When music major Jadyn Fording and English major Alex Dupree met at The University of Tulsa’s Honors College orientation, they realized a shared passion for theater. Together, the pair established the TU Theatre Union, an organization that provides a community for other UTulsa students that share their love of the stage. The group began hosting events like musical theater karaoke, improv game nights and their student showcase concert.
Soon, Fording and Dupree were approached by the Honors College with the idea of performing a Greek tragedy live on-stage in November 2024. They held auditions for “Medea,” which tells the story of the wife of Jason (of the famed Argonauts) and their tragic marriage, which culminated in Medea’s vengeful murder of their children. They had 14 students audition for the inaugural play, enough to fill the principal roles and have a Greek chorus of five. Their second show, “Oedipus The King,” sparked overwhelming student interest. “It’s been very exciting to see interest in these productions grow,” said Fording, who was the production manager for this year’s play.
Putting on a 1,000-year-old play is no easy feat. To tackle the project, the group worked with faculty like Professor Daniel Walden on the logistics of how the play would have been historically presented and how to appropriately adapt the play for a modern audience. “Something we’ve had to navigate is how to pick our translation and make sure that that translation is accessible,” said Fording. “It’s been great to have Professor Walden’s expertise answering questions like that.”
Meanwhile, staff at the Lorton Performance Center helped them overcome more practical challenges, such as how to make blocking on a large stage in a 600-seat house feel intimate. “Of course we don’t know how they would have staged this,” said Eleanor Hong, an English & creative writing major and director of “Oedipus The King.” “We’re playing with the structure of the blocking, and with the bigger cast this year, we filled up the stage.”
For “Medea,” the Theatre Union recruited computer simulation & gaming and art double major Ava Boswell to design and create the set, and accounting student Luna Wolf to help with the costumes. This year, Fording took their experience producing and directing “Medea” and passed it on to Hong. “When I was offered the directorship, I was really excited for the opportunity to take this work and shape it into something that will resonate with everybody,” said Hong. “It’s a story that a lot of people know the ending to, but they don’t know the whole story. It’s a very rich, complex and interesting play.”
For the Honors students, reading these ancient tragedies in class is one thing, but seeing and acting in them brings a whole new life to the characters. “These plays were never meant to just be read,” said Fording. And the knowledge the cast members gain in class also helps inform their performances. “It’s really surprising how much having an actual understanding of not only the words in the text, but the social and political contexts of the time help everything come together,” said Hong. “Knowing how the ancient audiences might have received it and what the author might have intended is very important to understanding the dimensions of your character.”
Opening night of “Oedipus The King” in November 2025 was met with resounding success, with attendees filling the Herbert and Roseline Gussman Concert Hall. The cast held a talkback with the principal cast and director following the performance followed by a reception in the lobby. This year, the group also held a matinee performance the following day at 2 p.m.
The TU Theatre Union hopes to continue productions like these, with plans to produce a musical in spring 2026. “In my ideal world, we will do a Greek play and a classic American play in the fall, and then a musical in the spring,” said Fording. “I want to see the group continue to grow, and I think we’re setting the foundation for that.”