“There is so much opportunity in Handel's works to explore gender from a non-binary point of view, and in our production, this has meant that characters often portrayed as weak and in distress take actions to control their own futures, and "male" characters can be masculine while still expressing emotion and affection in ways that are typically seen as more feminine.”

“…gender has always just been a construct, and history tells us that power and love are what humans seek.”

“Medea makes some epically bad decisions, and is pretty evil, BUT: she’s a barbarian. She views the world differently, she views love differently. One of her most interesting lines is ‘love is strongest when changed to fury.’ What?! I mean, to a warrior in a kill-or-be-killed society, that kind of makes sense. It’s in her nature to be this way. It’s hard to be mad at a dog for chasing chickens, amirite?! She does feel remorse for the loss of her brother and children and also feels reticence to kill Teseo. Luke Skywalker would have seen the good in her, even if she had no place in his world.”

“We’re set in an ancient land where women are warriors. All the women are strong and hold their own. I think that’s the lesson; it’s not a new concept to be a strong woman, we just have to keep empowering each other.”

“…each woman in the project is inspiring to me, they’re all so talented and smart and strong! I notice that communication and the voicing of ideas and opinions about character and musical ideas is very open and productive for us. There is free expression of ideas and risk-taking with staging and acting that seems unfettered by ego and fear. I feel like I can try new things with my portrayal and I will be supported, even if I make a creative choice that falls flat in that moment.”