FAMILY FRIENDLY ‘Love, Loss, Memory, Death’
'EURYDICE' BRINGS CONTEMPORARY DRAMA TO BHS STAGE
Posted: November 13, 2009 at 9:09 a.m.
FAYETTEVILLE — Eurydice” is not your grandma’s high school play.
It’s not your mama’s or yours, either.
This is high school drama for children raised on Tim Burton, “Corpse Bride” and steam-punk style. And they’re loving it.
“I’ve never seen kids so electrified by a show - even kids that aren’t in it,” says director and Bentonville High School teacher Justin Scheuer. “And this cast has taken such ownership of the play.
“The material is a little challenging,” he adds. “It’s sparse, but it needs to convey such depth of feeling. They’ve done a great job of reaching within themselves and really acting from the gut.”
The show opens with Eurydice and her fiancé, Orpheus, frolicking on the beach before their wedding.
But in playwright Sarah Ruhl’s contemporary version of the Greek myth, the new bride finds herself accosted by a creepy stranger (John Brunner) then awakens in the Underworld, where she is reunited with her long-lost father.
The setting is a blue-gray, gritty, subway sort of place, where the “Stones,” the play’s Greek chorus, encourage Eurydice to forget, to let go, to be still and silent - to be dead. The actors - Hannah Moulder, Claire Thompson and Kat Renfro, dressed in vampire-Victorian steam-punk style - seem to have come straight from a Tim Burton film.
Eurydice’s father is her anchor, helping her hold on to her memories of her time among the living.
“The father is very different from any character I’ve ever played,” says Nick Pecoraro, a senior at BHS. “He’s older, more mature, more solemn. It’ hard to find a balance so hedoesn’t become too dry.”
Pecoraro says Scheuer helped him put his heart into the character.
“In the first scene, I’m writing my daughter a letter, giving her advice for her marriage, and Mr. Scheuer had me improvise on the spot what I would say to someone I love.
I took the emotion from what I said.
“In my ending monologue, I’m remembering landmarks in my life, and that’s difficult,” Pecoraro adds. “It’s a huge monologue, but it also requires so much emotion. They’re his final thoughts about his life.”
Brooke Brown, a junior, has never had a leading role before playing Eurydice, but she’s grateful for the opportunity to show playgoers that BHS students can do more than make them laugh in traditional shows like “You Can’t Take It With You.”
“It’s a beautiful play, with so much passion in it,” she says. “If you’re looking for something a littler deeper, give it a chance. Not only will you see what high school kids can do, it will make you appreciate professional theater more.”
Scheuer, a professional himself, has challenged not just his students but also set designer Darren Solomon.
The play includes an elevator in which rain falls, a river of light and a dramatic entrance for Hades, the lord of the dead, a petulant and menacingchild (played by Alex Lilburn) who wants to marry Eurydice himself.
“The technical challenges are huge,” Scheuer admits, but “Eurydice” has been worth it.
“It’s difficult to find a contemporary play that is appropriate for high school students,” he explains. “The canon of high school theater is done over and over again. But this play has no foul language.
It addresses universal themes - love, loss, memory, death- things that high school students think about but rarely get a chance to explore. It’s quirky, weird and funny - and as far as I know, it’s the only narrative that tells the story from Eurydice’s perspective, so there’s a strong female lead.”
The biggest draw for audiences is simple, says Mason Azbill, who plays Orpheus.
“It’s put on by talented students who are really passionate about the play.”
Entertainment, Pages 28 on 11/13/2009
(Advertisement)
« Previous Story
CONCERTS AWAY!
The following is a list of performances within a day’s driving distance of Northwest Arkansas. Tickets for all events are currently on sale. Readers are encouraged to verif... Read »
Next Story »
BELOVED BALLET Transcendental Tradition
The Nutcracker’ transcends the season,” its co-producer says. Read »
Comments
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Registration is required to make comments. Click here to LOGIN.
You can register for FREE to post comments and receive alerts.