This past weekend, Pioneer Theatre Guild performed our 45-minute one-act competition piece, “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl, at St. John’s High School as part of the state-wide MIFA theatre competition. The experience was exquisite. We’ve been rehearsing since late November now, the actors running their scenes over and over again, and the techies creating the gorgeous sets and props and costumes. Our hard work payed off, as we took first place in the five-school event, and won superior (the highest) awards in a number of categories.

“Eurydice” is a marvelous reinvention of the Greek myth of Orpehus. In the myth, Orpehus’ wife, Eurydice dies on their wedding day, and Orpheus goes down to the Underworld to re-claim her. He is allowed to have her back on the condition that he does not look back at her until they have returned to the world of the living. In proper tragic fashion, he does.

Don’t be deceived by the title. This is no ancient drama. Sarah Ruhl is a comfortably modern playwright, with a comfortably modern take on this heartbreaking stories. She affixes the spotlight on Eurydice rather than on Orpheus, and then forces her to struggle between her rekindled relationship with her father and her husband’s famous quest to re-claim her. Also in Ruhl’s vision are a child-like lord of the underworld and an unnerving chorus of stones. In this production, I both design the set and play Orpheus.

What surprised me was how difficult the play proved to design. I’ve never been a designer, generally remaining in the realm of acting, so I definitely suffered from a lack of experience. But I had a lot of support both from friends who had more practice in this area, and Mysti Plummer and Ciara Stella, the adults who coordinate the technical elements at PTG.

The problem with designing “Eurydice” is how open the playwright leaves the set to the imagination in the script. After going through several tacked on and gimmicky ideas, I tried reducing my view of the play to what it was about. After much thought, I decided that what resonated with me was the idea that “Eurydice” was about human relationships trying to survive in an unnatural environment. From there I instantly was able to materialize a concept for the show: A dilapidated bathroom, where the characters struggle to maintain their relationships under the watch of strange towering shapes and mysterious silhouettes. Although there was still plenty of work to be done on developing this idea, that was the basis on which all my other work was built upon.

On the acting side of the spectrum, this cast was lucky to get the opportunity to work with two fantastic directors. Julie Glander, who had worked with Pioneer Theatre Guild in the past directing “A Lie of the Mind” and “On the Verge” in previous years, and Aaron Moore, a Theatre Guild newbie, who took up his place as director quickly and effectively, and has done a fantastic job helping us create this show.

Besides the normal rehearsals and runs, this year a particular emphasis was put on acting depth and technique. One day, we spent all of rehearsal simply discussing the state of the arts and the nature of art itself. Another we spent improvising untold scenes in our character lives including a family reunion and Eurydice and Orpheus’ first fight. The work we did developing and fleshing out our characters has added infinitely to our ability to tell the story with intention and honesty.

I can only tell you my meager perspective on the competition process, as I only play a small part in the grand scheme of the show. People have been putting their hearts into costumes, sound, make-up, program design, and a multitude of other factors that go into a successful play. “Eurydice” is a truly exceptional piece, and we are working our best to put on a truly exceptional production. All of us at PTG hope that we’ll see you at our public performances going up later this week!

Public performances will be held in Schreiber Auditorium. The students will set up and perform the play just like they do when they compete.

Tickets: All $6

General Admission • Friday, February 5th, 7:30 pm • Saturday, February 6th, 7:30 pm

Competition dates: Competitions are free of charge and open to the public. • District Competition (at St. Johns High School): January 30th, all day • Regional Competition (at TBA): February 13th, all day • State Competition (at Midland): February 19-20th, all day