Traveling Players to Present World Premiere of CUPID & PSYCHE in July

"Cupid, Cupid, you're dee-vine - /Like that chubby little cherub on the Valentine /You've got the wings to prove it, dude, you do! /You rock the wings and that tattoo!" The chorus chants as "Bad Boy Cupid" takes the stage on his "flycycle," (a flying motorcycle) - but this bad boy has no idea that he is about to be struck by his own arrow.

This is how audiences first meet our titular hero in Judith Walsh White's new play Cupid & Psyche, premiering this summer at Traveling Players in Tysons Corner Center. The play is commissioned for Traveling Players' Mythology Ensemble; a 2-week sleepaway theatre summer camp for kids currently in grades 4-6. Auditions will be held on February 26, 2022, with performances on July 7 & 28, 2023.

The story, which is one part fairytale and one part adventure-comedy, follows the beautiful and bespeckled Psyche as she is thrust into a world filled with treacherous gods, perilous journeys, and true love. Like Cinderella, Psyche knows that there is more for her in the world to care about than looks and marriage. But like all good Greek heroines, Psyche's beauty attracts the wrath of the goddess Aphrodite who swiftly dispatches her son (the mischievous biker Cupid) to trick poor Psyche into falling in love with a beast! But when Cupid arrives with arrows in his bow, he's stopped in his tracks. Why? Could the mischievous Cupid have been struck by his own arrow?

Walsh-White's signature wit is on full display. Several famous faces from Greek Mythology make an appearance, as well as a number of hilarious new characters including Psyche's jealous older sisters, and a hilarious trio of palace servants - southern belle Kurtsy Politely, French gourmand Chef d'Cuisine, and the dour butler Benedict Cumberbund. Like with all of Walsh-White's work for young audiences, the script includes the heart, wit, and complicated language that is worthy of young actors' imaginations.

Cupid & Psyche isn't the only great love story to grace Traveling Players stages this summer. Their advanced high school students in Shakespeare Troupe will take on the most famous of love stories - Romeo & Juliet. Recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as offering challenges unlike any other pre-college program in the nation, Shakespeare Troupe tours a full-length Shakespearean play to amphitheaters and private venues all over our region.

In residence at the Freedom Center in Leesburg, VA, the Mythology Ensemble and Shakespeare Troupe are just two of several residential summer programs that Traveling Players offers students in grades 4-12. When not in rehearsal the campers can hike one of the many private trails, jump on the zipline, and roast marshmallows under the stars.

Founded on the principles of inclusion, diversity, and equality, Traveling Players is proud to off the single most generous financial aid program for any arts institution in the region. In 2023, the company awarded more than $45,000 in financial aid. More than 50% of students receive financial aid or discounts.

Young actors can audition for Cupid & Psyche and Traveling Players' other summer productions this month. Financial Aid is still available for all programs.

About the Playwright

White is an award-winning teacher, playwright, poet, actor, and director. Profiled in The Washingtonian in 1987 as one of DC's ten best teachers, White taught drama and speech for over 20 years at the Holton-Arms School, where she trained Seinfeld and Veep's, Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

A student of ancient myths, she has written ten plays based on world mythology, including nine commissioned by Traveling Players: Cupid & Psyche, Heracles, Atalanta, Persephone, Pandora's Fire, Perseus and the Rock Star, Monkey King, Atum's Eye, and Ariadne's Thread: The Adventures of Theseus and the Minotaur. Two plays were subsequently published by Theaterfolk, listing Traveling Players' student actors as the Original Cast.

About Traveling Players

Recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as one of 25 model "Summer Schools for the Arts," Traveling Players is dedicated to training students in grades 2-12 in theatre. Now in its 20th year, the company has grown from a summer camp of 18 students to a year-round theatrical community engaging 1000 students annually. Founded on faith in the imagination, wit, and honesty of teenagers, Traveling Players' programs focus on classical dramatic traditions: Moliere, Shakespeare, Commedia dell'Arte, and ancient mythology. Traveling Players' Studio is in Tysons Corner Center, where they offer classes and performances year-round.

In 2021, Traveling Players received the ArtsFairfax Arts Education Award.

To find out more about Traveling Players Ensemble, visit http://travelingplayers.org.

Photo Credit: Jessica Wallach