Preview of the Fall Play: Eurydice
What is “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl actually about?
This play, according to Liza Tewari who plays Eurydice and Audrey Smith who plays Orpheus, is a Greek myth about love and loss. It deals with topics of family, relationships, and self-discovery. The author of this play, Sarah Ruhl, made it so it’s told from Eurydice’s perspective.
What has been your favorite part of the process so far? What are you looking forward to?
Audrey Smith ‘23 writing music on her guitar
Audrey Smith says that her favorite part of the process so far is “getting to understand the play through music” which is a big part of her character, Orpheus. Smith has also gotten the opportunity to compose her own music for the play and take some of the already composed music and adapt it to fit certain emotions and feelings the characters portray. Liza Tewari is looking forward to performing in front of an audience because she believes that “once [the cast] gets in front of an audience, it's going to change the story a lot.” Tewari says there are a lot of monologues and “it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to.” There are also a lot of opportunities for the cast to interact with the audience. Having an audience will “elevate” their performance and storytelling.
What has been the most challenging part of the process?
For Tewari, being the lead deals with lots of memorization. “There is a lot going on in the show” and there are really lengthy, interesting monologues that can take a long time to memorize. The language can also be hard to internalize, as the writing is a different style. For Smith, she thinks that getting into the emotional part of the show is challenging. The play is very sad and emotional and can be “difficult to experience.”
What is one word you would use to describe the play?
AJ Weinstein ‘25 and Mira Silverman ‘25 practicing their lines
A word that Tewari would use to describe “Eurydice” is “memory.” She says that a good amount of the play is “centered around Eurydice trying to remember what life used to be.” Eurydice’s father also goes through the process of remembering his past. Smith would use the word “reminisce” to describe the play because she thinks that Eurydice goes on a journey of “discovering new things with her father”. Orpheus “reminisces” because his journey consists of “reminiscing about things that happened and the life that he lived already with another person while [Eurydice is] getting discover a new aspect of her life.”
How is Galloway’s production different from other productions of this show?
A new aspect that other performances don't usually have is how Orpheus, in Galloway’s production, is a girl. The original pronouns of Orpheus have been changed to she/her. According to Tewari and Smith, this means that this production resembles a lesbian love story.
By Marco Schittone