It’s Showtime: Eurydice the retelling
Alyssa Waller, Staff Writer and Photographer
It is showtime once again here at North Greenville University. The 2021-2022 season kicks off with Eurydice, a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. The dates for Eurydice are September 23-25 and September 30-October 2, and the show will be 90 minutes with no intermission.
Eurydice is directed by a new theatre professor, Joshua Scott. While this is his first play here at NGU, he has directed other plays in the past. He mentions how he is excited to find the sacred within the secular and about seeing his new theatre family get up on the stage and use their talents to worship our Heavenly Father.
Scott said he believes God has blessed each and every one of us on this planet with different skill sets. He thinks that Eurydice is a story worth telling and said, “If I had to explain this story in one word, the story for me is about hope.”
Scott added that one of the challenges for this show is the set. There is an elevator prop in the show, and there will be an effect of rain in the elevator. There is also a moat that wraps around the stage.
Scott said Bess Park and David Euro who are the respectively technical director and set lighting designer. Both Park and Euro have been such a huge help in making the ideas come to life.
A brief synopsis of the play would be that we have the classic myth of Orpheus and it is told through the lens of its heroine, Eurydice, played by Kara Hayes who is a senior theatre major with a focus on performance.
Eurydice is a modern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, a Greek myth. Orpheus is this musician virtuoso who marries the love of his life and then on their wedding day, Eurydice is deceived by the lord of the underworld, thus dying, and making her way into the underworld, where she is reunited with her father, who beckons her and helps her gain clarity and memories of past relationships.
This retelling is set in the 1940s, unlike the original where the story takes place in ancient Greece. The costumes are going to be different than the original. Besides the costumes being different, it is also a different language. Also, in the original, Orpheus turns around on his own accord, but in this retelling, Eurydice calls out to him causing him to turn around.
Eurydice is also a contemporary retelling of the Greek myth. The stones are the chorus, who have passed away into the by and by. The stones now inhabit the underworld along with the lord of the underworld.
Another thing that is different is that a female is playing the lord of the underworld. The lord of the underworld is portrayed as a bratty child who wants his way which is different than the original telling.
Orpheus, who is still in the real world, laments the loss of Eurydice and he wills his way to the underworld. The lord of the underworld grants the opportunity to Orpheus to fetch Eurydice and Orpheus is given a condition, a rule which he ended up violating.
Eurydice is also a contemporary retelling of the Greek myth. The stones are the chorus, who have passed away into the by and by. The stones now inhabit the underworld along with the lord of the underworld.
Another thing that is different is that a female is playing the lord of the underworld. The lord of the underworld is portrayed as a bratty child who wants his way which is different than the original telling.
Orpheus, who is still in the real world, laments the loss of Eurydice and he wills his way to the underworld. The lord of the underworld grants the opportunity to Orpheus to fetch Eurydice and Orpheus is given a condition, a rule which he ended up violating.
This retelling is set in the 1940s, unlike the original where the story takes place in ancient Greece. The costumes are going to be different than the original. Besides the costumes being different, it is also a different language. Also, in the original, Orpheus turns around on his own accord, but in this retelling, Eurydice calls out to him causing him to turn around.
Eurydice is also a contemporary retelling of the Greek myth. The stones are the chorus, who have passed away into the by and by. The stones now inhabit the underworld along with the lord of the underworld.
Another thing that is different is that a female is playing the lord of the underworld. The lord of the underworld is portrayed as a bratty child who wants his way which is different than the original telling.
Scott wants to bring kingdom principles, which are rooted in the Word of God, these principles can also apply to people no matter if they are of faith or not. He is aware that some of the patrons of NGU Theatre may not be of faith, but they will walk away encouraged.
Hayes mentions that it has been so much fun diving into Eurydice because she relates to the character. Eurydice is very logical, she is also a thinker and loves people very dearly, so much so that love is one of the things that helped her remember and her father’s stories played a part in that. Hayes talks about how much fun she has had playing with Eurydice’s character and the connection Eurydice has with her father.
Hayes mentions that the most challenging part about the role is how there are a lot of different facets throughout the play. In the beginning, Eurydice is seen as a philosopher and a thinker. She experiences a kind of puppy love for Orpheus, but she is also very serious and logical. When Eurydice first enters the underworld, she is seen in a childlike manner and is forgetful.
Another difficult part would be personally connecting to the connection that Eurydice has to her father has. Since Hayes cannot necessarily relate to that, considering Hayes’ father was distant and not around much. Hayes has to figure out what that looks like for her and therefore for Eurydice.
Hayes had previously played minor characters such as a young boy, a messenger, and a servant. This is her first time being a leading lady. Hayes mentions that it is so different, but it is also so exciting.
Scott said the controlling idea for the show is how it is championed by the Word of God and that hope wins over death when Christ’s love reigns supreme over our lives.
*Featured Image: Poster courtesy of Joshua Scott
