Women of Troy

Twenty arts students have had the opportunity to work with critically acclaimed performer, artist and director, Jeremy James, to stage a new adaptation of Euripides' tragedy, the Women of Troy.

The new version features a full chorus combining music, song, puppetry and performance - to bring to life Troy and its mythological gods and tragic heroes.

Canadian-born, Australian-raised James, has worked with the renowned French theatre ensemble, Le Théâtre du Soleil, for the past seven years. After directing the students at UNSW, he will run workshops for Critical Path, NIDA, Griffin Theatre and the Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart, before performing and directing projects in North and South America later this year.

James said he has returned to Australia to re-establish ties with the Australian arts community.

"Having worked with a theatre company for so long I realised I needed to relaunch myself as an independent artist," he said. "I've spent the last 12 months running specialised workshops, which led to an invitation to direct Women of Troy at UNSW."

The English, Media and Performing Arts (EMPA) students, in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, have been working with James for eight hours a day over the past five weeks, rehearsing the complex Greek tragedy. The performers also shovelled 18 tonnes of sand into the studio to cover the stage floor.

James said the intensive preparation has allowed the students to experience the commitment and application required from professional actors in an ensemble company.

Second-year student, Caroline Hannemann, plays the character of Hecube, the defeated Queen of Troy, who awaits her post-war fate with the rest of the almost all-female cast.

"It's a demanding role because I am on stage for the whole play, expressing the emotions of a woman who has lost not only her children and husband, but her home and city in the war," says Hannemann.

"The experience of working with James has been invaluable," she says. "It's not often that you get to work with a professional director when you're still a student. I've been able to experience a level of engagement with this production that's far deeper than is possible from one or two contact hours a week."

James says Women of Troy, although thousands of years old, explores themes relevant to contemporary society.

"Staging Greek tragedy requires performers to consider the human potential for cruelty, vengeance and loss, and recognise that these themes are ongoing realities in many parts of the world today," he said.

The EMPA production of Women of Troy begins at the Io Myers Studio on Tuesday, March 8.

Media contact: Fran Strachan | fran.strachan@unsw.edu.au |9385 8732 | 0429 416 070