EURYDICE Comes to San Francisco State School of Theatre & Dance in October

Sarah Ruhl has been called a "Playwright Laureate of Grief," and Eurydice is her exploration of the grief she felt after the loss of her father, who died of cancer when she was twenty. In Ruhl's retelling of the Orpheus/Eurydice myth, the dead Eurydice reconnects with her dead father, and they revel in their chance to restore their love.  

For director and Theatre Arts professor Bruce Avery, the tumultuous events and public health crises of the past few years have left a clear imprint on our collective emotional consciousness. Each student, parent, instructor, and community member has felt the effects of grief and loss during this time, many of which remain ongoing and unresolved. Making Eurydice the perfect play for this still unprecedented moment.  

“Grief is about loss, but it's also about what didn't happen because of that loss,” Avery says. “The conversations, the moments, the laughs that we wish we had shared with those who are gone.” With this evocative work, Ruhl asks us to contemplate the power of loss, and the purpose of grief.  

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