Tragicomedy “Eurydice” to be Performed

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579

November 2, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—This month, the Saint Mary’s College Theater Program will present “Eurydice,” a comic, modern re-crafting of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice by playwright Sarah Ruhl. Ruhl wrote the tragicomedy in 2003 and it was first staged in New York City in 2007. A cast of mostly Saint Mary’s College students will perform the play in Little Theater of the Moreau Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday, November 10–12, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 13. Ticket information is below.

Katie Sullivan, associate professor of theatre, is the director of the play. She explains the story line this way, “Eurydice is a re-imagining of the old myth that tells the story, this time, from the point of view of Orpheus’ wife, Eurydice. She tragically dies on her wedding day and thereby begins a new adventure as she lands in the underworld and meets her long-lost father, who rejoices at seeing her again. She encounters the ‘keepers’ of the place, the Stones, who endeavor to keep her from remembering and missing her life with Orpheus who is, in the meantime, writing her from above and planning how he can reunite with her.” 

The cast of “Eurydice” includes 14 performers—one professor (Bill Svelmoe, associate professor of history, as Eurydice’s father), 11 Saint Mary’s students, one University of Notre Dame student (Kincaid Schmitz ’15 as Orpheus) and one student from Holy Cross College (Nick DeDario ’13). Eva Cavadini ’12, a theatre major, plays the lead role of Eurydice, and 10 Saint Mary’s women make up the chorus: Victoria Flees ’12, Elizabeth Carian ’12, Kara Quillard ’13, Sophie Korson ’13, Katie Corbett ’15, Mary Laut ’12, Jessica Carter ’14, Beth Kelleher ’15, Payton Moore ’15 and Tessa Mitchell ’15.

Svelmoe said he enjoys the opportunity to share the stage with students. “It allows me to get involved with students beyond the classroom, and with the theater faculty as well. I have come to love theater and I have my experience at Saint Mary’s to thank for that. Acting, once you get beyond the self-consciousness, is a marvelously creative and energizing art form.”

Playwright Ruhl is a MacArthur Fellowship awardee and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her 2004 play “The Clean House.”

The Theatre Program puts on two productions each academic year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The casts are always made up of Saint Mary’s College students and sometimes faculty.

Tickets are $8 for students of Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame and Holy Cross, $13 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, and $10 for faculty and staff of Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame and Holy Cross. Tickets can be purchased at the Moreau Center box office or online at moreaucenter.com or by calling (574) 284-4626.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” for 2012 published by U.S.News and World Report. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.