Ithaca College

Ovid has inspired many great retellings of the haunting story of Orpheus's journey to the underworld, but contemporary playwright Sarah Ruhl reimagines the myth from Eurydice's point of view. Both poignant and funny, Ruhl's play sets up a dynamic tension between Eurydice, her dead father, and her living husband. A chorus of stones helps tell a timeless story of remembrance, the redemptive power of love, and the finality of loss.

At 35 years old, Ruhl is "hot"; her plays have been produced at the country's most prominent theaters, including Lincoln Center Theatre and Berkeley Rep. She received the coveted MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in 2006 and her play, The Clean House, was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for dramatic literature in 2008.

New York Times Review of Eurydice at Yale Repertory Theater (October 3, 2006)

Eurydice will be directed by incoming assistant professor Wendy Dann. A 1993 graduate of the Department of Theatre Arts, Dann is known locally as the associate artistic director of the Hangar Theatre where she is currently directing Harold Pinter's Betrayal, slated to open July 24. 

Hangar Theatre Website

Tickets to Eurydice are not included in season subscription packages. Eurydice will play December 1-6. Season subscriptions are still available. To see the five plays included in the 2009-10 subscription packages for as little as $25, please call 607-274-3224 or e-mail tam@ithaca.edu. For more information please visit our website:

Department of Theatre Arts: Main Stage Season