THE WIVES OF
JASON & ARNOLPHE

A theatrical chariot and carriage ride into two worlds of the classical stage, all within one sitting. Randall Stuart was commissioned by the Portland Community Colleges to create a Classical Theatre unit, which encompassed aspects of theatre history, and culminated in this large-scale production featuring the Theatre Arts students paired with several professional and AEA guest artists. (1999).

In both plays a man decides to take a young wife, and all hell breaks loose: dramatic perdition in Greece and comedic blazes in France. Euripides' warrior Jason shakes hands with Moliere's Monsieur Arnolphe as they commiserate about their wives - one who's hard to handle and one who's easy on the eyes (and both of whom will get the upper hand on their old-world men.) While Medea Sleeps is an adaptation of Euripides' Medea and takes place in the huge stone entryway of Jason's fortress. The Trouble With Agnes is an adaptation of Moliere's The School For Wives and takes place in a topsy-turvy garden.

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If you lift a pot in a garden, there might be a squiggling story beneath. Or, if you visit a library, certain books may fall off the shelf and bonk you on the head. Life's whimsies should be attended to, just in case they are divine guidance. I mention this because last year I had the impulse to re-read both Medea, and The School For Wives - and though they differ, I was struck with how shockingly similar they are. A man decides to take a young wife, and all hell breaks loose; dramatic perdition for Euripides and comedic blazes for Moliere. I became inspired to cross-pollinate the two, and in our version tonight, the epic walls of Jason's house, with its imposing gate, transforms into a second edifice, that of a pristine French cul-de-sac & garden. Each story haunts the other, architecturally and otherwise.

While Medea Sleeps ~ For a director, the occasion to stage Medea is both a raw and terrifying desire. You have to get into the chariot, and not piss her off, because she's really powerful. The spell had begun: Let us hear Medea wail, threefold and thunderfold. Her chariot awaits and she is screaming towards the sun.
As an adapter of classical texts, I began with the vision of Medea being played by three actors - a strong maiden, a core mother of young middle-age, and a visceral crone (who has within her the rage and the power to kill her own progeny.) Collaborator Dawn Lisell saw this as a theatrical platform to heighten Medea's sorceress powers; and indeed that is an aspect we must understand before we can decide how to judge this mythic matriarch. The second most important aspect for me was utilizing a large, highly integrated Chorus of Women who supported these three aspects of Medea. The result could be an astonishing number of actors who "get to play" Medea in choral anthem; a great chance for theatre students.

And so, we have set this illustrious story of infanticide within the "bracket" of a dream…Medea wakes to her two little ones and has the double horror of realizing what she is about to do. It is the sleep before the tragic storm. She dreams of the past and plays out the future, remembers the vision's tragic inevitability. She loves her children too much, perhaps? Our play is set in 1250 BCE. Collaborator Gwynne Warner lead our ensemble though a series of numinous workshops which lead to profound discoveries of an ancient vein, the pulse of the goddess. The Medea we share with you tonight, is from an Eastern world - a devotee of Kali. This Medea is only a visitor to Greece, hailing from Colchis, a mystical place. So, let us hear her wail, threefold and thunderfold. Medea awakes.

The Trouble With Agnes ~ The challenge I presented to my writing collaborator Ms. Lisell, was to take the ironical wisdom of Moliere's secondary character Chrysalde in The School For Wives, and restructure it - and so now he is a gardener, a prudent pruner - servicing the action as both a benign observer and a secret guardian for Agnes - and, like our Chorus in Medea, Chrysalde possesses a chorus of gardeners. His wife (here named Madeline), represents the opposition voice to Arnolphe's attempt to keep Agnes a simpleton. And then in our reinvention, Chrysalde also ends up being part of the 11th Hour wrap-up plot. It's a greenhouse of surprises.

Our play is set in 1660 ACE. While rehearsing, the ensemble studied the commedia dell 'arte form, an Italian theatrical convention utilized by Moliere. With additional couplets written by contributor Blaine Palmer, we pieced together a fast-moving plot. We trust that you will be tickled.

Thank goodness for Gardeners, they plant and prune and keep our yards in order. And when we sneak out at night, for a little bit of No Good, we may trip over a pot - or a smashing plot.