Written by Kimberly Cannon, Staff Writer

The first showing of Valdosta State University’s performance of the play “Eurydice,” to be held in the Lab Theatre in the Fine Arts building tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The play “Eurydice,” by Sarah Ruhl is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus, the Greek poet and musician, through the perspective of his wife Eurydice. In the play, Eurydice finds herself in the Underworld and is reunited with her father but Orpheus journeys after his wife; wanting to take her back to Earth with him. Eurydice must choose whether to return to Earth with Orpheus or to stay in the land of the dead with her father.

Autumn Denmark was cast as the female lead, Eurydice, Connor Holtz as Orpheus and Brady Whitehouse as Eurydice’s father.

“I knew about the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice but this show takes the perspective of Eurydice and I found that fascinating. I liked hearing her side of the story,” Denmark said.

Denmark said that a lot of time went into creating the set, and the show has an imaginative concept.

Eric Flexer, a senior theatre major with an emphasis in performance, is the stage manager for “Eurydice.”

Flexer oversees the stage crew, gives the call on light and sound and organizes schedules.

With all of the responsibility of being stage manager, Flexer said he is both nervous and excited about the play’s performance.

“In a very scary kind of way, you [the stage manager] control the whole show,” Flexer said.

Flexer encourages students to come out and see this interesting show that combines tragedy, happiness, and humor. “It’s very out there,” Flexer said.

The schedule for the play is 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22-24 and 26-28, with a matinee this Sunday at 3 p.m.

Tickets are free for VSU students after showing a valid VSU ID. VSU students who wish to reserve a seat can do so by leaving a refundable $5 reservation deposit with the box office Monday through Saturday during 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The deposit will be refunded when the ticket is picked up at the time of the performance.

“Eurydice” tickets for adults are $17, tickets for children and non-VSU students are $11, and tickets for senior citizens are $14. There is a discount for groups of 10 or more with tickets costing only $10.

The theatre program at VSU offers more than performance opportunities to students. The program brings professionals to campus to teach workshops and also invites casting directors from New York to watch performances at VSU.

Whether the goal is to be a director, an actor or a publicist, the VSU Theatre program offers courses that will prepare students for a variety of careers in the arts, with concentrations in theatre performance, theatre production, musical theatre and theatre management.