Direct Theatre Collective's MONSTER debuts as a full-length musical, December 6 and 7
Vancouver Fringe Festival presents the show about Medusa, one of mythology’s most misunderstood figures
MONSTER. Photo by Kaylin Schenk
Vancouver Fringe Festival presents Direct Theatre Collective’s MONSTER at Performance Works on December 6 and 7 at 7:30 pm
AT LAST YEAR’S Vancouver Fringe Festival, Direct Theatre Collective premiered its short dramedy musical MONSTER to a sold-out theatre. This year, the show has been expanded into a full-length production that will hit the Performance Works stage on December 6 and 7, presented by the fest as part of its off-season programming.
MONSTER takes a look at the age-old Greek mythology surrounding Medusa, a woman with snakes for hair and a gaze capable of turning people to stone. As a well-known version of the unsettling story goes, Medusa was once a beautiful woman who drew the attention of the god Poseidon, who sexually assaulted her inside a temple belonging to another god, Athena. When Athena discovered this, rather than punishing Poseidon for his malevolent actions, she cursed Medusa in retaliation for defiling her shrine, giving her an appearance guaranteed to repel all men. Her head was later cut off by the so-called hero Perseus.
In Direct Theatre Collective’s new musical, Medusa is given a voice beyond the cut-and-dry representation of female rage she is often perceived as. Her human experiences and life beyond the curse are explored here by way of a Greek chorus of Muses.
Co-written by Direct Theatre Collective founder Jill Raymond and arranger-composer Florence Reiher, MONSTER stars a cast of 16 actors. The production features 21 original songs performed by a live band consisting of Reiher, keyboardist Peter Abando, bassist Anne Emberline, and drummer Brody Rokstad.
Speaking to Stir before the show’s initial Vancouver Fringe Festival premiere in September 2023, Raymond shared that the development process for the work involved reconsidering Medusa’s motivations: “What if Medusa’s main crime in life was just that she was a woman who just wanted to be left the fuck alone?” Raymond said. “She didn’t want to get married. She didn’t want to fall into these societal norms that are placed on us. So in the end, she gets her wish—but it’s not the same now, because how she got there was not of her choosing.”
In this upcoming presentation of the musical, Calgary-raised, Vancouver-based theatre artist Alexis Hope will play the role of Medusa. 
Related Articles
