Dramaturg's Statement

Eurydice is a very special play in terms of dramaturgy. There are things that you have to look at and say, okay, this matters, this piece of information needs to communicate to the audience, and there are others that you just have to pass and say, this is interesting but it is not very supplemental to the performance. Eurydice is a wonderful play but it is hard to place it in the world of dramaturgy. It has no solid time or place. A setting would be up to the discretion of the director and designers. So as a dramaturg, you’ve just be on standby.
The real dramaturgy kicks in, I think, when you begin to research the original myth of Orpheus. I think it is one of the most important things to communicate to the audience. If they do not know that this is a modern day retelling of a Greek myth, they might think it is shallow and pointless, that it is just some fictional love story that some writer won a huge award for. When that is not the case at all.
Something that is terribly important to me about Eurydice is that people (audience members) are able to make every connection Ruhl set up in her genius script. The River Lethe is The River of Forgetfulness and the terrifying hound that guards the gates are three comic Stones who just gripe at everyone.
These findings are there waiting to be discovered and brought to the table for discussion. To help our audience not only make the connections, but actually educate them while they make the connections. We want them to enjoy watching this show, and not miss references that are made from the original myth.