Springfield High School graduate Summerfield is star of Hedgerow Theatre’s ‘Medea’
For its current production, Hedgerow Theatre turns back the clock to present the famed Greek tragedy “Medea” by Euripides, which premiered 2400 years ago. Yet, it’s still relevant because of its theme of a woman scorned and her drastic revenge.
The key role of Medea has always been central. Jennifer Summerfield realized this when she was in acting school in New York and her instructor played a recording of Judith Anderson’s in the role of Medea.
“It was so thrilling, it gave me goosebumps,” said Summerfield, who grew up in Springfield. “I thought about what an intimidating role that would be for any actress. But hearing that recording was inspiring to me.”
She never dreamed at the time that she would one day have that starring role. She does in a production that continues at the Rose Valley theater ( two miles from Media) through Nov. 11.
Summerfield is part of a core group of four actors at Hedgerow who are performing three plays each season for the next three seasons. “Medea” is the third one, and artistic director Jared Reed chose it knowing he wanted Summerfield to play the key role.
“I was truly terrified,” Summerfield said. “Originally we were doing it next season, but then the schedule changed and it got moved up. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, I have just six months to learn this role that I’m terrified about!’”
She not only was chosen for the key role, but Reed also let her choose the adaptation.
“I read a dozen different translations, trying to find the best fit for us,” Summerfield said. She also watched several documentaries about ancient Greek drama and about the playwright Euripides.
She chose Robinson Jeffers’ adaptation.
“He really made it act-able,” she said. “He cut some of the long speeches into several short speeches and that allowed more interaction with other actors. This was a really good fit for the four of us.”
Summerfield’s role is huge. She has an estimated 70 percent of the dialogue, so she spent months memorizing her lines. She wanted to come to rehearsal “off book,” meaning she’d learned her lines and didn’t need a script once rehearsals began.
She’s onstage with no intermission for the entire 90 minutes production.
“I only have a two minute break where I go offstage to grab a prop, and that’s when I gulp some water,” she said. “This is probably the most exhausting play I’ve ever done.”
She prepares by doing vocal exercises before each performance, and also doing yoga to limber up her body before she goes onstage for this most demanding role.
Despite how daunting it is, and despite her initial fears, she is succeeding impressively, earning rave reviews from critics and standing ovations from the audience.
“Summerfield is simply brilliant in the title role, overcoming its many challenges,” praised critic Mark Cofta in “Broad Street Review.” “I’ve never seen her more emotionally raw and vocally commanding. Few roles require such grand commitment.” Audiences agree.
“The audience response has been really great,” said Summerfield. “On opening night, when the play ended, at first they just sat for 30 seconds, They just looked at the stage. I thought, ‘Oh, they didn’t like it.’ But then they gave us a standing ovation.”
“At all the performances, they’ve been so attentive and focused,” Summerfield said. “That’s been really gratifying.”
Theater has been gratifying to her for years. A native of Wyoming, her family moved to Delco when she was in high school. Attending Springfield High, she performed in several school plays.
By age 16, Summerfield was also taking acting classes at Hedgerow and she continued for three years until she graduated from Springfield High.
Then she earned her BA from Smith College. Majoring in French literature. In her junior year, she studied in Paris and took an acting class
“That class was amazing, and that’s when I knew I wanted to become a theater professional,” said Summerfield.
After graduation, she lived in New York for five years, taking varied roles on and off Broadway. Then she lived in Media before settling in Philadelphia with her husband, Kyle Cassidy and becoming part of Philly’s theater community.
Five years ago, she started taking roles in Hedgerow productions, including that of Lady Macbeth. She’s had featured roles in other productions as well. The versatile actress also wrote a one-woman show about Mary Shelley which she’ll perform at Hedgerow in January.
Summerfield’s main Hedgerow activity now is as part of the four actors known as the Core Four. They are directed by one of the four, Jared Reed. He and Summerfield have known each other for 30 years.
“I met him as a teenager when his mother was artistic director of Hedgerow and he’d do summer shows,” she said.
Her history with Hedgerow has come full circle. First, she took acting classes there starting at age 16. Now she’s starring in the major role of her career as Medea on the Hedgerow stage.
“It’s such a dynamic role,” said Summerfield. “Medea runs the gamut of all the emotions- from devastation to rage to love for her children. She’s so unique, and it’s a tremendous opportunity to portray all these emotions In one role. I’ll never have another role like this in my life.”