Eurydice Utah Valley University October 13 – November 5, 2011 Dramaturg: Wendy Gourley 210 S. Alpine Dr. Alpine, UT 84004 (801) 492-3553 [email protected] Nominator: Dr. Lisa Hall Hagen 800 W. University Parkway, MS 234 Orem, UT 84058-5999 (801) 863-6272 [email protected] 0 Table of Contents Introduction 2 The Call – Choosing the Project 3 Crossing the Threshold - Research 5 The Belly of the Beast - Rehearsal 45 The Boon - Outreach 52 The Return – Production and Beyond 64 Topical Index Letters of Recommendation Lisa Hagen, director 78 Dr. John Newman, Director of Noorda Theatre 56 Kathryn McPherson, UVU English Professor 63 Susan Griffith, audience member 74 Research Major Treatments of Orpheus and Eurydice 21 Eurydice Production History 30 Comparative Myths 35 Analysis Why This Play Now? 36 Play Analysis 37 Character Analysis 40 Sermons in Stones 7 Prelude to a Stone: The Grandmother Character 11 The Gaze: Of Seeing and Being Seen 13 Modern-day Myths 15 Educational Outreach The Dear Eurydice Blog 6 Learning Stages 52 Classroom Outreach Visits 58 Lobby Display 64 Program Note 69 The Dear Eurydice Project 70 Review 76 1 TableIntroduction of Contents “It was – mysterious.” Eurydice First Movement, Scene 7 Entering into the world of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice was mysterious – and taking on the new role of dramaturg was even more mysterious. I found myself on what seemed like my own epic journey; a personal participant in the monomyth, looking for the ultimate boon or gift and trying to bring it back to share with others. I felt a silent partner with Eurydice; traveling by her side down that dark and unsure path – hoping it would lead to enlightenment. In keeping with the mythological roots of Eurydice and my own journey I will relate my experiences in story. I have chronicled my journey as Eurydice’s dramaturg in five monomyth terms: The Call – where someone or something calls the hero to a journey. This is my choosing of the play, my reasons behind it, and what I hoped to achieve. Crossing the Threshold – the moment the hero leaves her comfortable and familiar surroundings and begins her journey into the unknown; where she encounters this new world for the first time. This section will recount my research phase. The Belly of the Beast – the moment when the hero must face her darkest fears and be willing to give the ultimate sacrifice if necessary. My story now enters the rehearsal phase where I begin to apply my research into practice and the ups and down of that process. The Boon – the ultimate gift; it could be a talisman or piece of deep knowledge; it is the reason for the hero’s journey. This section covers my outreach leading up to opening night and things it taught me. The Return – when the hero brings the boon back to her world and shares it with her community. We end my story with the production and the ways in which I shared what I learned with the audience. 2 The Call “So would you like to accompany me to this interesting affair?” Eurydice First Movement, Scene 3 One dark and stormy night, Wen sat by the fire. She was an unassuming creature, studious and apt to ponder the complexities of life. All of the sudden, there was a knock at the door and the village witch appeared. “I have come to send you on a wondrous journey – one in which you will scale the highest heights and plumb the deepest depths; a journey of…. Dramaturgy,” she said with effect. “Nay,” said Wen, “I will stay by the fire and knit, for I am near to graduation and wish to be a writer of plays. Dramaturgy sounds a dodgy business.” Wen began to hum to her cat, but the witch was undeterred. “Dramaturgy will teach you secrets that will unlock many doors to an aspiring playwright,” the witch replied mysteriously. It was true Wen was a bit long in the tooth, but this remark lit an unmistakable spark in her eye for she had an irresistible yearning for secrets. “Will I be home by tea time?” Wen inquired. The witch fixed her steely gaze upon Wen and said, “Not if I can help it.” Choosing the Project Eurydice has been a fulfilling and challenging project. Last spring, I took a three week workshop with Professor Lisa Hall Hagen and was offered the opportunity to be the dramaturg for one of the university’s upcoming shows. The choice of play was important to me as I was a senior with only one semester left. I knew this would be my only chance to learn the ropes as a dramaturg. I loved what I had learned about dramaturgy thus far and as a writer and a researcher, I felt it was an area for which I was well suited. I wanted to learn as much as I could in the little time I had left at school. I chose Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice for three main reasons: First of all, Lisa Hagen was the assigned director and as she was my dramaturgy teacher, I knew she would push me and guide me through the process. Another major reason I was drawn to Eurydice, was its roots in mythology. I have worked for years as a performance storyteller and have 3 developed a great love of mythology. I was looking forward to digging into the rich symbolism and layers of meaning found in the play. The last reason was more practical. The timing of the production worked well for my schedule and gave me the whole summer to research, write and develop my materials. I would not have been able to revel in this project as much as I did had I been in the middle of a full semester schedule. What is Dramaturgy? First I had to figure out my philosophy of dramaturgy. What was it that I loved so much? Where should my focus be? I decided, for me, dramaturgy is about connection. I felt it was my job to create as many intersections with the play as I could to connect the cast, crew and audience to this complex and compelling piece of theatre. There were many times when I made decisions based on this philosophy, such as choosing different writing styles for different audiences. I felt it was paramount to make the materials and information as accessible as possible. I also felt it wasn’t important for me to find concrete answers per se, but to find possibilities of meaning. The connection had to start with me. I needed to explore the text, the world it creates, and the history that brought it here. I needed to enter the enigmatic and mysterious world of the story. 4 Crossing The Threshold “The station is like a train, but there is no train. The train has wheels that are not wheels. There is the opposite of smoke and the opposite of a train.” Eurydice Second Movement, Scene 1 So armed with the tools of Dramaturgy obtained from the witch; Wen descended into the murky abyss. Nothing was as it seemed. There were rooms made of string and stones that talked. Wen was perplexed and muddled – well, Wen was often muddled, so that was nothing new. But floating on the swirling mist, the voice of the Witch reminded Wen, “Follow the signs.” Researching the Text I started with the text. I admit, after my first reading I thought, “hmmm…” I liked the whimsy and was intrigued by the symbolism, but I was a little let down by the ending and didn’t feel as if I understood it very well. I decided to focus my attention on the symbols. In my own writing, I love the use of symbolism and have made quite a study of it in regards to myths and folktales. I reread the script again, this time looking for symbols and marking as I went. I created little signs for each reoccurring symbol, such as water or remembering and forgetting. 5 The Dear Eurydice Blog The next thing I did was set up a blog. I wanted a place to gather my discoveries; where people could easily come and interact with the material. I chose settings that sent each post to the cast and crew’s email inbox and I also posted to Facebook to generate interest with our potential audience members. Again, I came back to the idea of connection. How should I present the information in a way that people will read it? Although I would eventually include many of the posts in my director’s packet, I knew they had to be less academically rigorous than Dr. Hall would normally prefer. I tried to keep the post short and used pictures to keep the interest of the audience. I tried to write about a variety of subjects and look at the play from as many viewpoints as I could. In keeping with the idea of letters in the play, I called the blog Dear Eurydice. It was where I sent my “letters” – my posts from my journey back to the cast and crew. It was where I reached out to our potential audience trying to intrigue them and draw them into the world we were creating. Here is the link to the blog, followed by other links to specific pages: www.deareurydice.blogspot.com In addition to posting my analysis and explorations on the play, I created a Dear Eurydice Music page where, by request of the director, the cast submitted songs that connected them to the play and their characters; a Dear Eurydice Stories page where I collected comparative myths and folktales on death themes; and a page for The Dear Eurydice Project (see page 70 for a full description of the Dear Eurydice Project.) I also posted cast interviews and various bits of research requested by the director.