A modern spin on the Greek mythology will hit the stage at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center Friday, March 8, with the world premier of “Gorgons,” a play written by Megan Tripaldi and directed by Kevin Vandevelve. 

The two-actor play, starring Human Agenda Theater troupe actresses Amanda Bowman and Tahmie Der, follows Medusa’s sisters, Stheno (played by Bowman) and Euryale (played by Der), as the immortal pair grieve the death of their sister. 

“It's about grief and how you process grief and how even if you have infinite time, that doesn't make it easy. It's still hard, especially when someone is taken from you unjustly. It's also about the love between two sisters,” Vandevelve said. 

At a dress rehearsal Monday evening, red and blue lights illuminated the set’s props, shining down on an assembly of Greek statues, torches and boulders intended to replicate a cave. The performance, Vandevelve said, is a devised production, allowing the troupe to alter aspects of the play’s stage performance or script through collaboration with its playwright.

Vandevelve noted that the troupe will feature significant use of shadow puppetry in the performance — a medium that he described as a staple of the company’s “design philosophy,” to add a layer of fun and intrigue to a performance. 

“There are a lot of really cool uses of shadow on the show, which I think is really fun for both people who are new to theater, but also people who see a lot of theater. I think some people think of theater as being stodgy ... This is welcoming to those who enjoy theater and people who don't see a lot of theater. It's fun, it's joyful, there's some sadness in it too, but it's also ridiculous and silly,” Vandevelve said.

Bowman, a founding member of Human Agency Theater, described her character as an “ancient, but wide-eyed” older sister and songstress. She said she found Stheno’s constant effort, and failure, to connect with her sister Euryale endearing. 

Although Medusa is often seen as a classic Greek villain, Bowman said “Gorgons” portrays the character as a murder victim who’s mourned by her family — a shift that she said adds a level of humanity to the non-human character. Bowman said in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Medusa myth has been revisited to tell the story through a new lens, shedding light on a version of the tale that implies Poseidon sexually assaulted Medusa in Athena’s temple, an incident the goddess Athena later blamed Medusa for.

“Part of that reclamation of the myth is that she wasn't a [villain], but rather, she was blamed for her own assault, and that's why she was given snakes for hair by Athena and turned into a Gorgon,” Bowman said. 

Der, who began her acting career in high school and later went on to perform with the the Silverthorne Theater Company, said she enjoyed coming into the role of Euryale and, generally playing an immortal character with human traits on stage.

“She's the youngest out of the three sisters and she's described as more of a calculating person throughout the show. She's always writing equations anywhere she can -- in books, on the floor, on the walls. I feel like the way she processes all of it is just to ignore it by diving into her work, but her goal is directly related to her grief,” Der said. “Since we’re not human, we're immortal, but we're stuck in this very real situation, I feel like this piece has given us the freedom to be fantastical and creative, but also sets stakes to work with.”

“Gorgons” will be performed March 8 and 9 at 7 p.m., March 10 at 2 p.m., March 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. and March 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.hawksandreed.com.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or at 413-930-4429.