Pictured from left to right: Suzi Fitterer, Alexandra Zwaschka, Meghan Sheets, Beca Langteau-Hodlofski, Evelynn Carlson, and Anya Jones
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State University Theatre Program will present the play "Eurydice" in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Black Box Theater.
Performances will run at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16, 17 and 18 as well as at 3 p.m. Feb. 19.
Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice” harkens back to the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus as young lovers who seek to find each other again in the Underworld after a wedding-day tragedy. Ruhl’s interpretation stakes a claim with Eurydice’s vantage point as the heroine struggles to hold onto her identity amid the demands placed on her by her husband, her deceased father, and even the Lord of the Underworld himself.
“This play resonates for me because I see a lot of college-aged women in the same place we find Eurydice,” says director Kane Anderson, who leads an all-female cast with this production. “College students are in a period of rapid change when so much of who they are is challenged and expanded. The lyrical beauty of ‘Eurydice’ exists in how the title character navigates personal changes in a Wonderland of instability and unforeseen consequences.”
The fantastical playground emerging onstage is in no small part thanks to the team of designers working on the show. Theatre design professor Noah J. Files is creating the set and soundscape for the production. In his view, “This is a show that demands a lot of its designers. In ‘Eurydice,’ Sarah Ruhl has created an incredibly beautiful world. I am doing my best to create an environment that honors this story, and brings our audience into the world, and the dark underworld, in which our characters live.”
Suzi Fitterer plays the titular Eurydice as her Senior Project role with Northern Theatre. She says, “I was drawn to this show for my culminating project because the role is a big departure for me. Eurydice is a character who carries so much on her shoulders, but she remains unjaded. There’s something so beautiful there. I am also very excited to be working with this all-female cast in doing a project that showcases how we, as women, face so many unwritten expectations upon us.”
Northern Theatre’s take on ‘Eurydice’ offers an immersive theatre experience that tantalizes with spectacle as much as nuanced emotional beats. The play is performed without an intermission.
Among the artistic staff of Northern’s Theatre Program are Dr. Kane Anderson, Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing; Noah J. Files, Assistant Professor of Theatre Design; and Brian Omland, Production Manager for the School of Fine Arts. Omland also designs the lighting for this production.
Ticket Information
All tickets to “Eurydice” are general admission and will be available at the door. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and NSU faculty/staff. Students will be admitted for free. Payment will be cash or check only; debit or credit cards will not be accepted. There will be no advance or online ticket sales. For more information, contact the NSU School of Fine Arts at 605-626-2497.
About Northern State University
Northern State University is a student-centered institution that provides an outstanding educational experience, preparing students through the liberal arts and professional education for their future endeavors. A regional university, Northern offers rigorous academics; diverse civic, social and cultural opportunities; and a commitment to building an inclusive environment for all points of view. Northern also offers a broad-based athletics program, sponsoring 15 NCAA Division II intercollegiate varsity sports that compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC). The university strives to enrich the community through partnerships such as its Educational Impact Campaign, which opened a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; new athletic and recreation fields; and an on-campus regional sports complex. With the $55 million campaign, NSU has been the recipient of more than $150 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.