Medeas barn
- Kulturhuset Stadsteatern Skärholmen
The Jury’s Motivation
Medeas barn is as central a classic in Swedish children’s theatre as Euripides’ Medea is to theatre as a whole. And Kulturhuset Stadsteatern Skärholmen reminds us why. Mellika Melouani Melani’s direction goes all out embracing both darkness and humour in the drama about two children neglected in the midst of their parents’ divorce. Helga Bumsch’s magnificent scenography in dialogue with equally magnificent acting and newly composed live music create a performance that feels more relevant than ever.
When Medeas barn first premiered in 1975, it changed the perception of children’s culture in Sweden. Suzanne Osten and Per Lysander told the ancient Greek Medea myth — but this time from the children’s perspective. What happens when adults fall apart and the children are forced to carry their grief? In the eyes of the children, Medea and Jason are perfect — the mother who left her country for love, and the father, the great hero in search of adventure. Through play, imagination and music, the children try to make sense of the incomprehensible. What does divorce mean? Why is mother so sad? And why isn’t father home?
When the legend and children’s culture pioneer Suzanne Osten passed away two years ago, she left an indelible legacy. In the autumn of 2025, 50 years after the original premiere and the same year the play was canonized, Medeas barn was staged again — this time at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern Skärholmen under the direction of Mellika Melouani Melani. With artistic precision and craftsmanship, Mellika Melouani Melani allowed a new generation to encounter this timeless story of children’s ability to navigate even the darkest spaces.
From 9 years
Cast:
On Stage
LillJason: Elina Norén Sandberg
LillMedea: Tina Pour-Davoy
Jason: Leonard Terfelt
Medea: Sandra Medina
Amman Anna: Per Öhagen
Musicians: Lovisa Samuelsson, Isabel Sörling
Understudy: Jason Olle Jernberg
Production
Director: Mellika Melouani Melani
Set & costume design: Helga Bumsch
Composers: Lovisa Samuelsson, Isabel Sörling
Choreography: Sandra Medina
Lighting: Ida Wenger (intern from Stockholm University of the Arts)
Make-up: Åsa Horáková (intern from Stockholm University of the Arts)
Music coach: Joel Sahlin
Group:
Kulturhuset Stadsteatern SkärholmenTime and place
