Medea Symposium

On April 23rd, 2022, the Whitman Classics Department will host a theatrical production of Euripides’ Medea, featuring musical settings that range from jazz to heavy metal. In staging the show, visiting professor Anna Conser hopes to highlight the intersection of gender, immigration and racism in the ancient myth. The play tells the story of a woman who migrated to Greece for love, only to be abandoned by her lover and threatened with deportation. Out of desperation and pride, she poisons the local royalty and then kills her own children rather than letting them die at the hands of others. This ancient narrative is famously echoed in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, but it also reflects the tragic situations faced by real female immigrants, past and present.

The evening performance will be framed by an afternoon panel featuring scholars and community activists discussing the experiences of real women facing displacement and insecurity. Speakers include Professor Rebecca Futo Kennedy (Denison University) on immigrant women in ancient Athens, Professor Aaron Bobrow-Strain (Whitman College) on modern women at the U.S.-Mexico border, and a panel discussion with four local activists: Briseida Chavez (Emergency Relief Organizer, UFW Foundation), Ivone Guillen (Immigrants' Rights Advocate/DACA recipient), Abigail Scholar (Executive Director, Central Washington Justice for Our Neighbors), and Celeste Estrada (Human Development WSU Alumna and current Student Achievement Specialist at Kennewick High School). Professor Amy Pistone (Gonzaga University) will moderate the panel.

Both the panel (3:30-5:00 pm) and the theatrical performance (7:00-8:30 pm) will take place at Kimball Theatre in Hunter Conservatory.  The performance will be followed by an audience talk-back and reception.

NOTE: Both events are open to the public, but Whitman College requires proof of Covid-19 vaccination to enter all campus facilities. Masks are required for all attendees during both panel and performance.