Staged readings of the reimagined classic myth Orpheus and Eurydice will be offered by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Department of Theatre and Dance at the Wausau, Stevens Point and Marshfield campuses next month.
“Eurydice” will be performed at UWSP at Wausau at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8; at UW-Stevens Point at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10; and UWSP at Marshfield at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 11.
Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased online at tickets.uwsp.edu, by calling 715-346-4100 or by visiting the Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center in Stevens Point. Tickets are also available at each venue starting one hour prior to each performance.
Playwright Sarah Ruhl’s take on the myth retells the tale not through Orpheus’ perspective, but through the eyes of the heroine Eurydice. She ventures to the underworld after dying on her wedding day, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love.
The play revitalizes the timeless love story with a fresh look, plot twists and contemporary characters.
“Eurydice is the focus of the story because we know much less about her, and she was written about much less than Orpheus. So, although there are some resources and material to work from, it’s really about Ruhl’s Eurydice, the actor portraying her and how she navigates these situations and relationships. Therefore, any production will be unique and worth a watch,” said director Greg Pragel, a lecturer in theatre.
Traditionally, a staged reading does not include a set with actors reading the play and stage directions. Pragel is looking to expand on the concept with this type of production by highlighting certain moments throughout with foley sound work and music. Featuring a cast of seven students and instrumentalists, the music will drive the story and follow the characters’ energy, thoughts and emotions rather than be an apparent score to the play, said Pragel.
“I hope it inspires [audiences] to share a thought with a loved one who’s far away or gone, and also to share something in person with a loved one nearby,” he said.