FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Haunting Tale of Love, Life and Memories Lost
By Sarah Ruhl Directed by Jonathan Moscone Made possible in part by the generous support
of: Quadracci Powerhouse Theater Previews: October 28, 29, and 30, 2008 Opens: October 31, 2008 Closes: November 23, 2008 Pulitzer Prize-nominee Sarah Ruhl (THE CLEAN HOUSE) returns with a haunting, new play that explores the pain of love, loss and memories. EURYDICE is a contemporary re-telling of Orpheus’ descent into the Underworld. In this inventive and lyrical play, Eurydice must decide how long to cling to the memories of her life and loves on earth. Tickets can be purchased in person at The Rep Ticket Office at 108 East Wells Street, or by telephone at 414-224-9490. Tickets can also be purchased online 24/7 at milwaukeerep.com. This play tells the story of the doomed romance between the talented musician, Orpheus, and his beloved wife, Eurydice. Orpheus and Eurydice are madly in love, despite the fact that Orpheus is perfectly content to fill his mind with thoughts of music, while Eurydice enjoys searching for the “interesting” things in life. Ignoring their differences, the young couple marries. When Eurydice tragically dies on the night of her wedding, she arrives in the Underworld where she is greeted by her dead father. Although memories of previous lives are erased upon entrance into the Underworld, Eurydice’s father has worked hard to retain his memories of his life on earth and tries to help his daughter do the same. Beside himself with despair, Orpheus finds his way to the gates of Hell where he uses his musical talent to charm the Lord of the Underworld and rescue Eurydice. The Lord of the Underworld lets Eurydice go under the condition that Orpheus is not to look back at her as she follows him out of the Underworld. As the ill-fated couple journeys out of the underworld, Eurydice cries out to Orpheus, causing him to turn around and look at her. She is immediately sent back to the Underworld, without Orpheus. The tragedy of this story is lessened by the “Alice in Wonderland” feel of the Underworld and the Chorus of Stones provides additional comic-relief. Ruhl’s contemporary tale of this classic Greek myth takes a few unexpected turns with her delightful interpretation of the lives of Orpheus and Eurydice in their quests for love, happiness and companionship. Playwright Sarah Ruhl’s plays often deal with the theme of death, more particularly the link between the living and the dead. This reoccurring theme is heavily influenced by the death of Ruhl’s father in 1994. In EURYDICE, the relationship of Eurydice and her father can be compared to that of Ruhl and her late father. Ruhl also likes to combine everyday events or objects with very unordinary occurrences in her plays. Stones speak and cry in EURYDICE, a woman turns into an almond in MELANCHOLY PLAY and a man magically becomes a woman in ORLANDO. Ruhl has won multiple awards including the Helen Merrill Award and the Whiting Writers’ Award in 2003, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2004 and the MacArthur Foundation Grant in 2006. Her play THE CLEAN HOUSE (seen at The Rep during the 2005/06 season) was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005. Ruhl received her M.F.A. from Brown University and currently resides in New York City with her husband, Tony, and their young daughter, Anna. This is Director Jonathan Moscone’s first
show with Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Moscone is in his ninth
year as artistic director of California Shakespeare Theater in
Berkeley, California. His work there includes MAN
AND SUPERMAN, AS
YOU LIKE IT, HAMLET: BLOOD IN THE BRAIN (in collaboration
with Intersection for the Arts+Campo Santo, THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, JULIUS CAESER,
THE SEAGULLS, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, TWELFTH NIGHT andROSENCRANTZ
AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD. His regional credits include Berkeley
Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theater,
Dallas Theatre Center, Goodspeed Musicals, Triangle Opera, Portland
Stage Company, and Magic Theatre. He is the recipient of a Stanford
Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation Fellowship
and currently serves on the board of LoveLife Foundation and on
the advisory boards of Redwood High School, both in Oakland. He
has also served as a grant review panelist for the Massachusetts
Cultural Council, Theater Communications Group, and the National
Endowment for the Arts. Moscone received his Master’s Degree
in directing from Yale University. Guest actors in this production are: Laurie Birmingham (Big
Stone); Wayne T. Carr (Man/Underworld); William
Dick (Father); Davis Duffield (Orpheus); Eric
Hissom (Loud Stone); and Joey Sanchez (Little
Stone). • A Theater Thursday event will be held on Thursday, November 6 beginning at 5:45 pm. Theater Thursdays are held on the second Thursday of each Quadracci Powerhouse performance and include a pre-show reception with complimentary appetizers. For more information on Theater Thursdays, please contact Kristy Studinski at kstudinski@milwaukeerep.com or 414-290-0710. • EURYDICE Opening Night: Stay after the opening of EURYDICE on Friday, October 31 in the Quadracci Powerhouse lobby. There will be free entertainment, complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Members of the EURYDICE cast, design and directing staff will also be in attendance. Stay and celebrate the captivating production of EURYDICE! • Director’s Dialogue Series: Did you know that everything you see, hear and experience in a theatrical production is discussed and debated in great depth? From the type of tea cup an actor is drinking from, to the way the actors deliver their lines, one person is ultimately responsible. The overall concept and style of a theatrical production is filtered through this one person: The Director. The first of the Director’s Dialogue Series will take place on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 6:30 pm with Jonathan Moscone, Director of EURYDICE. Meet Jonathan and hear his vision for EURYDICE while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and wine from Balzac Food and Wine. Tickets are $40 and do not include admission to a performance. Please contact Lindsay Rocamora at 414-290-5347 or lrocamora@milwaukeerep.com to RSVP. • Cabaret Conversation: We are having an informal post-performance Cabaret Conversation in the Stackner Cabaret following a performance of EURYDICE. Patrons are invited to stay after the show, head up to the Cabaret, grab a drink and chat about some of the issues raised in the play. Actors, patrons and a couple of special guests will all gather together to have a casual discussion about Eurydice. Please check the website to find out the date it is scheduled.
A Haunting Tale of Love, Life and Memories Lost By Sarah Ruhl Directed by Jonathan Moscone Made possible in part by the generous support
of: FACT SHEET THEATER: Quadracci Powerhouse Theater DATES: October 28, 2008 - November 23, 2008DESCRIPTION: Pulitzer Prize-nominee Sarah Ruhl (THE CLEAN HOUSE) returns with a haunting, new play that explores the pain of love, loss and memories. EURYDICE is a contemporary re-telling of the myth of Orpheus’ descent into the underworld. In this inventive and lyrical play, Eurydice must decide how long to cling to the memories of her life and loves on earth. PERFORMANCES TICKET OFFICE LOCATION: 108 East Wells Street in Milwaukee’s Downtown Theater District TICKET OFFICE HOURS: Mon
- Fri, 12 pm - 6 pm on phones, 12 pm - curtain for window
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