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Dummies reclaim the Main >> Medea in the Media crosses a Black Sea of the soul by AMY BARRATT
And of course, they wouldn't have it any other way. Beginning with Dummies in the Window in 1992, each Dummies show has begun with an idea, however vague, and taken shape slowly through months of talking, improvising, videotaping and, eventually, writing. Their latest show, Medea in the Media, the second in a planned trilogy that began with Go Weast, opens tomorrow in the same unoccupied building on St-Laurent that housed Go Weast. Unconventional performance spaces have been a trademark of Dummies shows from the beginning. Part of this company's aim is to bring theatre down off its elitist pedestal, and that means getting it out of traditional theatres, as well as forgoing expensive ticket prices. As with all previous Dummies offerings, admission for Medea in the Media is free, and the actors will be out on the sidewalk prior to the show trying to draw passers-by into the building. The idea of doing something with the classical myth of Medea--who falls in love with Jason, helps him steal the golden fleece, is thrown over by him for another woman and finishes by killing their two children to punish him--took root in Papadakis years ago. She had read the story in school. "I was very very affected by it," she says. "I felt very drawn to it, and always felt that one day, if I ever got the chance, I'd like to work on this." Medea in the Media is "not so much based on the story as triggered by it." The lead character (played by Papadakis) is "a modern woman who is like Medea." This production "began with a premise that we're all Medeas in the sense that we reach a point in our life where whatever decision we make affects the entire course of our life after that." The "Jason" character is played by trouper Carlo Alacchi. In keeping with Dummies tradition, the actors in Medea in the Media address each other by their real names. This, Papadakis says, reinforces the point that the Medea story applies in some way to all of us. "Whatever we're going through as actors on stage is universal," she says, and using real names puts that notion into the form as well as the content. This production, like Go Weast, incorporates film footage into the presentation. Pascal Maeder, a sort of all-purpose designer for the company, shot footage on the shores of the Black Sea which the mythological Jason is supposed to have crossed. "We work at building a text, as opposed to 'Okay, here's your script, memorize your lines,'" says Papadakis. "That way it becomes personal, and there's a whole process before. None of the plays would be what they are if the people were different. It's the dynamics." >>> Medea in the Media is just one of several "little" shows on offer in this final week before Fringe frenzy hits. Out Productions, a queer, bilingual company, is presenting a French adaptation of Martin Sherman's Bent at Centre Calixa-Lavallee in Parc Lafontaine. I'm not a huge fan of this play--it starts out well but becomes just plain annoying in the second act --but it's very well done by this young company and worth a look. Michel Mainguy as Rudy gives a performance that'll break your heart. Also winding up this weekend, Theatre 1774's A May to Play features Eden's Moon, by William R. Young (author of Tintin Untold) and Hitching a Ride by Celia McBride. Medea in the Media at 8:45pm at 3997 St-Laurent from May 29 to June 21
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"Harrowing." That's the word that Anna Papadakis of Dummies Theatre uses to describe the company's rehearsal process. Harrowing because each Dummies show is an original creation painstakingly built with the sweat and tears of this small group of artists.