Metamorphoses - The Call Is Places - Guthrie Theater
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The Call Is Places
2018–2019 SUBSCRIBER NEWSLETTER
Metamorphoses
April 13 – May 19
Wurtele Thrust Stage
WELCOME
2018–2019
SEASON
From Artistic Director
Joseph Haj
Frankenstein –
Playing with Fire
Sept 15 – Oct 27, 2018
Wurtele Thrust Stage
Dear Friends,
The first lines of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses are a prayer of
Noises Off transformation. A woman, gazing at her visage in the water, beseeches
Oct 27 – Dec 16, 2018 the gods to change her. In this one intimate moment, the play’s trajectory
McGuire Proscenium Stage is made plain. As we watch the myths of Ovid unfold, every story reveals
humanity’s desire to shed its skin and change.
A Christmas Carol
Nov 13 – Dec 29, 2018 Mary’s choice to stage the scenes in and around a pool of water is
Wurtele Thrust Stage
ingenious, not to mention an aesthetic and technical triumph. But as she
clarifies in the script, the pool is never a literal embodiment of the text.
The Great Leap Rather, it is used to amplify, and in some cases contradict, the play’s
Jan 12 – Feb 10, 2019
McGuire Proscenium Stage
thematic action and poetry.
From its 1998 world premiere at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre
As You Like It
Feb 9 – March 17, 2019
Company to its Broadway debut in 2002 to its incredibly successful
Wurtele Thrust Stage revival at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in co-production with the Guthrie,
Mary’s signature masterpiece continues to grip audiences, both visually
Cyrano and emotionally. By examining love and loss in all its forms, these ancient
de Bergerac stories plumb the depths of the human experience and allow us to
March 16 – May 5, 2019 examine our own capacity for change.
McGuire Proscenium Stage
I’ve directed Metamorphoses multiple times, and it’s an honor to have
Metamorphoses Mary, who envisioned and realized this masterful work from the beginning,
April 13 – May 19, 2019 helming it at the Guthrie. After wowing us with The White Snake during
Wurtele Thrust Stage
our 2014–2015 Season, it is a thrill to have her back in our midst.
Guys and Dolls I hope you enjoy the show from its breathtaking start to its transcendent
June 22 – Aug 25, 2019
conclusion. Like the woman by the water and her fellow mortals, may we,
Wurtele Thrust Stage
too, keep our hearts open to change and allow ourselves to be transformed.
Floyd’s
July 27 – Aug 31, 2019
McGuire Proscenium Stage Yours,
Visit guthrietheater.org for
additional productions and
play descriptions.
2 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PHOTO: KERI PICKETT
The Guthrie Theater, in co-production with
Berkeley Repertory Theatre, presents
Metamorphoses
based on the myths of Ovid
written and directed by Mary Zimmerman
from the translation by David R. Slavitt
The Guthrie gratefully recognizes
Stacy & Matt Bogart as Producers; and
Cast
in alphabetical order
Karen Bachman, Anne Paape and Brian
Pietsch & Christopher Hermann as
Associate Producers.
ERYSICHTHON AND OTHERS Steven Epp*
MIDAS AND OTHERS Raymond Fox*
Setting PHAETON AND OTHERS Rodney Gardiner*
All scenes take place in and around
a pool. Shifts between settings HERMES/VERTUMNUS AND OTHERS Benjamin T. Ismail*
are indicated by light, the actors’
ALCYONE AND OTHERS Louise Lamson*
orientation or musical cues.
APHRODITE AND OTHERS Felicity Jones Latta*
Run Time CEYX AND OTHERS Alex Moggridge*
Approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes
(no intermission)
MYRRHA AND OTHERS Sango Tajima*
THERAPIST AND OTHERS Lisa Tejero*
Understudies EURYDICE AND OTHERS Suzy Weller*
Tyson Forbes* (Erysichthon/Midas/Ceyx
and others), Nathan Keepers* (Phaeton/
Hermes/Vertumnus and others),
Tracey Maloney* (Myrrha/Eurydice
and others), Stacia Rice* (Alcyone/ Creative Team
Aphrodite/Therapist and others)
ADAPTER/DIRECTOR Mary Zimmerman
Understudies never substitute for performers
unless announced prior to the performance.
SCENIC DESIGNER Daniel Ostling
COSTUME DESIGNER Mara Blumenfeld
Acknowledgments
Premiered in New York City at Second LIGHTING DESIGNER T.J. Gerckens
Stage Theater, New York, September
2001 (Artistic Director: Carole Rothman;
SOUND DESIGNER Andre Pluess
Managing Director: Carol Fishman; ORIGINAL MUSIC Willy Schwarz
Executive Director: Alexander Fraser).
DRAMATURG Jo Holcomb
Metamorphoses was originally
VOICE AND DIALECT COACH Foster Johns
produced by Lookingglass Theatre
Company, Chicago. STAGE MANAGER Jason Clusman*
Ovid’s Metamorphoses, translated ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Justin Hossle*
by David R. Slavitt, Johns Hopkins
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Natalie Novacek
University Press, 1994.
NYC CASTING CONSULTANT McCorkle Casting, Ltd.
Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem Orpheus,
Eurydice, Hermes, translated by DESIGN ASSISTANTS Ryan Connealy (lighting)
Stephen Mitchell, 1995 Modern. Lisa Jones (costumes)
Reid Rejsa (sound)
Produced by special arrangement
with Bruce Ostler, Bret Adams, Ltd.,
448 West 44th Street, New York. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association
3 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
THE PLAY
“I pray you, change me;
make me something else;
transform me entirely;
let me step out of my
own heart.”
– Myrrha to the gods in Metamorphoses
Synopses
The Roman poet Ovid wrote his epic poem Metamorphoses
between 2 and 8 A.D. In 15 books, he retold around 250 CHARACTERS
stories from Greek and Roman mythology that shared Woman by the water
a common theme of transformation. Below are brief Scientist
Zeus, king of the gods
synopses of the stories featured in Mary Zimmerman’s
Three laundresses
Metamorphoses, which celebrates the very essence of
Midas and his daughter
theater — its words, humanity, community and ability to Bacchus, god of festivity
create space for alteration. Silenus, Bacchus’ companion
Ceyx, a king
COSMOGONY shipwreck. Overcome with grief, Alcyone, Ceyx’s wife
A woman, a scientist and the god Alcyone goes to the shore and Hermes, god of travel and trade
Zeus discuss and speculate on the sleeps in the shallow pools — a Aphrodite, goddess of love
creation of the universe. mournful act that moves the gods Erysichthon and his mother
to show empathy and transform Orpheus
MIDAS the couple’s future. Eurydice, Orpheus’ bride
After doing a good deed and being Vertumnus, god of spring
granted any wish he desires by the ERYSICHTHON Pomona, a wood nymph
gods, the greedy Midas asks that Erysichthon scorns the gods and Cinyras, a king
everything he touches turns to holds nothing sacred, so he has Myrrha, Cinyras’ daughter
gold. But his wish quickly becomes no problem chopping down a tree Nursemaid, Myrrha’s nurse
a curse, and he sets off on an that belongs to Ceres. In an act of Apollo, god of prophesy
impossible journey to find a pool of retribution, Ceres commands the Phaeton, Apollo’s son
water that could potentially reverse spirit Hunger to give Erysichthon Therapist
his fate. an insatiable appetite that yields Eros, god of sex
disastrous and devastating results. Psyche
ALCYONE AND CEYX Q and A
When King Ceyx embarks on a ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE Baucis, a poor woman
sea voyage that Queen Alcyone On her way to marry Orpheus, Philemon, Baucis’ husband
begs him to forgo, he dies in a Eurydice steps on a snake and
4 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PHOTO: SANGO TAJIMA AND FELICITY JONES LATTA (KEVIN BERNE)
dies. Distraught, Orpheus travels her blindfolded father, who tries to
to the underworld and begs Hades drown his daughter in rage when PRODUCTION HISTORY
to free her. Hades agrees on one the truth is revealed. 1996: An early version of
condition: Orpheus must not look Metamorphoses, entitled Six
back at Eurydice until they reach PHAETON Myths, is produced at the
the living world — a test he may be Apollo’s son Phaeton is a spoiled Theatre and Interpretation
unable to endure. brat who spends his time whining Center of Northwestern
to his Therapist about his life, his University.
POMONA AND VERTUMNUS many demands and his adventures
(WITH NARCISSUS INTERLUDE) setting the world on fire. 1998: Lookingglass Theatre
The love story of Pomona and Company presents the world
Vertumnus begins with a cameo EROS AND PSYCHE premiere of Metamorphoses
by Narcissus, who is so enthralled On a mission for Aphrodite, Eros at Chicago’s Ivanhoe Theater
by his own reflection in the water sets out to punish Psyche for her on October 25.
that he freezes. Then we jump to great beauty. But in a twist of
Pomona, a wood nymph who is so fate, Eros falls madly in love with 2001: Making its off-Broadway
passionate about gardening that Psyche instead. Lies from Psyche’s debut, Metamorphoses opens
she ignores her suitors. So the sisters and her own disobedience at Second Stage Theater on
shy, smitten Vertumnus disguises cause suffering until the gods October 9.
himself in different ways just to intervene and help the lovers’ story
be near her. To win her affection, end happily. 2002: Metamorphoses opens
Vertumnus tells a story that helps on Broadway at Circle in the
Pomona see through his ruse and BAUCIS AND PHILEMON Square Theatre on May 4.
open her heart. Zeus and his son Hermes dress
as beggars and come to earth to 2002–2019: The play
MYRRHA discover what human beings are continues to be produced at
King Cinyras’ daughter Myrrha like, but no one welcomes them theaters across the country,
habitually refuses her suitors, except for Baucis and Philemon. including Berkeley Repertory
so Aphrodite curses her with an Because of the elderly couple’s Theatre, Seattle Repertory
intense lust for her father. With kindness, the gods grant their wish Theatre, Mark Taper
the help of a nursemaid, Myrrha to die at the same moment and Forum, Arena Stage and
has three sexual encounters with spare their grief. Guthrie Theater.
5 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PHOTO: LOUISE LAMSON (KEVIN BERNE)
THE ADAPTER AND
DIRECTOR
Mary
Zimmerman
An American director highly
lauded for her theatrical
adaptations of classic
works, Mary Zimmerman
received her B.S. in Theater
and her M.A./Ph.D. in
Performance Studies from
Northwestern University.
Metamorphoses was first
conceived and developed at her
alma mater where Zimmerman is
currently a professor and holds the
Jaharis Family Foundation Chair in
Performance Studies. She is also an
ensemble member of Lookingglass
Theatre Company and an artistic
associate at Goodman Theatre.
“Everyone changes. Change is so necessary, yet so
In addition to her many honors, painful. It’s the condition of human life. There will be
she is the recipient of the 1998 transformation, and you will grow old.”
Genius Grant from the MacArthur – Mary Zimmerman on Metamorphoses
Foundation and the 2002 Tony
Award for Best Direction of a Play
for Metamorphoses, which was Ends Well and Pericles for the Centre. In recent years, she has
nominated in three categories: Goodman Theatre, Henry VIII staged Rusalka, Armida and La
Best Play, Best Scenic Design of a and Measure for Measure for the Sonnambula for the Metropolitan
Play and Best Direction of a Play. New York Shakespeare Festival, Opera in New York and Lucia di
A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Lammermoor for Metropolitan
Her other credits as an adapter the Huntington Theatre Company Opera and La Scala in Milan.
and director include The White and Guys and Dolls for the Oregon Each of these productions
Snake, The Notebooks of Shakespeare Festival and Wallis was broadcast live in movie
Leonardo da Vinci, The Secret in Annenberg Center. theaters worldwide.
the Wings, Argonautika, Treasure
Island, The Odyssey, The Arabian In 2002, Zimmerman created Metamorphoses is the second work
Nights, Eleven Rooms of Proust, a new opera with Philip Glass by Zimmerman to be performed
The Jungle Book, Silk, S/M and entitled Galileo Galilei, which was at the Guthrie. She directed her
Journey to the West. Zimmerman presented at BAM, Goodman adaptation of The White Snake
also directed All’s Well That Theatre and London’s Barbican during the 2014–2015 Season.
6 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PHOTO: LIZ LAUREN
PLAY FEATURE
Uncharted Waters:
Building the Pool
Thanks to a thesis project from back in the day, Technical Director Jim Gängl knew a
little something about building onstage pools, but he had never engineered a pool
of Metamorphoses proportions. Now he’s our in-house pool authority after weeks of
partnering with local experts and sharing notes with Berkeley Rep. Writer and Publications
Editor Johanna Buch asked him to go on the record about building and maintaining a body
of water on the Wurtele Thrust Stage.
JOHANNA BUCH: Have you masking flats and platform legs to pool that the run crew will empty
ever built a bona fide pool account for the changes in pool after every performance. Pretty
onstage before? shape and elevation. They’re also low-tech, but highly effective.
sending us their pumps, heaters
JIM GÄNGL: I’ve worked on many and pool toys, like the skimmer and JB: Will the pool sit above or
different water effects, like rain vacuum that will maintain the pool below the stage?
running down windows in Juno during the run.
and the Paycock and the rain effect JG: The Guthrie has a trap system
in The Bluest Eye, which poured JB: When you said “pool toys,” I below the stage, so we can build
rain over 2,300 square feet of the pictured inflatable rafts and beach and support the pool within an
stage for several minutes during balls, so thanks for clarifying. existing structure. We’ll remove
each performance. But the pool part of the trap system, create
for Metamorphoses is a different JG: [laughs] I’m sure a rubber a plywood subdeck, put down
level of complexity because actors ducky will end up in the pool at a protective layer of clear poly-
perform in it, so the water needs some point. plastic and build a steel frame that
to be treated and kept at specific is flush with the stage. Then we’ll
temperatures to ensure their safety JB: Please take a picture when it fill the frame with custom foam
and comfort. does. Did you build any parts of blocks to create the pool floor.
the pool in advance? The last step is to position and
JB: Metamorphoses is a co- secure the made-to-order pool
production that started at JG: Before Metamorphoses closed liner we designed with Custom
Berkeley Rep. How will you retrofit at Berkeley Rep, we started Pools and fill the pool so the
the set from their stage to ours? building the pool, the slatted weight of the water stretches the
boardwalk that encircles it and pool liner into a smooth, black
JG: The pools are different in the drainage system underneath surface. You won’t see any of the
size and shape to accommodate that collects excess water from pool’s framing — it will look like the
each stage. Berkeley Rep’s pool the actors’ costumes and directs it boardwalk is hovering over a still,
is a hexagon and ours is a much away from the pool. Aesthetically, dark body of water.
larger rectangle, so we’ve had to the water needs to look like glass
build the pool and surrounding and avoid ripple effects. Because JB: That sounds stunning. How
boardwalk mostly from scratch. the boardwalk hangs over the will you keep the water looking
Berkeley Rep is sending us pool by about 6 inches, we need enchanting day after day?
everything that will sit upstage, like to capture the water that drips
the platforms, doors and painted through the slats and channel it JG: Once the pool is filled, it’s all
sky backdrop, plus additional into 5-gallon buckets under the about daily maintenance. Before I
7 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
that are protected much like your
bathroom and kitchen outlets at
home. We’re using stand lights with
low-voltage bulbs near the pool
and overhead lighting everywhere
else, including the warming huts.
JB: I’m sure the actors are thrilled
to have warming huts.
JG: The cool thing is we’re reusing
parts of The Great Leap set to
create them. We cut up the large
panels, attached them to a set wall,
added overhead space heaters
and presto — warming huts. It was
great to use materials we already
had to save time and money while
helping the actors stay warm
between scenes.
JB: What has been the most
rewarding part of the process?
JG: For my grad school thesis
became an accidental pool expert, restore the water’s balance. They’ll project, I built a small onstage pool
I assumed we’d throw in some also skim and vacuum the pool for a production of Twelfth Night. It
chlorine and be good to go. Thanks to collect any remnants from the was a tiny little pond with 6 inches
to Ginny Mulvaney, the owner of performance. Between Custom of water, so it’s been fun to do the
Custom Pools, we’ve learned that Pools and the technical staff real deal this time. We’re putting
bromine is best for treating warmer at Berkeley Rep, we’ve gained 1,500 gallons of water onstage and
water. She’s also been teaching us treatment and maintenance tips not on our ground level. There’s
proper pool maintenance, including that have been extremely helpful. a restaurant directly beneath
how to test the water and strike the pool.
the right chemical balance. JB: It sounds like it’s been
quite the collaboration with JB: Called Sea Change, no less.
JB: What happens before, during Berkeley Rep.
and after the performance? JG: [laughs] There’s a fair amount
JG: They’ve been very helpful, of stress and anxiety, but I’ve
JG: The pool has two pump resourceful and responsive. If enjoyed figuring everything out.
systems with filters and heaters they discovered something about For The Bluest Eye, the most
that will run 24/7 and keep the the pool during the run, they rewarding part was doing a rain
water at 100 degrees when not always let us know. It’s been a test in the scene shop for the cast
in performance. When the house great collaboration with super and creative team. We played
doors open 30 minutes before the fun people. Milli Vanilli’s “Blame It on the
show, the pumps will be turned off Rain” — because why wouldn’t
for the duration of the performance JB: With all that water near all that we? — and there was so much joy
to eliminate noise and water electrical, how are you keeping when we realized we pulled it off.
agitation. After the show, the run things safe? The moment something works,
crew will fire up the pumps, add you’re flooded with a sense of
more bromine and leave a floating JG: The pool’s pumps and heaters accomplishment. That’s what we’re
cleaner in the pool overnight to are wired into circuit breakers striving for with Metamorphoses.
8 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PHOTO: MARITA MEINERTS ALBINSONADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Next on the
Wurtele Thrust Stage
Myths Retold
With Mastery
The perfect musical comedy
Guys
and Dolls
June 22 – Aug 25
A Musical Fable of Broadway
based on a story and characters of
Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses has been called “moving, DAMON RUNYON
dreamlike and thrillingly theatrical.” Watch the trailer and music and lyrics by FRANK LOESSER
book by JO SWERLING
behind-the-scenes rehearsal video before you see this and ABE BURROWS
directed by KENT GASH
visually stunning masterpiece.
WATCH VIDEOS Sponsored by
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY
To Be Transformed
Stories from Greek and Roman mythology
often share a theme of transformation.
Browse SPPL’s staff-created list, which
features the full works of Ovid and a book
about pools just for fun.
EXPLORE RESOURCES
For more staff-recommended book lists on
a variety of topics, visit www.sppl.org.
9 \ GUTHRIE THEATERYou can also read
