“What was it like when the world was so young?"
There’s a first time for everything. The ancient Greek tale of Jason and the Argonauts is one of just this - expedition without expectation. The very first voyage of the world.
Historians still debate over the exact route of the Argonauts’ trip. What we do know is that it was a long one.
Tonight you will witness the first storm at sea. The first time foreigners get, well... friendly with each other. False assumptions will be made, curiosities will be explored, cultures will be discovered. This is the first time a group of people will leave everything behind and band together for the sake of justice, knowing nothing of what lies ahead.
What if we approached the unknown with open arms, rather than judgement?
Throughout the rehearsal process, we have come to discover that this play is about the battle of Head versus Heart. Each and every day we are faced with countless decisions. Each time we make one of these decisions, we choose either what we want to do or what we know we must do. In a perfect world, these choices would be one and the same. Rarely are we that lucky.
You will find that our narrators, Hera, the Goddess of Love and Marriage, and Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Justice, are the puppeteers of this plot. Hera encourages our characters to act on their emotions, regardless of how irrational these actions may be. Meanwhile, Athena guides them to act on their morality, convinced that nothing beats listening to reason. Later, you will see that Jason and Medea must both decide whether their love is worth the consequences.
Take note of the fact that the two most powerful characters in the play are women! Think back on your childhood. How often was your mother right when you could have sworn she was wrong? How often did the unconditional love your mother has for you save the day? The characters in this show are all children of the Gods, just as we are people of the Universe. All that we can do is be, and hope that life works out in our favor. Simply navigate our way as best we can, knowing that one day our adventure will inevitably come to a close. Some of us spend our entire lives attempting to accomplish one, massive goal - like Jason, who longs to avenge his father and therefore hunts down the Golden Fleece. Jason and the Argonauts are remembered to this day, specifically for this quest.
Will you be remembered for your accomplishments? For how hard you loved, or how wisely you thought? Will you be remembered at all?
Life requires balance. To find this balance, let us listen to both our minds and our hearts.
Welcome aboard the Argo! Now prepare to sail. For the first time.
- Kaylee Kristine Mattoon, Dramaturg