Director’s note
It is a story that most of us have heard and seen in various forms. According to Greek myth, Orpheus, a great musician, follows his beloved Eurydice into the underworld to bring her back to earth after she is killed by a snake. But, he looks back at her before they exit the gates of hell. Eurydice dies again and Orpheus is forced to return to earth without her.
Sarah Ruhl was attracted to the story of Eurydice, because, as she wrote, "I'm interested in her voice, a voice that hasn't been heard before. I'm interested in anyone who dies twice." Written after Ruhl's father's death, this wonderland of a play explores the relationships between memory, music, language, and the afterlife.
My grandfather died of Alzheimer's three days before we auditioned the show. In my many drives to his home and back, I had lots of time to think of my own questions about this story. I am still grappling with how much of our identity is attached to memory. How and what and why do we remember? And, as Eurydice asks, "How do you say goodbye to yourself?"
We are excited that you have joined us for a time in our weird, funny playground. My challenge to you is to sit back and allow your memories, questions, and associations some room to play. Please leave your realism hat in the lobby, and remember the times in your life when you have been comfortable with questions and magic. And rather than trying to solve the unsolvable, perhaps we can all learn from Father's answer to the question, "How do you remember to forget?" He instructs us to "put your feet in . . . and swim." |
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