Medusa is perhaps one of the most hated women in classic literature. Called an “awful monster” by Homer, the “hatred of mortal man” by Aeschylus: she is a symbol of evil, a monster so powerful and hideous that she turns men to stone, a foil for the virtuous and compelling Perseus. Sitting down to speak with Heather Marshall, award-winning Edinburgh based artist, to discuss her Medusa (which is being performed at Summerhall this weekend, from March 6th-8th) made me ponder this controversial, but ultimately misunderstood, character. And this is what Heather seeks to achieve through an electric, new nightclub style adaptation.
We perhaps have a necklace to thank for Marshall’s Medusa – Heather begins the interview by telling me about, during a difficult time in her life, receiving a necklace of Medusa’s head from a friend. “That just kind of sparked something for me. I started looking more at Medusa’s story and realised that she never features in her own myth, she only features in the myths of men.” She went on to tell me the real tale of Medusa, one that is conveniently left out from retellings of this myth — Medusa was raped by Poseidon, and Athena brutally punished her for it by transforming her into a gorgon. Despite the difficult subject matter, the production transforms the story of violent rape and subjugation into an important political message about mental health — “for me”, she says, “the myth really fitted with PMDD (…) [because] for the majority of people who have PMDD, it tends to occur after a trauma.” Portrayal of Medusa as suffering from this condition is a powerful yet unusual moment of representation – Pre-menstrual Dysphoric Disorder, despite being a severe mental health disorder affecting thousands, is rarely explored in the arts or media. Research has suggested that those suffering from untreated PMDD are likely to experience a loss of three quality-adjusted life years during their lifetime, as a result of the depression and anxiety catalysed during the pre-menstrual period — thus, Summerhall’s Medusa offers a radical insight into both an unrepresented character and disorder, taking on these stories with compassion and thoughtful insight.
In an age where we are quick to judge and often overlook others’ experiences, this production spotlights the importance of empathy. This is clear in the attention and complexity endowed on Medusa, who is not only embodying the struggle of suffering from an underrepresented mental health disorder, but also asks questions about queerness and sexuality. “I think it’s quite interesting” to look at “why she isn’t interested in any of the men who go after her, or any of the women,” Heather notes, referencing the original myth Medusa rejecting any and all suitors. “It just felt quite certain to me that actually, yeah, Medusa is queer, and that to set this play in Athena’s temple and reimagine it as a queer nightclub, it just felt right.” She adds that portraying an asexual character was deeply important to her: “We don’t see a lot of asexual representation on-stage (…) asexuality isn’t even protected under the Equality Act in the same way that being gay or bisexual is, so there’s still a lot of misinformation about asexuality.” Therefore, this new angle on Medusa can highlight some of these cracks in the system regarding queer representation — presenting asexuality as something of both Medusa’s past and our present.
Accessibility is a significant factor in both the writing and production of Medusa. The stage design, costume and soundtrack are far more consistent with the glitz and shine of a 21st century night-club than a classical myth but Heather explained to me that this is part of an approach to engage those who wouldn’t traditionally have a chance to watch classical theatre. She said, “as a working class person, I had a very different route into the arts and often felt I wasn’t welcome in certain spaces. (…) So, by setting it [the play] in a contemporary setting, in a queer nightclub, in a space where [the audience are] not being asked to sit in a row, clap at the end — we’ve taken away the formal aspect of it.” As well as tickets generally costing only five pounds and ensuring a ‘Pay What You Can’ policy, the team behind Medusa has also designed the space and theatrical experience for neurodivergent and disabled people — there are bean bags for chronic pain, a low-sensory relaxed performance and an emphasis that audiences are “welcome to come in … and be yourself.” The play is taking over the ‘Dissection Room’ in Summerhall, recreating a nightclub using the room’s inbuilt bar and wrap-around balcony. Heather described it to me as a “dream space,” massively praising Summerhall’s recent overhaul to becoming a charity, which allows “so much support that wasn’t there before” and that many other Edinburgh venues tend to overlook.
Given this superb venue, highly complex, yet well-crafted vision: this is unmissable Edinburgh theatre. With choreography by Sula Castle and costume design by Chanel O’Conor (from UK Drag Race!), the deeply powerful and moving Medusa is going to take Edinburgh by storm.
Pre-production image by Tiu Makkonen
