MEDEA Maria is the new show from avant-garde director, designer and theatre-maker Alexander Kaniewski, artist in residence at York Theatre Royal and York St John University in the year marking the 50th anniversary of theatre at York St John.

After its debut as part of York Literature Festival at York Theatre Royal last Friday, further performances follow at East Riding Theatre, Beverley, on March 26 and 27.

Designed and directed by 21-year-old Kaniewski, from Brough, in collaboration with Barnsley musical composer and University of York PhD student Helen Madden, this contemporary opera version of Euripedes’ Medea is retold through the lens of Maria Callas, one of the last great divas of opera. In May 1953, Callas took to the stage of Teatro Comunale in Florence to perform in Cherubini’s adaptation of the Greek tragedy Medea, when still very much in her prime, happily married, but could not yet relate to the character she was portraying.

Through bringing together the glamour, passion and romance of opera with minimalist movement, gesture and design, Medea Maria tells the story of two women scorned by love. The opera parallels and contrasts the life of the opera singer and Medea, whom Callas played many times in her career, prompting her to observe: "The difference between the ancient Greeks and me is I don’t cry at tragedies. I cope with them!"

Medea Maria, a tale of betrayal, heartbreak and the fury of a woman who would become her own legend, is being developed during Kaniewski's residency in addition to his working with artists and students, directing a range of projects throughout the year.

Last year he graduated with a first class degree in theatre from York St John and directed his first contemporary opera, A Very Pleasant Pineapple, a piece devised with Lauren Leigh that reflected on the life of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. As a result of this, he was awarded the first artist in residence post at York St John University and received the graduate prize from York Theatre Royal.

These honours were part of the celebrations at York St John, recognising 50 years of theatre at the university, where Alexander is also the department’s archivist. "So, as it's 50 years, they have expanded it from one opera, one day, to a full year," says Alexander, who is being mentored by York Theatre Royal associate director Juliet Forster.

Exploring contemporary opera, the 'Theatre of Images' and performance art, Madden and Kaniewski seek to blend the traditional structure and dramatic tones of opera with that of repetitive minimalistic music, to create an environment that transports the viewer to a world that pauses between reality and fiction.

"When I knew I was going to be doing this project, I wanted to work with a composer, so I put a call out and Helen responded," says Alexander. "Knowing the piece was going to be part of York Literature Festival, I wanted to bring alive a piece of literature with real-life passion, though it was Maria Callas I was interested in first and foremost. I wanted to do a piece about a powerful woman and was very interested in opera too, so she was ideal.

York Press:

Director and designer Alexander Kaniewski with composer Helen Madden

"Maria's character was fascinating, presenting this larger-than-reality persona that became an icon but also a caricature of herself, when behind the scenes she was shy and frail but had to create this character, La Callas, to go on stage in the harsh world of opera.

"There's a huge similarity between the stories of Medea and Maria Callas. In Medea, she leaves her home town with Jason, betraying her town for his love, but Jason then betrays her; Maria renounces her American citizenship and divorces her husband to be with Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate, who then betrays her by leaving her for Jackie Kennedy, the First Lady, without telling her."

Medea Maria is performed by a cast of four, with York St John graduate Laura Castle as Medea/Maria, supported by Sam Hird, Becky Sheard and Bronte-Jane Hobson, and seven musicians from the University of York and York St John University, directed by Robert Fisher in his first engagement since graduating from York College.

"My work is all about the experience, letting it wash over you, and the visual elements are vital too, " says Alexander, whose production style in influenced by Robert Wilson, the experimental American director and playwright. "I see theatre as a series of pictures, and Medea Maria is deliberately a very slow piece, the images moving at an almost glacial pace. Otherwise, a lot can be missed. I spend a lot of time creating the images and want the audience to spend plenty of time looking at them before moving on.

"I'm also really interested in the human form on stage, like the positions Callas, adopted on stage, which I've collated for the show."

Where might Alexander Kaniewski venture next once his residency ends? "Potentially I'll be doing a masters in opera directing," he says.

Tickets for the 7.30pm shows in Beverley can be booked on 01482 874050 or at eastridingtheatre.co.uk.