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AQUINAS COLLEGE THEATRE PRESENTS
Eurydice
By Sarah Ruhl
This play was originally produced by Madison Repertory Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin,
August 29, 2003. Richard Corley, Artistic Director, Tony Forman, Managing Director.
And subsequently produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2004.
Tony Taccone, Artistic Director, Susan Medak, Managing Director.
And Yale Repertory Theatre, James Bundy, Artistic Director, Victoria Nolan, Managing Director.
Produced by Second Stage Theatre, New York, 2007
Carole Rothman: Artistic Director
EURYDICE is produced by special arrangement with Bruce Ostler, BRET
ADAMS, LTD., 448 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036.
鈥淓urydice鈥� is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Cast Biographies
 Michaela Faith (Eurydice) (she/her) is a sophomore at 红桃视频 College studying Theatre with minors in Business Administration
and English Literature. Some recent credits include Camp Rock (Ella) at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, These Shining Lives (Charlotte), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Betty), Lizzie (Lizzie), Failure: A Love Story (Nelly Fail), others include The Wizard of Oz ( Dorothy), Peter and the Starcatcher (Molly), and The Sound of Music (Liesl). When not onstage, you can find her working in the box office at Circle Theatre,
Student Senate, and co-captaining the Improv team at 红桃视频! She wants to thank all
of the lovely people involved in the cast and crew of this beautiful production, her
amazing director Annelise, and the friends and family that always support her. You
all mean the most to her. She would not be the same without all of you. Michaela would
finally like to thank you for coming to this show and supporting the arts! |
Drew Huegli (Orpheus) (he/him) is very excited to be a part of Eurydice as Orpheus. He is a senior at 红桃视频 College studying Communications with an emphasis in Theatre and a minor in Biology. He has been a part of many shows at 红桃视频 such as Next to Normal (Stage Manager), These Shining Lives (Assistant Director/Mr. Reed), Twelfth Night (Feste), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Musician/Edward), Waking Nightmare (Hippolytus), The Thanksgiving Play (Caden), and Failure: A Love Story (Assistant Stage Manager). Drew is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this show. He has learned so much from this show and can't wait to put all of his new skills to use in the future. As a Greek Mythology nerd, Drew has had the time of his life bringing this extremely influential and powerful myth to life. Drew has been a fan of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice since he first learned about it in middle school. He believes that this story about love, loss, and the madness of grief is one that everyone can connect too. Drew would also like to acknowledge his own community that has helped him get to where he is today. Without the people around him constantly supporting him and cheering him on, he would be a very different person than the one he is today. He is so grateful for all of the encouragement and support throughout the years, as well as the opportunities that AQ Theatre has given him, from the amazing friends and connections he's made, to the wonderful productions he's been able to be a part of. He will always cherish his time at this school, and will never forget how 红桃视频 College has given him the tools needed to take on the world. Finally, Drew would like to thank all of you for coming to the show and supporting the arts. |
CJ Guillermo (Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld) (he/him) is a freshman at 红桃视频 studying Business Administration and Communication. He is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of his first 红桃视频 production as the Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld. In his free time, CJ enjoys rock climbing, writing poems, and listening to The Great Gatsby soundtrack. He is also a member of the Improv Troupe on campus run by Drew Huegli, a valued mentor and friend to CJ! Finally, CJ is so thankful for everyone who came to watch the show and thanks his mom, friends and girlfriend, Michaela Faith, for pushing him to audition! |
Ashlyn Armock (Loud Stone) (she/her) is a first-year student at 红桃视频 College, majoring in English: Writing with minors in Music and Journalism. This is her third production with AQ, and she is very excited to be playing the part of the Loud Stone. In past productions, she has acted in Anne of Green Gables, Cinderella, Bells are Ringing, Twelfth Night, and Next To Normal. She thanks all of her friends who have supported and encouraged her to continue theatre. |
Kerrigan Smedley (Big Stone) (she/her) is a sophomore at 红桃视频 College studying Business and Communication. She was a part of the 红桃视频 Student Directed One Act Festival as a light operator, as well as operating subtitles for Lizzie. Additionally, Kerrigan has played Florence in the staged reading of Waiting for Lefty at 红桃视频 as well as numerous roles in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, including Woman 1, Nellie, Lucy the Dog, Star 1, Neil, and Old Doll. Kerrigan thanks her friends and family for coming to see the show and supporting AQ Theatre! |
Delaney Pocevich (Little Stone) (she/her) is a sophomore at 红桃视频 studying Computer Information Systems. This is her third production with AQ, with previous shows including Twelfth Night (Maria) and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Man 2). She is so excited to be a part of this show and wants to thank her friends and family who have supported and encouraged her throughout the process. |
 Scott Harman (Father) (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Director of Theatre Production at 红桃视频
College. He is a PhD Candidate in Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
and holds a Masters鈥� in Theatre History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Scott has been working in professional and educational theatre for 25 years as an
actor, director, designer, technician, playwright, and intimacy choreographer. He
has also been on the summer faculty at the Interlochen Center for the Arts for a quarter
century, and is the only person to have been cast in all sixteen productions of the
Interlochen Shakespeare Festival. Some favorite past roles include Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing and Caska/Cinna the Poet in Julius Ceasar (Interlochen Shakespeare Festival), John of Gaunt in Richard II (Madison Shakespeare), Dysart in Equus (Alma College and Rutgers Underground Theatre), and Cervantes/Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha (Alma College). This is his first opportunity to act here in Grand Rapids, and he鈥檚
thrilled to be doing so in a dream role directed by an old friend. |
Production Bios
 Penny Avery (Theatre Program Head ) (she/her) joined the 红桃视频 College faculty in 1994 and currently serves as both the Communication
Department Chairperson and the Theatre Program Director with a PhD in Communication
from Michigan State University and a MA and BS from Central Michigan University in
Secondary Education with certification in English and Speech/Theatre. She was a member
of the facility planning team when the Performing Arts Center was designed and loves
to see the space being utilized to share arts with diverse audiences through 红桃视频
College鈥檚 partnerships with Community Circle Theatre and the Grand Rapids Catholic
Schools. In her early years at AQ, she taught Children鈥檚 Theatre (suitably renamed
Theatre for Youth and Education) and directed several productions, including The Great Cross Country Race and Charlotte鈥檚 Web. She is happy to be celebrating her 30th year at AQ! |
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Annelise Dickinson (Director) (she/her) is delighted to bring one of her very favorite scripts to the 红桃视频 stage with this production of Eurydice. A Grand Rapids native, Annelise has built a career as an actor, director, theatre educator, and voice/text coach in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. Favorite projects include originating the title role in Muse of Fire鈥檚 Queen Margaret (Chicago), playing Prospero in The Tempest at Commission Theatre (Chicago), directing Gruesome Playground Injuries with Theatre In All the Wrong Places (Madison, WI), and playing the titular witch in Witch at Actors鈥� Theatre Grand Rapids in 2023. Annelise is an adjunct professor in the theatre departments of both 红桃视频 College (where she directed These Shining Lives, Lizzie, Metamorphoses, Sez She, and Waiting for Lefty) and Grand Valley State University. She also serves as an instructor and mentor with the Young Artist Studio at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. Annelise holds a BA in Theatre from Purdue University and an MFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
| Kelsey Edwards (Scenic Designer) (she/her) is a graduate of Adrian College with a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Theatre. She has been involved in many productions as a technical director and stage manager. Kelsey is very excited to be working as technical director for this season at 红桃视频 College. She also has experience in scenic design, costume design, and properties design. Recently, Kelsey has worked on The Moors (2021), Blithe Spirit (2021), Spitfire Grill (2021), and Abigail/1702 (2022) as a technical director. |
| Samuel Verburg (Lighting Designer) (they/him) graduated from 红桃视频 College in 2020 and since then has been working in the Grand Rapids theater community as a lighting designer and master electrician, while also working at Circle Theater as the Assistant Technical Director. Some of their favorite shows to design have been Kill Move Paradise (GRCC), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Circle Theater), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (红桃视频 College), and Curious George: The Golden Meatball (Circle Theater). |
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Allyson Albrecht (Costume Designer) (she/her) graduated from GVSU with a Bachelor鈥檚 in Theatre and Classics. During her time with Grand Valley, she assisted with over 13 shows, from King Lear to Jungle Book. Her post-graduate design includes projects with Gloria, Indecent, 9 to 5 and Failure: A Love Story with GVSU, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids and 红桃视频 College respectively. She is excited to return to 红桃视频 and help with Eurydice. |
| Jordan Good (Sound Designer) (he/him) composes music for stage and screen. His stage productions include Tryouts, El Publico, Two Sweaty, It's a Travesty!, and Metamorphoses. His music has been featured in countless videos for YouTube horror channel Dead Meat. Jordan plays guitar and bass, and was in the pit orchestra for Next to Normal at 红桃视频, as well as Beautiful and The Rocky Horror Show at Civic Theatre. |
| Gabby Zeinstra (Props Designer) (she/they) Gabby is an alum of 红桃视频 College, holding a B.A. in Theatre with an emphasis on technical theatre. Gabby has been staying busy in the Theatre scene with credits including Costume and Props design for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, props designs including Lizzie and most recently These Shining Lives, all at 红桃视频 College. Gabby has previously worked behind the scenes with Circle Theater, Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company, Ebony Road Players, and Civic Theatre. If she isn鈥檛 doing theatre things you can find Gabby at home cuddling her cat, making delicious food, or slinging drinks as a barista. She would like to thank her loving partner Eli, family and friends for supporting her in her art and all she does! |
PRODUCTION Crew
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Cristiana Worthams (Stage Manager) (she/her)
Rhodey Matzke (Assistant Stage Manager) (Sound Board) (they/them)
Abby Kozal (Theatre Office/Media Assistant) (she/her)| Stage Manager | Cristiana Worthams |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Rhodey Matzke, Lexi Nutter |
| Sound Engineer | Rhodey Matzke |
| Lightboard Operator | Andrew Stern |
| Spotlight Operators | Matthew Sloan, Lindsey Huizenga |
| Captions Operator | Gionna Bean |
| Wardrobe and Deck Crew | Mae Fletcher |
| Hair and Makeup Crew | Keigo Trout, Ashlyn Armock |
| Scene Shop Assistants | Carson LePage, Juan Garcia Valdes |
| Costume Shop Volunteer Assistant | Maurice Beckford |
| Construction Assistants | THTR102 Students |
| Graphic Design | Shannon Heldt |
| Theatre Office/Media Assistant | Abby Kozal |
Production Note
So when a person dies, they鈥檙e just鈥one? Like鈥� you never get to see them again in this lifetime? That seems dumb. It鈥檚 a design that feels unnecessarily harsh and cruel and arbitrary. And THEN, while you鈥檙e walking around grieving for that person, you may feel better and then much worse, laugh and cry at the same time, heal and un-heal and re-heal and there鈥檚 no way to predict or control any of this?
WHO CAME UP WITH THIS NONSENSE?
Sarah Ruhl鈥檚 need to answer that question takes us to an afterlife in a strange wonderland ruled by an impulsive man-child, filled with absurdities and ridiculous rules and talking (yelling) stones. And yet within this underworld we start to understand the twin gifts of remembering and forgetting. We are forced to choose which memories to hold onto even as we pay for them with pain. We see the love between a father and a daughter that makes that pain worth it but also keeps us from moving on. That same love and ache and grief that caused Eurydice to put herself in danger just for the chance to read her father鈥檚 words one last time on her wedding day somehow gives her the miraculous opportunity to spend an eternity with him. It comes at the cost of losing Orpheus.
But beyond that loss we witness a love story that transcends the boundary between life and death as Orpheus continues to learn about his bride after her death. In his quest to get her back he learns to think like Eurydice鈥揾e turns to her books, her words, her way of thinking. Meanwhile, as Eurydice settles into the underworld she becomes more like Orpheus because the words she loved so much in life no longer suffice. Their brief reunion is made possible by the fact that they keep reaching for each other. That deep, reaching love both reunites them and makes it impossible for them to be together.
The question everyone always asks about this myth is 鈥淲hy does Orpheus turn around?鈥� In some retellings he hears a startling sound. In others, the silence drives him mad until he looks behind him. In still others, Eurydice taps his shoulder or calls his name. But it doesn鈥檛 matter what cues him to turn around. He turns around because he has to. Because he is Orpheus and Orpheus loves Eurydice so much that he walks through hell to find her, and the way he loves her means that he can鈥檛 NOT turn back to her.
The tragedy is not in the fact that he turns around; the tragedy is in the inevitability that he WILL turn around. He turns around because if he didn鈥檛, he wouldn鈥檛 be Orpheus.
And yet鈥hat very important question still centers Orpheus, and we鈥檙e here to see things from Eurydice鈥檚 side. Why does she say his name when she knows she shouldn鈥檛? Well, everything we know about her tells us that that is also tragically inevitable. Eurydice loves words, she says what he thinks, she reaches for love, she is impatient, and she is early.
In our story, if she didn鈥檛 call out to Orpheus, she wouldn鈥檛 be Eurydice.
In the end, this is a story about how wonderful and painful it is that everyone is so deeply and unerringly themselves. Father is so himself that he lingered for years in the pain of remembering waiting for Eurydice. He is so himself that he is able to build her a room out of string because to Eurydice, that鈥檚 what dads do: they provide what you need even when it is impossible.
Eurydice must speak. Orpheus must turn. The stones must maintain order. Father must always carry string and a pen. Only death, grief, and the Lord of the Underworld lack rules.
And yet we wouldn鈥檛 trade away that frustrating pain of everyone being so infuriatingly THEMSELVES for anything. Because the greatest gift in the world is to be loved for exactly who you are.
Special Thanks
Erin Robere, THTR102 Students
NOTE TO AUDIENCE:
The videotaping or audio and/or visual recording of this production is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable federal offense.
UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS
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