Jason and the Argonauts

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November 9-13 1999 Sandfield Theatre

"Oh how I wish that an embargo
Had kept in port the good ship Argo!"

There is no embargo on the adventures and fun as our intrepid Argonauts set sail in search of the Golden Fleece. Follow the fortunes for these young adventurers in their perilous quest, watched over by the Gods on Mount Olympus. Will they defeat the Harpies or will Jason find true love? These well loved tales from Greek mythology are told in a very lively fashion through drama and dance by an integrated company of young people which includes students with special needs.

The legend of the Argonauts is one of the earliest known to the Greeks. It certainly goes back to the ninth or tenth century B.C. The poet Homer wrote about the Argonauts and other references, in The Illiad and The Odyssey presume a widespread familiarity with the legend. The story of Jason and the Argonauts is second only to the Trojan War as the inspiration for Greek literary epics, the most notable being Apollonious of Rhodes' Argonautica written in 260 B.C. Heroic epics celebrating the exploits of forebears were told before battle to instill courage in warriors. Myths and traditional legends often involved figures on the supernatural or divine plane and as the tale of Jason and the Argonauts unfolds it reveals the interference by the Gods of Mount Olympus in the lives of mortals, their personal squabbles and jealousies having devastating effect. Had Athena and Hera not interfered to involve Medea, events may have taken a very different course!

This particular company has won national and international praise for its work. In 1991 they won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival for a lively production of The Canterbury Tales. Recent successes have included The Decameron, Hans Up and Funny Bones.

Homer, an Amercian Tourist	Robert Cole	Pandora, a temple cleaner	Robert Cole
Wilma, his wife	Helen Thurlby	Daphne, a priestess	Helena Godfrey
Medea	Liana Wilkins	Chloe	Jo' Taylor
Scilla, a temple cleaner	Helen Thurlby
THE GODS
Aphrodite	Claire Wildgust	Hera	Charlotte Gent
Athena	Shantell Rose	Hermes	Milan Treeby
Ganymede	Ben Mackenzie	Zeus	Neil Burton
Poisedon	Philip Wright	Ares	Colin Blair
Artemis	Helena Godfrey	Eros	James Sibley
Terpischore	Robert Cole	Nymph	Amanada Bellamy
Naiad	Abigail Taylor
THE ARGONAUTS
Jason	Ben Mackenzie	Atlanta	Helen Thurlby
Orpheus	Andrew Draper	Pollux	Daniel Black
Castor	John Lacey	Hercules	Jo Taylor
Hylas	Chris Travis	Prow of the Argo	Liana Wilkins
Gods, Argonauts, kings, maidens and all other legendary characters played by members of the company.
DIRECTORIAL TEAM	David S Stewart Glenys Clifton Maria Brawn Margaret Stannard Stephen Rodgers	Book Set Dressing	David S Stewart Hayley Shardlow
Choreography	Margaret Stannard	Technical	Sarah Gilby
Stage Manager	Michelle Cafferty		David Lowndes
Designers	Trina Bramman Kirsty Hession	Set & Props Construction	Adrian Eyre
THANKS TO: Adam Penford and Nottingham Playhouse, Helen Davies Lighting Design & Technical Support Dan Lounds