Annual plays are always a fun event for Central’s staff and student body, and the tradition continues this year as Mrs. Toll and her students prepare for another student-run production in the fall. This semester’s Advanced Theatre class has chosen a story inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus told from the unique perspective of his wife.
Eurydice (Eu·ryd·i·ce | \ yu̇-ˈri-də-(ˌ)sē) by Sarah Ruhl is a dramatic play following a young, naive woman who finds herself lost in the underworld without her memory. She has no recollection of her husband, her family, or the life she had among the living. Her journey is the center of the play, featuring the regaining of her memory, her experiences in the land of the dead, and Orpheus attempting to bring her back to life.
The cast list has already been set as well as the release dates. The play will be performed in Central’s own auditorium, as usual, on Thursday, November 14; Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17th.
Cast List:
Eurydice – Maia Koontz
Orpheus – Devin Hopson
Big Stone: Destinee Vess
Loud Stone – Becca Wolf
Little Stone – Elena Kendrick and Heaven Ramsey
Father – Brett Beard
Lord of the Underworld (Nasty Interesting Man) – Annie Smith
Without spoiling the events, student director Maia Koontz describes the play as a tragic drama and a bit of a comedy in an interview. She goes into detail about the nuances of the story, the technicalities of the “exciting and new” aspects she wants to bring to the stage, the characteristics of the main role, which she is playing.
One of the biggest motifs in the story that Maia tells with excitement is water, and evidently, there will be live action, on-stage water incorporated within the production. Her exact plans, however, will be left as a surprise for the audience on opening night.
Her face dawns a smile with every word she speaks of this year’s production and shines even more when she expresses her gratitude for Mrs. Toll and for her role as the student director. She wants to save most of the details of the play for the experience of the full story.
Maia believes that it’s important for the students to see the show for the benefit of themselves. “You can learn a lot of lessons, there’s a lot of very deep lessons within the play about love,” she comments, describing the relationships of the characters, and Mrs. Toll adds that the whole story is extremely “intimate… with the audience” and will be just as interactive.
But it’s also an experience for the cast and crew of the show. Maia says that “Theatre it’s, to me, it’s always been a family”. The connections that they make to their characters, to their peers, and to themselves while working tirelessly and getting to share their art with others is an inspiration for the cast and those around them. It makes them more able to have fun and stay focused on being themselves while playing their roles.
She speaks passionately about the production’s influence, and one of the crew’s “main
goals is to make the audience feel something” with the connections that they make on and off of the stage. “You get to experience things that are on a book, and then they come to life, and it’s so beautiful,” Maia illustrates, “As much work as we put into it, you can feel that”.
Though the crucial details about the story and tech remain under wraps for the sake of the experience, one thing is for sure: this year’s production is going to be one of the most passionate and hands-on plays that Central has seen. The new perspective from student director Maia Koontz and cooperation with Mrs. Toll aids in bringing something exciting and attention-grabbing to the stage.
Tickets are limited this year and should be purchased in advance. However, the specific times for the shows and prices for the tickets have yet to be decided, as the focus at the moment is set on gathering everything for the production.
Don’t forget to grab exclusive tickets in the next month! More information coming soon.
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