Eurydice (according to Eurydice) rescues the voice of the nymph that the classic silenced

Eurydice’s story usually begins when she is already dead. In Eurydice (according to Eurydice), The narrative moves back to recover a voice that the classic story left silent. Here it is not about wondering how to save it, but from where you choose to live.

Directed by Ana Graham, with dramaturgy by Alexander Wright, translation by Antonio Vega and original music by Phil Grainger, the production will premiere on Saturday at the Chapultepec Scenic Garden, behind the National Auditorium.

The story is presented as a prequel: before the wedding; before death; even before the descent to the underworld.

“In this version, the center of the story shifts from the hero who looks back to the woman who learns to look forward. The traditional story makes Eurydice the object of Orpheus’ love; here we imagine her previous history,” said Graham (Mexico City, 1966) in an interview with The Day.

“This displacement allows us to accompany the character from childhood to maturity, as someone in training instead of a tragic figure. The nymph experiences love, loss and the decisions of her life. We know what drives her to choose, how she grows and becomes responsible for her future.

“Thus, the myth becomes contemporary: it is not a Greek goddess; we talk about the gods of today and how a woman can be one in the present.”

Scenography and lighting, designed by Anna Adrià, reinforce the feeling of closeness and recreate the atmosphere of a wedding. The public participates as a guest and is located a few centimeters from the performers, on both sides of a catwalk.

Dramaturgy articulates word, music and movement from its origin. Wright and Grainger construct a text with a rhythm close to the spoken word, where the songs, both original and popular, appear integrated into the flow of the story, instead of functioning as isolated numbers.

Graham defined the result as a “musical indie”, a structure that organizes emotional states and marks the passage of time through the songs. “My musical knowledge is basic and, without the work of Cristóbal MarYán, in charge of adapting the pieces and accompanying the actors in rhythmic and instrumental matters, the project would not have been possible,” he acknowledged.

María Kemp interprets Eurydice as narrator and character, naturally between reflective distance and immediate emotion. Aldo Guerra takes on multiple figures, including Orpheus and Aristeo, and performs singing, dancing and performing live instruments.

Ana Graham has a special participation and alternates with Belén Aguilar; His stage presence adds to the cast and enriches the narrative.

The acting work was decisive: “They are virtuoso. We needed performers capable of sustaining all those languages ​​and, also, with a chemistry that allowed the story to flow,” said Graham.

The choice of unconventional spaces is an essential part of the project. With reduced capacity and mobile venues, the Por Piedad Teatro company moves away from the usual spaces to build an immersive experience. The format implies technical, economic and logistical challenges.

The team moves, assembles and dismantles scenery, sound and lighting in each presentation. That fragility, the director stressed, is also part of its strength and makes everything feel more alive.

Despite coinciding with the activities of International Women’s Day (March 8), organized by the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, the montage does not seek to become a slogan. “We didn’t want to make a pamphlet. It’s not a feminist proposal in itself: it’s a feminine project,” Graham said.

“The story dialogues without victimizing its characters or pointing out culprits, and proposes a reflection on the stories that are inherited and repeated. Feminist discourse is sometimes experienced as an attack; here we are interested in thinking about what stories we have been told and which ones we continue to carry.

“The question that accompanies the entire journey is simple and forceful: does someone need to be saved or does someone need to make decisions? At one point in the story it is said: ‘that does not depend on the gods, it depends on you’. The empowerment it proposes is not heroic or epic, but rather everyday and shared, for women and men alike.”

Eurydice (according to Eurydice) It will have performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 4 and 6 p.m. On March 7 there will be special performances at 12 and 2 p.m. in the Chapultepec Scenic Garden (Paseo de la Reforma 111, First Section of the Chapultepec Forest). Admission is free with limited space and the performances will conclude on March 8.

Then, there will be presentations at the Casa de Cultura Reyes Heroles from March 14 and in Laguna México on April 11. The schedules can be consulted on the social networks of these forums.