Performances of this Tony Award–winning play will be held at 8:00 p.m. December 9 through 13, with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on December 13. All performances will take place in the Clark Theatre in Dillingham Center. This production contains nudity.
Ticket prices for Metamorphoses range from $4.50 to $10.00, and can be purchased from the Ithaca College Theatre ticket office in Dillingham Center or by calling (607) 274-3224. Tickets can also be purchased at the Ticket Center at Clinton House by calling (607) 273-4497 or online at www.ithacaevents.com. Group discounts are available.
"Metamorphoses is based on Ovid's classic narrative poem, which tells the transformation myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Using contemporary language and familiar characters, such as King Midas and his golden touch and Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld, Zimmerman's Metamorphoses explores the meaning of being alive through moments of change and the expression of universal emotions.
"Metamorphoses uses Ovid's myths to provide us with those transformative moments when we open our eyes and take in the magnitude of the human condition," said director Jeffrey Tangeman, assistant professor of theater arts. "In these moments we are able to feel the indescribable joy and bliss in love, the pain in loss, the hollowness in regret and the overwhelming humbleness we feel when given a second chance."
The focal point of the set for Metamorphoses is a large pool in which much of the play's action takes place. Designed by Katie Woodward '10, the set reinforces the shared nature of the human condition as the performers interact with this basic element. Audience members sit on three sides of the pool and are invited to engage intimately with the characters.
Zimmerman is an artistic associate of Chicago's Goodman and Lookingglass Theatres and a 1998 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation's "genius grant."
Her original production of Metamorphoses prompted an in-depth interview with Bill Moyers, creator the seminal PBS series, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. During her 2001 conversation with Moyers, Zimmerman said, "There are lots of gods in Metamorphoses, and the Greek gods, I believe, are 12 different names for feelings inside ourselves.
"So there are moments when you’re being governed by Aphrodite; she’s chairing the meeting of all the different parts of your personality," Zimmerman continued. "There are moments when you are governed by Zeus, when you're in a kind of authoritative position and you're very reasonable. There are moments when you're being governed by Mars and you're crazy angry. But all those different parts exist inside us; it's just sort of who's chairing the meeting at different times. You know, who's really got the upper hand at that moment."
The cast of Metamorphoses includes Morgan Lavenstein '11, Alison Walter '10, Megan Watt '11, Jessica Bennett '11, Jessica Caiola '09, Justin Colombo '11, Angelica Danielle Duncan '09, Ben Fankhauser '11, Charlie Forray '11, Heather Frase '09, Aaron Fried '10, Danny Lindgren '12, Jon-Michael Miller '09, Matt Musgrove '10, Hillary Patingre '09, Marcin Antonio Pawlikiewicz '10, Parker Pogue '10, Tim Quartier '11, Josh Sedelmeyer '12, Abbe Tanenbaum '10 and Alexandra Zenn '12.
The choreographer for Metamorphoses is assistant professor of theater arts Lindsay Gilmour. In addition to Woodward, the design team includes costume designer Allison Gentry '09, lighting designer David Arsenault '10, and sound designer Jillian Marie Walker '09. The technical director is Marit Estergreen '09. The stage manager is Hannah Dorfman '10. The dramaturge is Jason Barrera '11.
A nationally recognized professional theater training program, the Department of Theatre Arts attracts students from across the United States. Through Ithaca College Theatre and the production season, undergraduate students present all aspects of theater in a professional model. Ithaca College Theatre has been a cultural resource for Tompkins County and the region for more than 70 years.
