Natalie Haynes ‘rock star mythologist’, brings her irresistible take on the snake-haired gorgon…

Medusa is one of the most recognisable figures in Greek Myth: her face has stared out at us for millennia, from Agamemnon’s shield in the Iliad to Versace’s logo today. Gorgons and gorgon heads were an enormously popular feature on ancient statues and temples, so was Medusa always the terrifying monster we have made her?

Natalie Haynes takes us on a fast-paced tour through the history of Medusa, who she was and why we still see her all around us. From the author of Pandora’s Jar and the new Medusa novel, Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes shows you how to survive contact with someone who can turn you to stone with a glance.

The performance will last approximately 60 minutes, without an interval.

Suitable for adults (16+)

Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster and – according to the Washington Post – a rock star mythologist. Her first novel, The Amber Fury, was published to great acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, as was The Ancient Guide to Modern Life, her previous book. Her second novel, The Children of Jocasta, was published in 2017. Her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships, was published in 2019. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020. It has been translated into multiple languages. Her most recent non-fiction book, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myth was published in Oct 2020, and reached number 2 in the New York Times Bestseller chart. Her novel about Medusa, Stone Blind, was published in Sep 2022 and Margaret Atwood liked it. So did Neil Gaiman. She has spoken on the modern relevance of the classical world on three continents, from Cambridge to Chicago to Auckland. She writes for The Guardian. Eight series of her show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, have been broadcast on Radio 4 and she will make series 9 in 2023.