Eurydice

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Eurydice

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  2w, 5m

Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.

Image: 2007 Second Stage Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Fantasy
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • UIL Approved
    • Competition or Audition Material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2003 Whiting Award for Drama

Details

Summary
In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.
History
Eurydice premiered off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre on 18 June 2007. Directed by Les Waters, the production featured Maria Dizzia, Gian-Murray Gianino, Carla Harting, Ramiz Monsef, Joseph Parks, Charles Shaw Robinson and Mark Zeisler.
EURYDICE
HER FATHER
ORPHEUS
A NASTY INTERESTING MAN
BIG STONE
LITTLE STONE
LOUD STONE
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, Greek/Roman/Biblical
  • Setting The underworld and other locations.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No Intermission, Special Effects
  • Duration 90 minutes

Media

“Rhapsodically beautiful... an inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory.” – The New York Times

“Exhilarating! A luminous retelling of the Orpheus myth, lush and limpid as a dream where both author and audience swim in the magical, sometimes menacing, and always thrilling flow of the unconscious.” – The New Yorker

“Exquisitely staged by Les Waters and an inventive design team... Ruhl's wild flights of imagination, some deeply affecting passages and beautiful imagery provide transporting pleasures. They conspire to create original, at times breathtaking, stage pictures.” – Variety

“Touching, inventive, invigoratingly compact and luminously liquid in its rhythms and design, Eurydice reframes the ancient myth of ill-fated love to focus not on the bereaved musician but on his dead bride - and on her struggle with love beyond the grave as both wife and daughter.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“A weird and wonderful new play – an inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory.” – The New York Times

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

English and American Sign Language Share the Stage in Production of Eurydice
by Rebecca Wallace
December 4, 2019

Videos

  • Second Stage Presents: Eurydice youtube thumbnail

    Second Stage Presents: Eurydice

  • The Making of EURYDICE at Dartmouth youtube thumbnail

    The Making of EURYDICE at Dartmouth

  • Sarah Ruhl on "Poor Theatre" youtube thumbnail

    Sarah Ruhl on "Poor Theatre"

Photos

  • Eurydice

    Image: 2007 Second Stage Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

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Authors

Sarah Ruhl

Sarah Ruhl’s plays include In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, The Clean House, Passion Play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Melancholy Play, For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday, The Oldest Boy, Stage Kiss, Dear Elizabeth, Eurydice, How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, Orlando, Late ...

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