Medea’s Children

About

Medea's Children, the new creation of Milo Rau, is a theatre history in miniature, where children find their voices and reflect on separation, injustice and the power of tragedy.

With Medea’s Children Milo Rau takes a new, deep look at the role of children in theatre. A real criminal case is the starting point: the case of a mother who, in total despair, decides to kill her children and take her own life – but she survives. This modern tragedy is interweaved with the classical tragedy Medea, the most infamous case of relationship conflict and infanticide in Western literature. 

A group of children take this bloody crime case and the perhaps darkest origin narrative of European culture as an opportunity to reflect on themselves: on family history, first love and first encounters with death, on desires for the future and fears of the end of the world that haunts us all. How does a child deal with the divorce of its parents? With injustice, the breaking of friendships, the pressure at school? How do they deal with the radical power of Medea – with tragedy in general? The children, condemned to silence in the classical tragedies, finally have their say this time around.

WARNING: This show contains scenes that directly or indirectly refer to suicide and violence against children and contains scenes involving fake blood.
Suitable for audience from 16 years.

Cast and creatives

Peter Seynaeve / Lien Wildemeersch, Anna Matthys / Juliette Debackere, Emma Van de Casteele / Ella Brennan, Jade Versluys / Bernice Van Walleghem, Gabriël El Houari / Aiko Benaouisse, Sanne De Waele / Helena Van de Casteele, Vik Neirinck / Elias Maes

Concept & direction: Milo Rau
Dramaturgy: Kaatje De Geest
Set design: ruimtevaarders (Karolien De Schepper, Christophe Engels)
Props design: Joris Soenen
Costume design: Jo De Visscher
Light design: Dennis Diels
Video design: Moritz von Dungern
Sound design: Elia Rediger
Acting coaching: Peter Seynaeve / Lien Wildemeersch
Child guidance: Dirk Crommelinck
Production: NTGent
Coproduction: Wiener Festwochen, La Biennale de Venezia, ITA – Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Tandem – Scène nationale (Arras Douai)