The story of the greedy King Midas’ daughter who turns into gold. Orpheus, ‘the greatest musician of all time’, saw his beloved Eurydice die and come back to life – only to be lost again in the underworld. The handsome young Narcissus, yearning for his own image, but ultimately withering away and becoming a flower by the pool.
All these immortal stories and those of gods, goddesses, lovers, heroes and seafaring men come from classical Greco-Roman mythology. They are also linked, especially in the ancient narrative poem ‘Metamorphoses’ by the Roman poet Ovid, by the theme of change and transformation.
Students from the Statesmen Theater at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church are currently performing Mary Zimmerman’s stage adaptation of “Metamorphoses,” which was presented this past year at the Folger Theater in Washington. The unique staging of this high school version is all about a pond full of flowers.
For example, Narcissus stands in the pool while seeing his reflection in the water. Orpheus also crosses the pool, which represents the River Styx, to reclaim his dead bride Eurydice and return to the world of the living. The pool on stage surmounted by a white fluffy cloud, illuminated by multi-colored electric lights, is accompanied by minimalist costumes and props, such as when the identity of the Lord of the Underworld is established by him holding a stick with a skull on it. To enhance an intimate and immersive experience, audience members sit on stage rather than in the aisles of the school’s spacious theater.
Students performing in this production include Graham Poteat as King Midas, Saniya Desai as Aphrodite, Anson DeVinney as Orpheus, Han Nguyen as Eurydice, Andrew Krouse as Narcissus, and Eliott Boon and Sara Moharerrzadeh, as Ceyx and Alcyone, respectively.
Falls Church News-Press spoke with Ahmad Maaty, MFA, who is directing his first production at George C. Marshall High School. He told us, “I chose Mary Zimmerman’s ‘Metamorphoses’ because I knew I wanted to do something that challenged my students to see theater through a lens that was dynamic, perceptive and thoughtful. I wanted a piece that would make them fall in love with storytelling and feel the same sense of responsibility as I do for my craft, for the art. I wanted them to find maturity and depth in the purpose of storytelling. When I first read the piece, I immediately fell in love with it. There is no way to read this piece and not be immediately immersed in the images and language.”
Mr. Maaty also claims that although these stories come to us from ancient times, the idea of metamorphoses is very relevant to our times: ‘We as a society seem to be in a constant state of transformation, and we must navigate it. changes daily.” Mr Maaty notes: ‘I’m not sure they spend as much time teaching Greek and Roman stories at school as they did when I was growing up. It was really refreshing and inspiring to see my students enjoying these stories and trying to understand them from a contemporary mindset.”
Some of Ovid’s stories were even new to the director and will probably be so to many spectators. To make the play more accessible, the poster distributed to the public contains summaries of the stories, for example that of Alcyone and Ceyx, who are passionately in love: “When King Ceyx embarks on a sea voyage that begs Queen Alcyone When he renounces , he dies in a shipwreck. Overcome with grief, Alcyone goes to the shore and sleeps in the shallow pools – a sad act that prompts the gods to show empathy and transform the couple’s future.
For readers who want to participate in an innovative production of classic literature and reflect on the ever-modern theme of change and transformation, “Metamorphoses” will be performed at George C. Marshall High School on November 14, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. p.m; November 16 at 2 p.m.; and November 17 at 3 p.m. For more information, please visit this website: Home | Marshall High School Statesmen Theater.