top of page
Search

Past Productions of Eurydice...

Writer's picture: Caitlin PappCaitlin Papp

Updated: Nov 18, 2023


(The first picture is from the Second Stage Production of Eurydice in New York. 2007. The second photo is from City Lights Theater Company's production of Eurydice in San Jose, California, in 2019. The third photo is the Berkeley Repertory Theater production of Eurydice in Berkeley, California, 2007)


Where: Madison Repertory Theatre, Isthmus Playhouse, Madison, Wisconsin
When: Opening Night- August 29, 2003

Who
Production Team:
Director- Richard Corley (Also Artistic Director at the time of the production)
Set Design: Narelle Sissons
Lighting Design: Rand Ryan
Costume Design: Murell Horton
Sound Design: Darron L. West
Choreographer/Movement: Karen Hoyer
Stage Manager: Lynn Terry

Cast:
Eurydice: Laura Heisler
Her Father: John Lenertz
Orpheus: David Andrew McMahon
A Nasty Interesting Man/ The Lord of the Underworld: Scot Morton
Grandmother: Diane Dorsey
Big Stone: Jody Reiss
Little Stone: Polly Noonan
Loud Stone: Karlie Nurse

About the Production: Eurydice started the 15th season of Madison Repertory, and this particular production is considered the world premiere of the play. A couple of differences: the Nasty Interesting Man and The Lord of the Underworld were considered two different characters in this script version. There was also the added part of Grandma, who portrayed both Eurydice’s grandmother and The Lord of the Underworld’s mother. This part was later cut from future productions. Ruhl said about cutting the Grandmother part, “...in terms of how the story was progressing, people weren’t understanding how the character was moving through the play. So, I thought, well, I’ll try it without, and when we tried it without, it actually had more of a flow in terms of the story.”
Sources: Lochmond, Hailey. The Badger Herald, September 24, 2003 https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2003/09/24/eurydice-kicks-off-m/


Where: Second Stage Theater, 307 West 43rd Street, New York
When: Opening Night- June 18, 2007- August 26, 2007

Who
Production Team
Director: Les Waters
Choreography: John Carrafa
Scenic Design: Scott Bradley
Costume Design: Meg Neville
Lighting Design: Russell H. Champa
Sound Design: Bray Poor
Stage Manager: Stephanie Gatton
Production Stage Manager: Cynthia Cahill

Cast
Eurydice: Maria Dizzia
Loud Stone: Gian-Murray Gianino
Little Stone: Carla Harting
Big Stone: Ramiz Monsef
Orpheus: Joseph Parks
Eurydice's Father: Charles Shaw Robinson
Nasty Interesting Man/The Lord of the Underworld: Mark Zeisler

About this Production: The New York Times called the show "RHAPSODICALLY BEAUTIFUL. An inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about love, loss, and the pleasures and pains of memory. NOT TO BE MISSED by anyone with an interest in fresh theatrical voices." (Charles Isherwood). This iteration would have been director Les Waters's third time directing a production of Eurydice, having directed one at Berkeley Repertory Theater in 2004 and one at Yale Repertory Theater in 2006. It was originally supposed to close on July 21st but ended up extending the run until August 26th, showing the popularity of the production.


(photo by Carol Rosegg)


Where: Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut
When: September 22nd- October 14th 2006

Who
Production Team:
Artistic Director: James Bundy
Director: Les Waters
Scenic Design: Scott Bradley
Costume Design: Meg Neville
Lighting Design: Russell H. Champa
Sound Design: Bray Poor
Choreography: John Carrafa
Dramaturgy: Amy Boratko
Casting: Tara Rubin Casting
Production Stage Manager: James Mountcastle

Cast:
Eurydice: Maria Dizzia
Orpheus: Joseph Parks
Father: Charles Shaw Robinson
Nasty Interesting Man/The Lord of The Underworld: Mark Zeisler
Little Stone: Carla Harting
Big Stone: Ramiz Monsef
Loud Stone: Gian-Murray Gianino

About the Production: This was the second time Les Waters directed a production of Eurydice after directing one at the theater he is Artistic Director of, Berkeley Repertory in Berkley, California. Sarah Ruhl, the playwright, was still considered an upcoming playwright, and her play Clean House was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 and had just been awarded the MacArthur “genius” grant. Charles Isherwood of the New York Times said in a 2006 review of Ruhl, I should also warn that Ms. Ruhl’s offbeat style, which mixes colors and tones in ways that can be delightful but occasionally jarring, requires some re-education for audiences used to the contemporary theater’s steady diet of naturalism and relatively straightforward demarcations between comedy and drama”. Eurydice opened the 2006-2007 season of Yale Repertory Theatre.
Sources:
Original Program from Yale Repertory Theatre Production:
New York Times Review, Charles Isherwood, 2006: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/theater/reviews/03eury.html


(Photo by Taylor Sanders)


Where: City Lights Theater Company, San Jose, California
When: Opening Night, March 14, 2019

Who:
Production Team
Director: (Artistic Director at City Lights) Lisa Mallette
Choreographer: Noelle Gibbs
Scenic Design: Ron Gasparinetti
Costume Design: Patricia (Pat) Tyler
Lighting Design: John Bernard
Sound Design: George Psarras
Props Design: Christina Sturken
Scenic Artist: Paulino Deleal

Cast:
Eurydice: Lauren Rhodes
ASL Eurydice: Leah Marie Cohen
Father: Brian Herndon
ASL Father: Spencer Stevenson
Orpheus: Robert Campbell
ASL Orpheus/ Loud Stone: Stephanie Foisy
Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld: Eric Gandolphi
ASL Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld: Dane Lentz
Big Stone: April Bennett
Little Stone: Jennifer Bradford
Loud Stone: Keenan Flagg

A bilingual production where part of the cast used ASL to convey what their counterparts were saying. None of the actors themselves were deaf, and some were not familiar with ASL until they were cast in the production. As Leah Cohen said about the production and her role, “I’m signing, but I’m not just standing there looking at her or looking out at the audience. I’m actually incorporated into the show. I interact with the speaking characters, as well as some of the other signing roles onstage.” Talkin’ Broadway critic Eddie Reynolds said about City Lights Eurydice, “Perhaps no prior production of Sarah Ruhl's version, though, has quite ventured into the territory now tread by City Lights with its thoroughly engaging, fascinating, and impacting bilingual Eurydice. Each of the English-speaking actors is paired with an actor using American Sign Language, blending the two languages to underscore in ways imaginative and enlightening a play whose focus is communications across worlds and between people when speaking to each other is next to impossible.”
Songs from this production of Eurydice created by George Psarras https://soundcloud.com/georgepsarras/sets/eurydice-themes


Sources:
Cast and Crew of City Lights Eurydice-
Rachel Myrow, KQED:
Eddie Reynolds Review for Talkin Broadway:








31 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


ucsctickets.com

  • alt.text.label.Instagram

©2023 by Eurydice at UCSC 2023. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page