{"id":99500,"date":"2025-02-24T18:03:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T23:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=99500"},"modified":"2025-02-24T18:04:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T23:04:33","slug":"brock-to-make-splash-with-metamorphoses-mainstage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/02\/brock-to-make-splash-with-metamorphoses-mainstage\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock to make splash with Metamorphoses mainstage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creative minds in Brock University\u2019s Faculty of Humanities have joined forces to bring an epic ancient Roman poem to life on stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) will present playwright Mary Zimmerman\u2019s award-winning adaption of Metamorphoses<\/em> \u2014 complete with a challenging stage element sure to make waves with audiences.<\/p>\n

The play, which includes a large pool of water central to the production, opens Friday, Feb. 28 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre stage in downtown St. Catharines.<\/p>\n

Though the original literary work dates back more than 2,000 years, Metamorphoses<\/em> continues to capture imaginations across creative and academic disciplines. Written in Latin by Ovid, a Roman poet exiled by emperor Augustus in 8 CE, the collection of myths explores themes of transformation, beauty and struggle in the ancient world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMary Zimmerman\u2019s adaptation shows how powerless people are empowered through Ovid\u2019s stories, and we hope the hilarity and poignant drama will open similar transformations for audiences,\u201d said retired DART Associate Professor Gyllian Raby, who is directing the production.<\/p>\n

Adam Rappold, Assistant Professor of Classics and Archaeology, teaches a course dedicated to Ovid\u2019s Metamorphoses<\/em> and worked on the mainstage as Dramaturge \u2014 \u00a0an expert in the interpretation and composition of theatrical works, often advising on the text and how it is represented on stage.<\/p>\n

Rappold advised on the poem\u2019s literary devices and shared insights with the cast about storytelling and the construction of myths.<\/p>\n

\u201cContemporary artists and scholars have re-examined the rebelliousness of Ovid\u2019s poem and rediscovered the critique of the Roman Empire, revealing the full compassionate range of the exiled Ovid\u2019s vision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Raby says that theatrically, this has been the most challenging play she has tackled to date. She credits the production team at Brock\u2019s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts for rising to the occasion.<\/p>\n

The DART cast and production crew created a technically advanced and visually stunning stage environment, including the large pool of water famously called for by Zimmerman\u2019s adaptation.<\/p>\n

DART Technical Director Gavin Fearon said throughout rehearsals, the production crew have continued to discover new aspects of the pool\u2019s impact on every element of the show including choreography, props and lighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents in every role are navigating challenges introduced by the water,\u201d he said. \u201cThe costumes team in particular, needed to track wet and dry quick changes in under 30 seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audiences will also experience original music of composer and DART sound design Instructor Joe Lapinski (BA \u201999) who has drawn inspiration from the ancient Greek philosophical idea that celestial bodies make music, known as the \u201cmusic of the spheres.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voice Instructor and soprano Leanne Vida in the Department of Music coached individual singers in the production, including fourth-year actor Maddox Keller, who also took on the role of Choral Conductor.<\/p>\n

Metamorphoses opens Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. Performances will also take place Saturday, March 1; Friday, March 7; and Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.<\/p>\n

General admission tickets are $25 and tickets for students and seniors are $20. Visit Brock University Tickets<\/a> to reserve seats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Creative minds in Brock University\u2019s Faculty of Humanities have joined forces to bring an epic ancient Roman poem to life on stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":99501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7484,3319,37,4767,1],"tags":[7071,144,109,6518,30,5969,14237,10145,46,2518,14238],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99500"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99500"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99504,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99500\/revisions\/99504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}