BSC retells Greek myth with ‘Eurydice’ play
Published: Nov 19 2015
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The Bismarck State College Theatre Arts program presents the contemporary adaptation of a Greek myth with the play, “Eurydice,” Dec. 9-13 in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium.
Playwright Sarah Ruhl retells the myth of Orpheus* from the perspective of his wife, Eurydice. Full of dark humor, lyrical beauty and wit, Ruhl’s “Eurydice” transforms the storyline into a visceral, modern meditation on a love worthy of grief.
Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
“This play is full of interesting theatrical conventions and unusual realties, but more importantly, it is full of love and poetry, music and life,” said guest director Erin Weichel.
The story focuses on Eurydice’s choice to return to earth with Orpheus or to stay in the underworld with her dead father, a character Ruhl created. Action begins on Eurydice’s wedding day and an accident that sends her to her death. Orpheus tries to retrieve her from the underworld as all three struggle to communicate, decide allegiance, and fend off forgetfulness.
Taylor Jung (Mandan) portrays the conflicted Eurydice. Brandon Talley (Bismarck) is Eurydice’s father, and Rick Hentz (Bismarck) plays the valiant Orpheus. Nick Van Sickle (Bismarck) becomes the mysterious man that draws her away from her wedding and into the accident. Playing as a chorus of stones are Meghan McNeil (Bismarck), Alexis Larson (Carrington) and Alicia Billock (Mott).
Weichel has taught and performed at BSC and is choral and theater director at Shiloh Christian School. BSC’s Daniel Devlin is producer and Dean Bellin is designer and technical director.
Reserved seat tickets are $10 or $3 with BSC I.D. and can be purchased in advance by calling the box office at 224-5677 or visiting the BSC Campus Information Center in the Student Union. Tickets also can be purchased on performance days at the box office in Schafer Hall.
Sarah Ruhl is on the faculty at the Yale University School of Drama. Her plays have been produced on Broadway, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel and Australia. Highly recognized, she is recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and many awards. Two plays were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Others have received the Pen American Award, Helen Hayes Award and more.
About Bismarck State College
Bismarck State College, an innovative community college in Bismarck, N.D., offers high quality education, workforce training, and enrichment programs reaching local and global communities.
*About Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary Thracian musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music, his attempt to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the underworld, and his death at the hands of those who could not hear his divine music. As an archetype of the inspired singer, Orpheus is one of the most significant figures in the reception of classical mythology in Western culture, portrayed or alluded to in countless forms of art and popular culture including poetry, film, opera, music, and painting.