Benny Lee Harris Lumpkins Jr., Producer/Director/Adaptor/Tech/Costume Designer of Fuck You Jason! Or Medea by Euripedes, answered some quick questions for @SeeItOrSkipItLA!
1. We all know the phrase, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Do you think that could have been coined after hearing Medea’s tale?
A: Oh for sure I mean Medea does all this stuff for this man who she thought she was in love with and he claims to take on another woman because he feels that it’s better for his family so it serves him right when Medea just snaps and kills the children it’s no wonder she didn’t end the play with killing Jason but I think the brutal murder of her children is enough death internally for Jason that she gets her revenge when she flies off with the chariot of serpents but yeah I totally believe that that phrase could have been coined after Medea was written.
2. Greek choruses often speak directly to the audience. Do you have any audience participation to go along with that broken fourth wall?
A: I am a huge fan of breaking the fourth wall. In college I explored a lot of in your face theater which included never having a fourth wall to begin with. In our show there is a moment that we allow the audience to count along with us how many times Jason gets his ass kicked. Also there are some surprise moments that sort of happens right in the audience face that I’m going to save for everyone to come see but it gets right in the face of the audience and its not for the faint of heart so hopefully everyone will just go along with the moment be in the moment and enjoy the in your face theater that the poor man theater company brings to the Fringe Festival.
3. What about your show makes it perfect for the Fringe?
A: So what makes any show perfect for a fringe festival is a show that is not afraid to go outside of the idea of what traditional realistic theater is. We at poor man theatre company believes in the idea of doing theatre our way and sparking an attitude in the audience that may change the world one play at a time. So f*** you Jason or Medea by Euripides is perfect for the Hollywood fringe festival because it is a new way to look at Greek theater by combining it with a graphic novel. Many times Greek Theatre can be boring and we think that combining exciting graphic novel elements, such as bold vivid colors, fast and violent stage combat, and distinct characters will keep Medea fresh, and lively for today’s audiences.
4. What do you hope the audience walks away with after your show?
A: The themes of our show, a woman scorned, and murderous revenge, are heavy themes. We hope the audience takes away from our show the idea that it’s not ok to use someone and that being a jerk is not nice. Also we hope they take away courage to do whatever they want to in life as theatre artist or their non art lives. Also love and respect goes a long way.
5. What show, other than yours, are you most excited to see at the Fringe?
A: I’m excited to see as many shows as possible. I’m sponsoring the Freshman Spirit of Fringe Award so I hope to see a lot of daring performances and productions. The shows already on my list are: Jason and Medea, since it’s like the prequel to my show, all of the Greek Plays, the Four Clowns, Alien vs Musical, Starfucking, Our Lady of 121st St., Sp!t About It spoken word theatre, The encore of Out My Window, and many many more.
Intrigued? You can see Fuck You Jason! Or Medea by Euripedes on these days:
Performances:
June 7th 4pm preview
June 13th, 7pm
June 15th 10pm
June 19th 7pm
June 21st, 7pm
June 25th 11:55pm
June 28th 2:30pm
Okay fine, you can have a discount too!
June 7th, 13th – Pay What You Can
June 15th – Ladies – $5 and free beer
June 19th – Industry Night (all entertainment folks pay what you can)
June 25th – BYOB
For ticketing click here.
*As a special thank-you to all Fringers following my coverage, please enjoy 15% off purchases at In Heels Productions throughout the month of June. Use code HFF15 at checkout!