SUDS Presents: Eurydice
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Adele Beaumont
Produced by Georgie Eggleton
Assistant Directed by Emma Johns
23rd August - 2nd September 2023
The Cellar Theatre
Contact email: eurydicesuds@gmail.com
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Background:
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl is a surrealist retelling of the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The play follows Eurydice, and how she reconciles with the ongoing grief from her fathers death and the gap it has left in her life. It is fundamentally a play about love, exploring the complexities of Eurydice’s romance with Orpheus and separation from her Father. While surreal and dreamlike, Eurydice is an emotionally honest play that explores themes of grief, love, family, memory and identity within the framework of a classic tale.
Content Warnings:
Sexual references
References to death
Themes of death and grief
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What to Prepare:
We would like you to prepare one monologue from our audition piece document and one OPTIONAL monologue of your choice. We do not expect memorisation of the monologues but we strongly encourage it to give your best performance.
All auditionees interested in the role of Orpheus will also need to prepare a 1-2min song in a style of your choice (NOTE we are open to any/all interpretations of Orpheus as a musician).
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APPLY HERE!
Cast Callout: https://bit.ly/3Hq5IH8
Monologues: https://bit.ly/41QS4Vy
You will be advised of your 15 minute audition time in a follow-up email.
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CHARACTER LIST: (All casting will be race blind)
Eurydice
Eurydice is a woman drifting between time, space and memory. Having lost her father at a young age she has struggled with finding her identity in life and love without him, and is stuck in temporality. She is fiercely intelligent, kind and curious, and it is these strengths that pull her through the journey of the play.
Looking for an actor who is female identifying, has lived experience as a woman or is comfortable playing a female role.
Her Father
Dying too young, Eurydice’s Father is a man who loves his daughter. He echoes the emptiness of unfulfilled potential as he watches Eurydice grow up from afar. He is a testament to the love from our parents we leave behind as we grow into adulthood and independence.
Looking for an actor who is male identifying, has lived experience as a man or is comfortable playing a male role.
Orpheus
Orpheus is a musician full of love, music, and themself. What kind of musician? We are open to any, Orpheus could be an Elvis or a Beyonce, a Whitney Housten or a Hozier. Orpheus contradicts everything consistent about this play. Where there is water: Orpheus brings heat, where there is darkness, Orpheus brings light, Where there is silence, Orpheus brings music. It is no wonder that they are always the center of attention. We will additionally require a 1-2min song in a style of your choice (we are open to any/all interpretations of Orpheus as a musician).
Casting will be entirely gender blind as we will develop the actor’s gender expression into the character.
The Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of The Underworld
The Nasty Interesting Man; the Lord of the Underworld; King of Death. Hades goes by many names in this play, as he is fundamentally a shapeshifter. He is cunning, clever and full of knowledge. We encourage interpretations that play with extremes, and the caricatured grotesque styles of surrealism.
Though Nasty Interesting Man is a male character, casting will be gender blind.
A Chorus of Stones
The Chorus of Stones are a surrealistic response to the traditional Greek chorus. They are not actually stones, but rather a personification of the underworld itself, and memories lost to time. They each have their own unique personalities, a gruff stone, whiny stone, and the kind stone. The actors will also act as a faceless ensemble in earlier scenes.
Casting will be gender blind for these characters.
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TIME SLOTS:
Auditions will be held in person for approximately 15 minutes.
Monday 15th May 10:00-2:00 pm
Wednesday 17th May 10:00-12:00 pm
Thursday 18th May 10:00 -3:00 pm
Friday 19th May 10:00-11:30 am
Note: Depending on timing we may open up a 2nd week of auditions
If you cannot make any of these times please email us eurydicesuds@gmail.com
KEY DATES:
Callbacks: Saturday 27th +Sunday 28th May 12-4pm
Table Read: Week of the 29th of May (TBC)
Bump In: Sunday 20th - Tuesday 22nd of August
Show: 23rd August to the 2nd September