Eurydice Offers Vivid Perspective from Mythical Underworld
Media contact: Sherry Ward
Baylor University Theatre
254-710-1875 or sherry_ward@baylor.edu
The Baylor Theatre will present Eurydice by Pulitzer Prize nominee Sarah Ruhl in the Mabee Theatre November 11-16. Eurydice is a visually stunning adaptation of the ancient myth of Orpheus, told from the perspective of his wife Eurydice. This timeless tale shows how love transcends the grave, and how the greatest loss is the loss of our most precious memories.
What starts as a fantastical romance with a fairy-tale wedding between two young lovers quickly takes a tragic turn. The young bride Eurydice, longing for her late father on her wedding day, follows a stranger who promises that he can relay a message from her father in the other world. Eurydice is ultimately reunited with her father, but only after a fatal accident that occurs as she tries to return to her wedding. We follow Eurydice through death into the afterlife as she struggles to hold on to the memories from the life she left behind. Meanwhile, Orpheus will stop at nothing to retrieve his bride from the underworld.
Director Amber Jackson feels privileged to be involved with this production. She chose Eurydice as her thesis production in pursuit of her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Directing. Jackson says, "I love this play. Eurydice has something that everyone can identify with. It has the power to affect each person who encounters it in a unique and personal way. I love its distilled language, its use of imagery, and its fascinating collage of classic and contemporary themes." Ruhl's plays deal with what she calls "the pleasure of heightened things" and contain cryptic yet romantic language, a heightened sense of emotion, and music.
Ruhl's retelling of this timeless love story is full of her unique blend of music, poetry, and astonishing visual effects. Eurydice will play in Baylor's Mabee Theatre November 11-16. For tickets or more information, call 254-710-1865 or visit www.baylor.edu/theatre.