The Wilma Theater hosts "Eurydice (and us) in the underworld" May 19 symposium in conjunction with Eurydice

WHEN:             Monday, May 19^th at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE:           The Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street (Broad and Spruce), Philadelphia, PA 19107

ADMISSION:     $10; or FREE for Subscribers and Eurydice ticket holders
For additional information, call The Wilma Theater Box Office at (215) 546-7824 or visit www.wilmatheater.org.

The Wilma Theater will present "Eurydice (and us) in the underworld,” a symposium in conjunction with their current production of Eurydice on Monday, May 19^th at 7:00 p.m. In Eurydice, Pulitzer Prize nominee and MacArthur fellow Sarah Ruhl explores the classic myth of Orpheus from the point of view of the heroine, who travels to the underworld.  The Wilma’s symposium will present a riveting discussion exploring the idea of an afterlife from anthropological, moral, theological, and aesthetic viewpoints. 

The discussion will be moderated by the Wilma’s Dramaturg and Literary Manager, Walter Bilderback.  The panelists are:

• Jesse Bering, an Evolutionary Psychologist at Queen’s University College, Belfast, whose experimental research program provides some of the first evidence for the ‘naturalness’ of belief in the afterlife;
• Mary Lefkowitz, one of the best-known classical scholars in the country, whose 2003 book, Greek Gods, Human Lives, explores the role of the gods in ancient narratives;
• Eleanor Wilner, poet, MacArthur Fellow and Writer-in-Residence at Smith College, who has explored myths, including Eurydice, in her poetry for nearly 30 years.

Directed by Wilma co-Artistic Director, Blanka Zizka, Eurydice begins previews on April 30, opens on May 7, and closes on June 1, 2008. Hailed as “a magical play with gripping emotional potency… a love letter to the world” by The New York Times, Eurydice is a modern tale of loss and love as the classic myth of Orpheus is retold from the heroine’s point of view, abounding with surprising plot twists and quirky humor.  On the day Eurydice is to marry her true love Orpheus, a tragic misstep sends her plummeting to the surreal depths of the underworld. Memories are forbidden in this world of the dead, but an unexpected reunion with her father vividly awakens Eurydice’s mind with the love she felt in life. When Orpheus braves the gates of hell to find her, Eurydice must painfully decide whether to remain with her father or return to her earthly love.

Discussing what has led her to examine the afterlife, Ruhl says, “It sometimes feels as though we're no longer looking at the whole life cycle. Death is viewed as an odd aberration that happens to the unlucky, rather than something we ought to set our sights on in terms of how we live our daily lives. I think theater is a place where we can talk to ghosts, conjure the invisible, and meditate on the shortness of life, even as we try to live in it fully.”

Eurydice tickets are $37-$52 and are available by calling the Wilma Box Office at (215) 546-7824 or online at www.wilmatheater.org.

This program has been supported in part by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Federal-State Partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and by The Wallace Foundation Excellence Award grant. The Wallace Foundation Excellence Awards were created to support exemplary arts organizations to pioneer effective practices to engage more people in high-value arts activities.