The Medea Project: MAZE, Life on the Swerve

Abstract

The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women/HIV Circle is a San Francisco institution with an international reputation. The group is made up of formerly incarcerated women, women living with HIV, theater professionals and community women. Founded in 1989 by Rhodessa Jones, based on Jones’ workshops in the San Francisco county jail, Medea Project productions have often used ancient myth as the framework for their modern shows. In the jails, in the clinic for women living with HIV, and in community settings, Rhodessa starts by asking participants to write in response to questions she asks; in some cases, she tells one of the old stories—the “classic” stories—and then asks the women to make connections between these stories and their own lives. Together, they then create a piece for public performance.