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THE TROJAN WOMEN
by Euripides
Translated by Marianne McDonald

Directorʼs Notes
I was hooked on Ancient Greek Philosophy from the moment I read about the prediction of an eclipse that stopped a battle (generally attributed to Heraclitus, the ‘weeping philosopher’). It didn’t take long before I was knee-deep in the labyrinths of sophistry and coursing through to the Socratic dialogues and eventually alighting on Aristotle’s peerless ‘Ethics’ and ‘Poetics’. Taken as a whole, it’s impossible to have anything but a deep respect and admiration for the culture that bred a fundamental order for Western thought. This era of ‘logos’ was also the cradle for two concepts that shaped most of my life--theatre and democracy...
the latter of which has been much on my mind these days. This play was ‘unexpected’ for ion. An unplanned production. Yet we have given it a mountain of love in a frighteningly short amount of time. Something about Euripides and this play in particular seemed to be calling out to us. But how to put together a play of such deep pathos, and that like some distant star-light, has been traveling toward us for some 2,500 years... in record time, no less... We leapt in because upon reading Dr. McDonald’s vivid translation, we realized how much closer we were to the material than we thought. We know or hear about these people every day. And 2,500 years later, we recognize this world. Euripides as Cassandra. That was the hook this time. A painful one at that. In the short time it took us to mount this play, hundreds, if not thousands of women and children will have been killed or displaced due to war and/or poverty. What continent? Take your pick. In the time that it takes you to read this note, some child will likely have lost her/his mother to war, or a mother will have lost her child to a political cause she wasn’t allowed to fully understand or even affect. As a theatre-maker, something is gnawing at me. I need to reconnect with the fundamentals of why I make art. Theatre and democracy. We’re going back to the beginning... and sometimes, leaping in is the only way to do it. Thank you to this talented cast and crew for your bravery. Para ti, Mama.
Claudio Raygoza

Cast (in order of appearance) Poseiden/Menelaus ............... Walter Ritter* Athena/Helen................ Sara Beth Morgan* Hecuba ............................Veronica Murphy Chorus Attendant .................. Jo Dempsey Chorus Leader ............... Celeste Innocenti Talthybius ..................Michael Dean Grulli Cassandra ..........................Morgan Trant* Andromache ...........Amanda Cooley Davis Chorus/Guards ..... Amanda Cooley Davis, Sara Beth Morgan, Walter Ritter & Morgan Trant Production Director ...........................Claudio Raygoza* Producer ...................................Glenn Paris* Production Manager ................... Courtney Smith Stage Manager ..................... Nicole Hanzal Choral Music Composer ................ Celeste Innocenti Armor Patina Specialist .................. Walter Ritter* Scenic ............... Claudio Raygoza* & Matt Scott* Costumes/Makeup ............. Courtney Smith Lights/Sound .................. Claudio Raygoza* Scenic Construction ................. Ty Meservy, Claudio Raygoza*, Matt Scott*, Linda Libby, DʼAnn Paton, Sven Salumaa, Nick Louie, Colin Simon, George Daye & Glenn Paris* *ion artists

Critics

This latest production of Marianne McDonald's translation of Euripides' The Trojan Women must surely confirm her translations of the ancient Greek dramatists as the most actable, lyrical and powerful in print today.
- Athol Fugard, Playwright -
What an amazing translation and production of TJW last evening! Very moving and tragic. I hope you are pleased with Ion's great efforts.
- Jenni Prisk, Critic -
Another fine production.  I think that it was much better than the one at the Old Globe, where Hecuba seemed more like a bag lady than a queen.  This Hecuba was superb.  I also thought that Menelaus was a particularly talented actor.  
- Mary Stroll, Author of books on medieval themes -
Many thanks for The Trojan Women last night. It was superb. As I said, I thought it was the best-produced of all of your plays that I have seen. The actors really made the most of the beautiful language in the translation. Not a word was thrown away. A sheer delight.
As I watched the play last night all I could see in my mind’s eye were the pictures of the poor Palestinian women and their children being bombed to smithereens during the Israeli blitzkrieg of Gaza over the past few weeks. How timely can you get?
- Denys Horgan, formerly editor of UCSD Magazine, now The Catholic Worker, and various books -
It was my pleasure to be there last night. It's such a powerful drama, the women expressing what any of us would feel under those tragic circumstances........... and it could happen to us. I liked the production. The women were very strong, as was Walter Ritter in his two roles I like the venue a lot.
- Jeanette Rigopoulos, Greek Community activist -
We found this production of Trojan Women riveting and very well done. I personally LOVED the actors responsible for Hecuba and Meneleus. And I thank you also for sending the translated version beforehand; given my sometimes frustrating hearing issues, it made a big difference to know the lines beforehand. I thought the production was very effective (and the translation very smooth ). and the venue interesting as well.
- Dr. Philip Young, Professor of Reproductive Medicine, UCSD -
Claudio has done an amazing job of putting the show together, and it is extremely well-cast.  I am thrilled to be doing your translation of this powerful, timeless classic -- it is emotionally draining, yes, but the catharsis is most uplifting.  In this day and age, I wish that I didn't have to open the newspaper to see women and children suffering from the devastating effects of war.  Thanks for doing your part to shine a light on injustice and to illuminate the world through the art of theatre.
- Celeste Innocenti, actress, composer -