen as the most appropriate approach to record the participants\u2019 experiences of the process and performance. Questions focused on four elements: rehearsal; creating the wind; the pillars; and performance discoveries. After coding this discussion, two themes emerged as significant examples of Indigenous dramaturgical adaptation: painting the pillars and creating the Spirit World through the Chorus. These two themes are explored in depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pillars and Painting<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WAAPA\u2019s Aboriginal Performance Program is taught in a designated studio at Edith Cowan University\u2019s Mount Lawley campus, on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar (Perth, Western Australia). The space is demarcated for the Aboriginal Theatre Program and the room is commonly referred to as \u201cAb Theatre.\u201d The unassuming space has a sense of significance. For students in the Aboriginal Performance Program, this space becomes haven-like throughout their studies. Guests to the space are asked to remove their shoes before entering as a sign of respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you enter the room, there is a half wall of windows directly looking out towards Ron Stone Park; a green space dominated by a large pond with an island in the middle. To the left is a mirrored wall. To the right is a sound system for music and a map of the 500 Aboriginal Nations in Australia. Students have marked their Country on this map by signing their name. Behind you is a wall of cupboards that functions like a whiteboard. The bright spaces can be darkened by theatre curtains, which hang in the left corner of the space to cover the mirror and the windows. In the right corner of the space, often ignored, sit four black rostra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 2022 studio production of <em>Black Medea<\/em>, these rostra were used to evoke Grecian pillars. Director Rick Brayford recalls: \u201cWe spent a lot of time trying to fathom how with bare boards we might visually reference the classical and contemporary Indigenous or even the traditional Indigenous\u201d (Brayford et al.). To do so, the cast dragged out the rostra and began experimenting with them. When the rostra were turned vertically, they began to look like pillars. The cast was concerned that while the pillars were striking, they may look plain with the bare black pillars. To counter this, Brayford brought chalk into the studio and said: \u201cGo and draw some themes or images that pop into your head\u201d on the pillars (Brayford et al.). The image below captures this process:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image2-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image2-2.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image2-2-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rehearsals for <em>Black Medea<\/em> by Wesley Enoch, directed by Rick Brayford 2022. Cast members painting the pillars (from right to left) Mitch Walley, Theo Clarke, Jayda Corunna, and Leah Pigram. Photo: Tristan Tucker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The process took two and a half hours to complete. The cast worked on each pillar individually and did not have an overarching vision. The images on the pillars incorporated both traditional Aboriginal iconography and more literal visual depictions. Leah Pigram recalls: \u201cThey were random ideas we all had, but they just seemed to fit. Each pillar was a different part of the story\u201d (Brayford et al.)<em>.<\/em> The pillars were then brought together to see if they would connect to Enoch\u2019s play. The cast experimented with the ordering of the pillars to tell the story of <em>Black Medea <\/em>chronologically when read from the left to the right. The image below shows the results:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image3-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image3-2.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image3-2-300x279.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pillar set pieces with artwork by Lucy Arnall, Theo Clarke, Jayda Corunna, Gabriella Kaden, Liz Narkle, Leah Pigram, Myeesha Reed, Julianna Thomas, Tristan Tucker, Mitch Walley and Teejay Woods. Photo: Tristan Tucker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The meaning of each of the pillars is explained separately by Leah Pigram and Teejay Woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:15% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-695 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image4-1.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image4-1-156x300.jpg 156w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Medea\u2019s walking in the desert and she&#8217;s saying: \u201cI am Medea,\u201d it\u2019s the first introduction of baby and Jason, her families behind her, the Spirits are behind her, she&#8217;s walking away from everything.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:15% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-696 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image5.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image5-145x300.jpg 145w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The water, and there&#8217;s Jason and Medea; there&#8217;s the desert side and Jason\u2019s saltwater side, and that&#8217;s when we start to see that they are really in love but arguing.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:15% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image6-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-697 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image6-2.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image6-2-149x300.jpg 149w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is where things start to get heated in the story.\u201d This pillar represents the traditional elements of the story. The traditional symbols in the top left-hand corner are a \u201cvery strong representation of Country and community. The tracks running through the meeting places.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:15% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image7-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-698 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image7-2.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image7-2-145x300.jpg 145w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a grave that symbolises the baby. There are footprints, probably Medea\u2019s as she&#8217;s walking in the desert back from the city. And there&#8217;s the saltwater and some wind. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the audience entered the studio, the illustrated pillars stood erect, behind which the actors lay on the ground, as if asleep. In the moments before the performance, the audience could examine the images on the pillars. Each pillar depicts an aspect of the story; however, their meaning is only fully revealed in the act of performance as the audience begins to connect the images with the unfolding events of the play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dramaturgical interplay between set and story illustrates the capacity of theatre to reveal layers of meanings through performance. Leah Pigram summarises: \u201cJust by looking at it (the illustrations) you would be like \u2018what is all this stuff?\u2019 But as the story goes you find little symbols in that you can match\u201d (qtd. in Brayford et al.). By covering the black rostra with traditional Aboriginal iconography and images from the play, the cast of <em>Black Medea<\/em> indigenised the iconic Grecian pillar and linked the Western classical world and the contemporary First Nation space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Chorus and the Spirit World<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having built the Grecian pillars, the cast of <em>Black Medea<\/em> was met with another dramaturgical challenge: how to evoke the Spirit World in performance? Previously, we explained how Enoch puts the words of the Spirit World in the mouths of the Chorus. But how might these worlds be embodied in performance? How can the actors bring life to the wind? Brayford explains that these issues were resolved by deciding that the Spirit World could be present throughout as the Chorus, \u201crather than hiding them (the Chorus), the Spirits are sleeping, they are in slumber and then they come to life\u201d (Brayford et al.). The actors embodied this idea by lying behind the pillars, as if in slumber, using slight movements to suggest they were not dead, then activating when the Spirit World &nbsp;had an influence on the events of the play. One such example was evident in a scene called <em>Jason and Medea 3<\/em>, in which:<em> \u201cCHORUS beckons CHILD over. HE goes to her, frightened\u201d<\/em><em>(<\/em>Enoch,<em> Black Medea <\/em>67<em>)<\/em><em>.<\/em> In this moment of the studio performance, the multiple actors playing the Chorus awoke from sleep, stood and moved towards the child. On the Chorus\u2019 final line: \u201cThen I will unleash <em>hell<\/em> upon you,\u201d the actors returned to rest behind the pillars. Through this convention, the Spirit World was omniscient and omnipresent; as Pigram explains: \u201cthe ancestorial Spirits are always there, even if you don\u2019t see them or hear them, they are always watching. Even when they are sleeping, they are still listening\u201d (qtd. in Brayford et al.)<em>.<\/em> By keeping the Chorus on stage for the duration of the performance, sometimes in slumber, sometimes awake, the production was able to evoke the omniscience of the Spirit World and its powerful impact on the events of<em>Black Medea<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image8-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image8-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image8-1-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/image8-1-768x408.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chorus Spirits sleep behind the pillars. Photo: Simon Stewart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to the Chorus\u2019 physical embodiment of the Spirit World, the cast explored sonic material to evoke the desert wind. The wind is referenced consistently throughout the piece. In the interests of safe cultural practice, we have elected not to record what is being implied by the wind. It is sufficient to state that it has significant traditional cultural implications and was a critical element in the performance of <em>Black Medea<\/em>. To evoke the wind, the cast made several sonic offers. Woods recounts \u201cWe explored a range of performance materials such as clapping sticks, whispering behind the blocks, and other vocal effects reminiscent of traditional sounds\u201d (qtd. in Brayford et al.)<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The production chose to use live vocal effects to create the wind. As the audience entered the studio, the images on the pillars were accompanied by a gentle<em> shhhh <\/em>sound from the Chorus lying on the ground. The wind sound was utilised in multiple ways, underscoring some scenes, and punctuating others. Woods explains, to emphasise the concept of the Chorus being the Spirit World coming to haunt both Madea and Jason: \u201cWhenever they would enter the stage that&#8217;s when the wind was incorporated, almost as if we were blowing them into the space\u201d (qtd. in Brayford et al.). The desert wind was used as a sonic representation of the Spirit World unceasingly watching the actions of Medea and Jason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enoch\u2019s <em>Black Medea <\/em>is a unique example of a classical Western text adapted into a First Nation context. This paper has examined work as a play text as well as a performance piece. <em>Black Medea<\/em> offers an example of contemporary performance training by Indigenising its curriculum. While these concepts are beyond the scope of the current paper, future research might explore how including materials from First Nations playwrights in performer training programs might create a more inclusive and enriching curriculum for twenty-first-century performance students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bibliography<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Boedeker, Deborah. &#8220;Becoming Medea Assimilation in Euripides.&#8221; <em>Medea<\/em>, edited by James J. Clauss and Sarah Iles Johnston, Princeton Princeton UP, 1997, pp. 127\u201348.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Brayford, Rick et al. &#8220;Black Medea\u2014Yarning Circle.&#8221; Interview by Tom Heath. 9 Sept. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Cleven, Vivienne. <em>Contemporary Indigenous Plays.<\/em> Currency Press, 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Coade, Shaun et al. <em>Yarning up on Trauma: Healing Ourselves, Healing Our Children and Families, Healing Our Communities.<\/em> Berry Street, 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Cumming-Potvin, Wendy, et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/ro.ecu.edu.au\/ecuworks2022-2026\/1792\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/ro.ecu.edu.au\/ecuworks2022-2026\/1792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aboriginal Perspectives Matter: Yarning and Reflecting About Teaching Literacies with Multimodal Aboriginal Texts<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Research Online<\/em>, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, 2022. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Enoch, Wesley. <em>Black Medea<\/em>. <em>Contemporary Indigenous Plays<\/em>, edited by Vivienne Cleven, Currency Press, 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u2014\u2014. &#8220;<em>Excerpts from Black Medea<\/em>.&#8221; <em>Southerly<\/em>, vol. 62, no. 2, 2002, pp. 127\u201332.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Ewans, Michael, and Euripides. <em>Euripides&#8217; Medea: Translation and Theatrical Commentary<\/em>. Routledge, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Geia, Lynore K. et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.5172\/conu.2013.46.1.13\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/doi:10.5172\/conu.2013.46.1.13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yarning\/Aboriginal Storytelling: Towards an Understanding of an Indigenous Perspective and Its Implications for Research Practice<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Contemp Nurse<\/em>, vol. 46, no. 1, 2013, pp. 13\u201317. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Godinho, Vinita. <em>Analysing Informal Conversations in &#8220;Yarning Circles&#8221; to Explore Money and What It Means to Indigenous People Living in Remote Australia<\/em>. SAGE Publications, Ltd., 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Hallett, Bryce. &#8220;Black at the End of the Tunnel.&#8221; <em>Sydney Morning Herald<\/em>, 2000, p. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Kasimis, Demetra. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1017\/S0034670520000376\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1017\/S0034670520000376\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medea the Refugee<\/a>.&#8221; <em>The Review of Politics<\/em>, vol. 82, no. 3, 2020, pp. 393\u2013415. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Kearns, Clare. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1093\/crj\/clad004\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1093\/crj\/clad004\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Indigenous Medea: Space, Time, and Resistance in Wesley Enoch\u2019s<em> Black Medea<\/em><\/a>.&#8221; <em>Classical Receptions Journal<\/em>, vol. 15, no. 2, 2023, pp. 234\u201350. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Krevans, Nita. &#8220;Medea as Foundation-Heroine.&#8221; <em>Medea<\/em>, edited by James J. Clauss and Sarah Iles Johnston, Princeton UP, 1997, pp. 71\u201382.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Marwah, Anuradha. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1017\/S0266464X21000439\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1017\/S0266464X21000439\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Raging in Delhi and Rajasthan: Post-Show Audience Discussions of Medea<\/a>.&#8221; <em>New Theatre Quarterly<\/em>, vol. 38, no. 1, 2022, pp. 75\u201390. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Mulvany, Kate, et al. <em>Medea: A Radical New Version from the Perspective of the Children.<\/em> Oberon Books, 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Richardson, Owen. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/newspapers\/black-medea-theatre\/docview\/367316477\/se-2?accountid=10675\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/newspapers\/black-medea-theatre\/docview\/367316477\/se-2?accountid=10675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Black Medea<\/em>; Theatre: [First Edition]<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Sunday Age<\/em>, 22 May 2005, p. 32.<em> ProQuest<\/em>. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Shanahan, Ann M. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/scholarly-journals\/un-blocking-hedda-medea-through-feminist-play\/docview\/860080459\/se-2?accountid=10675\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/scholarly-journals\/un-blocking-hedda-medea-through-feminist-play\/docview\/860080459\/se-2?accountid=10675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Un-&#8216;Blocking&#8217; Hedda and Medea through Feminist &#8216;Play&#8217; with Traditional Staging Forms<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Theatre Topics<\/em>, vol. 21, no. 1, 2011, pp. 61\u201373. <em>ProQuest<\/em>. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Shay, Marnee. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1017\/jie.2018.25\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1017\/jie.2018.25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Extending the Yarning Yarn: Collaborative Yarning Methodology for Ethical Indigenist Education Research<\/a>.&#8221; <em>The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education<\/em>, vol. 50, no. 1, 2021, pp. 62\u201370. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">\u0160imi\u0107, Lena. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1057\/fr.2009.32\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/doi:10.1057\/fr.2009.32\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">On Medea\/Mothers\u2019 Clothes: A \u2018Foreigner\u2019 Re-Figuring Medea and Motherhood<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Feminist Review<\/em>, vol. 93, no. 1, 2009, pp. 109\u201315. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"hangingIndent wp-block-paragraph\">Swift, Laura. &#8220;Medea.&#8221; <em>A Companion to Euripides<\/em>, edited by Laura K. McClure,&nbsp; John Wiley &amp; Sons, 2016, pp. 80\u201391.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/Rick-Brayford-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-703\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end\" href=\"#back\">*<\/a><strong>Rick Brayford<\/strong> has a twenty-five-year association with Australian contemporary First Nations theatre and performance. He has directed over thirty productions and has been extensively involved in the facilitation and creation of new First Nations work. Rick is recipient of the Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Education for his contribution to Indigenous performing arts. Rick coordinates WAAPA\u2019s Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance program.<a name=\"end2\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/Tom-Heath-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-705\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end2\" href=\"#back2\">**<\/a><strong>Tom Heath<\/strong> is an actor, trainer, early career researcher and coordinator of WAAPA\u2019s Diploma of Acting course. His research examines how to facilitate the optimal conditions for twenty-first century actor training based on Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi\u2019s <em>flow <\/em>framework.<a name=\"end3\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/Leah-Pigram-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-701\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end3\" href=\"#back3\">***<\/a><strong>Leah Pigram <\/strong>is a proud Yawuru\/ Nyikina woman and a graduate of WAAPA\u2019s Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance and Diploma of Acting courses. Leah has a background in circus performing for 10 years with the Sandfly Circus in Broome, Western Australia.<a name=\"end4\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/Teejay-Woods-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-704\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end4\" href=\"#back4\">****<\/a><strong>Teejay Woods<\/strong> is a proud Noongar\/Yamatji man and a graduate of WAAPA\u2019s Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance and Diploma of Acting courses.<a name=\"end5\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/Myeesha-Reid-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-702\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end5\" href=\"#back5\">*****<\/a><strong>Myeesha Reid <\/strong>is a proud Wongi woman and a graduate of WAAPA\u2019s Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance. Myeesha is currently enrolled in WAAPA\u2019s Bachelor of Arts (Acting) program.<a name=\"end6\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/Julianna-Thomas-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-700\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end6\" href=\"#back6\">******<\/a><strong>Julianna Thomas<\/strong> is a proud Noongar woman a graduate of WAAPA\u2019s Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance and Diploma of Musical Theatre courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Copyright <strong>\u00a9<\/strong> 2023 Rick Brayford, Tom Heath, Leah Pigram, Teejay Woods, Myeesha Reid and Julianna Thomas<br><em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN:2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/88x31.png\" alt=\"Creative Commons Attribution International License\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This work is licensed under the<br>Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[12],"class_list":["post-690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-topic","tag-home-page"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/featured-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1295,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions\/1295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}