Oakland University Presents ORESTES

Oakland University's School of Music, Theatre and Dance will kick off its 2019-20 performance season with Orestes at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6-7 and 2 p.m. on Sept. 8 in Varner Studio Theatre.

The play, a new version by OU Theatre Professor Karen Sheridan and based on the original by Euripides, was also performed in June on the Greek island of Hydra by a group of 10 OU students who travelled to Greece to study, rehearse and perform the production in the island's outdoor amphitheater.

"In Orestes, Orestes was told by Apollo that he had to avenge his father's death, which means he had to kill his mother because she killed Agamemnon," Sheridan said. "The play asks how you judge Orestes if the gods, or in this case Apollo, told him to do it. The citizens gather to argue the case and if need be, determine the punishment. Art reflects life here as the idea of democracy was new. An anonymous vote is taken. It is both a rich family story and an intensely political one."

Attendees are asked to pay what they wish in advance, with a $5 minimum on the day of the performance.

Tickets can be purchased online at etix.com, by phone at (800) 514-3849, or in person at the Varner Hall Box Office (outside of the recital Hall) or the Office for Student Involvement (OSI) service window in the lower level of the Oakland Center.