OCT's Young Professionals Company presents EURYDICE

An untimely death on her wedding day sends young Eurydice plummeting to the underworld. With no memory of her past, she reunites with her father to try to help her remember her lost love, Orpheus. Every twist and turn will keep you guessing in award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl's contemporary take on Orpheus.

Eurydice is written by Sarah Ruhl, a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. In a New York Times review of Eurydice at the Second Stage Theater, Ruhl is described as "an adventurer who is not afraid to blend the quotidian and the fantastic, deep feeling and airy whimsy."

In Ruhl's adaptation of the Orpheus myth, the focus is on Eurydice's experience after she is sent to the underworld, rather than Orpheus' journey to find her. Ruhl's often poetic dialogue is mixed with equally moving wordless moments in the play; The New York Times reviewer stated that "its hallucinatory imagery and emotional allure have remained with me."

"Ruhl's stage directions are as intentional, creative, and artful as her dialogue; she embraces the multiple ways in which a story can be told on the stage," said Eurydice Director Lauren Hanover. "Ruhl makes room for silence in her plays, and is able to switch back and forth in her storytelling between spoken words and physical action with a fluidity and dexterity that few other playwrights possess."

This will be Hanover's first time directing OCT's Young Professionals Company. "Student performers epitomize all that is wonderful about theater: creativity, collaboration and cooperation, empathy and trust," said Hanover. "They remind me of the value of this work and why it is worth doing and I can't wait for us to get started."

The cast features Fiona Jenkins as Eurydice, Nate Gardner as Orpheus, Max Bernsohn as Father, Madeleine Adriance as Big Stone, Heidi Osaki as Loud Stone, Zyla Zody as Little Stone, and Hank Sanders as Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of Underworld.

The creative team includes: Lauren Hanover (Director), Don Crossley (Production Coordinator), Kim Williams (Lighting Designer) Richard Moore (Sound Designer), Aran S. Graham (Set/Projection Designer) YP Alumni Sydney Dufka (Costume Designer), MJ Sasse (YP Stage Manager), Sinead Mooney (YP Assistant Stage Manager), Rachel Kerr (YP House Manager), Sylvia Grosvold (YP Directing Apprentice), and Katie Smith (YP Costume Assistant).

About the Young Professionals Company

The Young Professionals Company is comprised of dedicated theater students ages 14-18 who have been selected to participate in a year-long mentoring program where they receive advanced training through exposure to a wide range of college-level workshops and professional development. Each season, the company presents three shows and other public events. The Young Professionals Company is dedicated to building a supportive community of theater peers, providing them with resources, information, and professional on-the-job experience.

About Oregon Children's Theatre

Founded in 1988, Oregon Children's Theatre has served well over two million children, teachers, and families. Its mission is to create exceptional theater experiences that transform lives. OCT is Oregon's largest non-profit professional children's theater company and a resident company of Portland'5 Centers for the Arts. Performances are held weekdays for school audiences and on weekends for family audiences. OCT serves more than 120,000 children of all ages each year. OCT offers numerous school services including study guides, teacher professional development opportunities, in-school workshops, and an extensive outreach program. In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the Educational Theatre Program provides free touring productions that promote healthy living. OCT's year round Acting Academy offers theater classes for children ages 3-18 and Young Professionals Company.

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