Torn between two loves

The Strayer-Wood Theatre invites you to cross the river of forgetfulness and descend the raining elevator to the underworld as it presents its production of Sarah Ruhl's "Eurydice."

The play is a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus as told by the titular heroine's point of view.

"It's about a woman who has to choose between romantic love and the love of her father," said faculty director Richard Glockner. "She can't have both."

This poetic tale follows the untimely death of its torn protagonist, played by Julie Baldwin, as she descends from the world of the living into the world of the dead.

According to lighting designer and Theatre Department Head Eric Lange, creating a strong distinction between the so-called "overworld" and the underworld is one of the main challenges the designers have faced.

"It's a very beautiful script, and the challenge of creating these two worlds has been very exciting," he said.

"The overworld is where order and structure rule the day, and what we've done to portray this is to use geometric shapes," Lange continued. "In contrast, the underworld is very murky and textured."

This murky atmosphere is created through the use of textured lights and the use of string throughout the scenic design. String droops from the catwalks like cobwebs and tangles on the floor like snakes, emulating the sinking feeling of being underground.

Another major challenge for the designers has been creating a variety of locales in spite of dwindling resources, citing economic conditions as a leading cause.

"A guy once said that in times of economic crisis, the arts are the first to go, but the first thing a country proudly trots out when visitors come," Glockner said.

Following Eurydice's death, her fiancé, Orpheus, descends into the depths of Hades to fetch his fallen love. Played by sophomore theatre major Michael Achenbach, Orpheus is the hero and focus of the original Greek myth.

"Orpheus was a musician, the son of a muse and the god Apollo," Achenbach said. "His music was so powerful that he had control over nature and people. He could summon birds, make trees dance, make rocks cry and change the course of rivers."

Eurydice is forced to choose between a life in the overworld with Orpheus and a life in death with her deceased father, played by Ben Sheridan. Her inner conflict develops as her father slowly helps her regain the memories she lost in her passage to the underworld, despite pressure from a Greek chorus of stones and the realm's childish ruler.

Likewise, Orpheus is also torn between two loves.

"He's in love with his music and he's in love with her," Achenbach said. "He has this struggle of trying to make the two work together."

Working on the show has been an eye-opening experience for Achenbach.

"The deeper my understanding of Orpheus' life gets, the more joy and fear I get while working on this show, because of how similar we are," he said.

"Eurydice" has also been a growing experience for the sophomore theatre major.        

"Richard's been able to open my eyes about how a script can give so many clues for who a character is," he said. "He's given me an even stronger drive to use my imagination throughout the process and taught me how powerful an imagination can be."

"I think the show is a very strange, universal, funny look at the human situation," Glockner said. "I hope it is as entertaining for viewers as it has been challenging and pleasurable for us to work on."

Performances for "Eurydice" will be today and Saturday, and April 22-25 at 7:30 p.m. and April 19 and 26 at 2 p.m. in the Bertha Martin Theatre. Tickets are $16 for the general public and free for students.