Balancing the mythic and mundane : a director's approach to Sarah Ruhl's 'Eurydice'.

Abstract

American playwright Sarah Ruhl’s work is characterized by a distinct ability to contrast mythic themes of life, love, and death with the quotidian aspects of everyday life. Ruhl’s 2003 play, Eurydice, poignantly addresses these subjects as she uses the architecture of the Orpheus myth to frame the story from the contemporary perspective of his lost love. In Eurydice, Ruhl joins a long lineage of artists who have been inspired by the universal, timeless quality of the ancient myth. This thesis offers an examination of one director’s approach to Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. The study details the biography of the playwright, examines her body of work, and offers a complete analysis of the play. It also follows the production process of the Baylor University Theater staging of the play from conception to performance.