Eurydice is a play written by renowned playwright, Sarah Ruhl, which retells the myth of Orpheus in the perspective of his wife, Eurydice. In this reimagining, Eurydice, after dying tragically on her wedding day, travels to the underworld where she reunites with her deceased father. In doing so, Ruhl composes a touching goodbye to her own late father, giving Eurydice the chance to say the words that were left unsaid that she, herself, wished to say.
In this production, I play both the Nasty Interesting Man, who tempts Eurydice in life, and the childlike Lord of the Underworld, who torments Eurydice in death. As a show which involves a great deal of expressive movement and which is both timeless and surreal, we have done work to the end of creating a world which is as beautifully staged as it is written. By throwing away our own notions of reality and seeing the play as an orchestra in which we, the actors, are instruments, we have really focused on the way that our bodies move and how that movement can express our characters, their emotions, and their relationships.
This has been particularly challenging for me as each character is distinguished by the quality of their movement and voice, and I have had to work to make sure that each one of my characters sound distinct and are visually interesting. I have thoroughly enjoyed bringing life to the poetry that is Ruhl’s work and hope that our audiences are able to hear the symphony which we have worked to create.
Performances will be held at the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts in the Richard L. Dangle Theatre. Community Preview will be on November 19 at 7:30 p.m. and the show will run at 7:30 p.m. November 20-23, with a 2:30 matinee on the 23rd. For ticket prices and information, please contact the Box Office at 770-839-4722.
Troy Chitty is a sophomore theatre major.
