Medea and Ecological Disasters: The Play Memories of Water by Timothy Ochser for The New Riga Theatre
Medea and Ecological Disasters: The Play Memories of Water by Timothy Ochser for The New Riga Theatre

Summary/Abstract: The rewriting and interpretation of the ancient plot offers diverse opportunities for exploration, particularly with the rise of ecological approaches and ecocriticism. The focus of the article is on the play Memories of Water written by the London-born author Timothy (also Tim) Ochser (1971–2017), who lived and worked also in the Baltics. The play is based on Euripides’ Medea, and it was staged in 2008 at The New Riga Theatre (Riga, Latvia). In Ochser’s play, Medea becomes a universal image, symbolizing the polluted waters of the world, while Jason represents the pollution caused by human activity. Ochser’s play interprets three specific natural habitats and what happens in them through an ecological lens, which is related to human behavior patterns and the nature of consumer culture. Medea’s memories are reimagined as memories of water, emphasizing the pivotal role of memory and the act of remembering in the play. Ochser’s play raises questions about humanity’s willingness and capacity to acknowledge and evaluate its ecological mistakes. The article examines the interpretation of Medea’s character in Ochser’s play, considering the contemporary context through an ecocritical reading.

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