BLACKSBURG, Va., Oct. 29, 2007 – The Virginia Tech Department of Theatre Arts presents their second main stage production of the year, Eurydice, directed by Virginia Tech graduate student Megan Carney.
This Virginia Tech premiere production is being performed at the Squires Studio Theatre Nov. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 12-15 at 7:30 p.m.
This contemporary revision of the classic Greek myth of Orpheus is told through Eurydice’s eyes. It follows her journey through love and loss and the power of memory in a magical underworld filled with visual allure and surprising characters.
The story of Orpheus and his love for Eurydice is considered one of the greatest love stories of all time and has been retold through history in poetry, songs, and films. Orpheus, we are told, is a great musician. He and Eurydice fall in love. On the day of their wedding, Eurydice dies. Orpheus is so overwhelmed with grief that he plays the most beautiful and sad music opening the gates of hell. In the underworld, Hades makes a deal with Orpheus: He can have Eurydice back if he can lead her out of the underworld without speaking to her or looking at her. If he looks back at her, she’ll be lost to him forever.
Playwright Sarah Ruhl has altered the story with some surprises including a stranger in a high-rise apartment, a trip to the underworld in a raining elevator, and a reunion between Eurydice and her dead father. The play explores the ways that our memories of love and loss shape our lives and inform our choices.
Sarah Ruhl’s plays include The Clean House which won the Susan Smith Blackburn award in 2004, Melancholy Play, Eurydice, Late: a cowboy song, Orlando and Passion Play. Originally from Chicago, Ruhl received her M.F.A. from Brown University. In 2003, she was the recipient of the Helen Merrill Award and the Whiting Writers’ Award and in 2006 she was named a MacArthur Fellow. Eurydice premiered at Yale Repertory in 2006 and has just completed a successful Broadway run at Second Stage Theatre in New York.
Megan Carney is a third year Master of Fine Arts student in the Department of Theatre Arts' Directing and Public Dialogue program at Virginia Tech. She was the creator of last year’s highly successful production [classified], which used true stories from students and faculty members to draw out issues of injustice and personal responsibility on campus. Before attending Virginia Tech, Carney was the associate artistic director of About Face Theatre in Chicago where her work as a writer and director contributed to eight critically praised original plays including On the Record at the Goodman Theatre in 2004 and The Home Project at Victory Gardens in 2006.
Tickets may be purchased at the Squires Ticket Office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., by calling (540) 231-5615, online, or at the door one hour prior to show time. Tickets are $9 for the general public and $7 for students and senior citizens.
For more information about Department of Theatre Arts or upcoming events, call (540) 231-5200, or visit us online.
Story written by Alyssa Markfort.