Rebekka Gondosch, Evan Mulrooney and Trevor Ketcheson perform in Orpheus Descending. Photo: Seija Bedard, The Brock Press

Tennessee Williams’ update on the Greek myth of Orpheus is coming to Brock this week.

The Department of Dramatic Arts is presenting Orpheus Descending on Nov. 10 to 12. Performed by Dramatic Arts undergraduate students, the play is directed by associate professor Virginia Reh and designed by Dramatic Arts graduate Michael Greves.

Trevor Ketcheson and Rebekka Gondosch in Orpheus Descending. Photo: Seija Bedard, The Brock Press

In the Greek myth, Orpheus could charm anyone with the power of his music. In this update, Valentine Xavier is a wild-spirited man in 1950s Mississippi. He wanders into a small town marked by conformity, sexual frustration and racism. He meets Lady Torrance, who longs to escape her dreary life.

Williams “was one of the most important American playwrights of the 20th century,” Reh said. This year celebrates the centennial of his birth.

“Like several playwrights of his generation, he struggled to develop a truly American form of tragedy. He laboured over Orpheus Descending for two decades, creating a richly layered, intensely personal play, which focuses on the ‘other,’ those who do not conform. The town destroys the outsiders, but in the end the play celebrates the potential and durability of the human spirit.”

The play will be in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre. Its cast includes Trevor Ketcheson, Rebekka Gondosch, Cassandra Van Wyck, Robyn Cunningham and Josh Davidson.

Performances:
Nov. 10 – 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 11 – matinee 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 12 – 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. To order, call 905-688-5550 x3257 or boxoffice@brocku.ca