How to Play a Stone

It’s almost a bad acting cliché, being asked to play a stone. But in Eurydice that’s the challenge for Jessamyn, Amber and Emily. They have been cast as a chorus of stones. Just how does one play a stone? Well, here’s some background information and thoughts that might help, you know, in case you ever get asked to play a stone:

Often the stones have been portrayed as clowns as in this production of
The Wilma Theatre, inspired by Federico Fellini’s film The Clowns.

The stones in Eurydice, act like a Greek chorus: sometimes in unison, but always unique. They are in varying degrees of deadness and forgetfulness. They narrate, make commentary and police what’s going on in the Underworld. They warn against suspicious behavior and try to influence other characters with their advice. They do not like noise, music or remembering. Above all, they do like do not like human emotion. They also provide comic relief.

The Off-Broadway cast of stones as Ruhl had envisioned them – sort of odd Beckett-like characters.

Ruhl says in her Notes: “The stones might be played as though they are nasty children at a birthday party.”[i] She also said, “In the version of the myth I grew up on, Orpheus' music is so sad it makes even the stones weep. So I was interested in the idea of repressed emotion in the underworld... what is it about weeping that breaks the rules of the underworld and allows Orpheus to enter? I also think the Stones enforce the rules of the underworld, they are our guides, and they make us laugh when we want to weep. I love Greek choruses because they mirror the experience of the audience—they remind us that we’re seeing a play and not a film.”[ii]

In the New Repertory Theatre’s production, the stones (in background) were

"posturing, girl tweens… children robbed of their spark determined to

keep others  from being happy, as well.”[iii]

I asked our director, Lisa Hall-Hagan, what she thought of the stone characters and she said, “I first thought of the stones as a kind of bratty chorus, and indeed Ruhl describes them in a similar way. However, as I began to work with the play a little more, I saw them as an opportunity to express the concept of our production, and as a way to create a counterpoint to the trio of Father-Eurydice-Orpheus. At this point in the process, it's hard to say where they'll "land," but at the moment I'm curious to explore memory, loss and humanity within them.”

The director's concept photos for the stones.

"The look of the stones as we're conceiving of it right now is an extension of the design of the set. When Casey (Price, set designer) and I settled on the idea of the "white-out" set, I saw the Stones, again, as a way of expressing the idea of memory/humanity vs. forgetting/divinity. Each of the three is at a certain stage of being forgotten as a human and blending into the set itself.”[iv]

In my conversations with Lisa she also mentioned that she wanted to explore the stones as Norns.

The Norns

In Norse mythology, the Norns are three demi-goddesses who weave the web of fate. They live at the base of the tree of life and keep it watered from the Well of Fate. They determine the length of each person’s life. The crone, Urd (fate), represents that which as happened. The matron, Verdandi (necessity), represents that which is happening and the maid, Skuld (being), represents that which should happen.

The Fates

Similarly, the Greeks had the Fates or the Moirae. Clotho, the maid spun the thread of life for each person. Lachesis, the matron measured the length of each thread and Atropos, the crone, cut the thread with her dreaded scissors. Notice the representation of young to old in the concept photos above.

These very powerful deities were often feared, but they were not evil. They merely have an understanding “to what must die and what shall live, to what shall be carded out, to what shall be woven in.”[v] Exploring this option for the stones fits in very well with the director’s concept that does not favor remembering/life over forgetting/death. In Ruhl’s Eurydice, the enigmatic stones are an opportunity to explore some great themes and issues.,.. and to have a lot of fun.

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The stones from the Curious Theatre Company production.

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[i] Ruhl, Sarah. Eurydice. New York: Samuel French, 2008. Print.

[ii] Ruhl, Sarah and Walter Bilderback. “Talking to Ghosts and Conjuring the Invisible: An Interview with Sarah Ruhl.” Wilmabill, 2007-2008 Season. Philadelphia: The Wilma Theatre, 2008. Web.

[iii] Nargi, Jan “New Rep Breathes Life into ‘Eurydice,’” Broadwayworld.com. 27 September 2008

[iv] Hall-Hagan, Lisa. Email. 27 June 2011.

[v] Estes, Clarissa Pinkola Ph.D. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992. Print.

New Story: The Storytelling Stone

The Seneca people tell of a time, long, long ago, when the world was new; a time when there were no stories. The people had no way to pass the time during the cold winter months and no dreams filled their heads on long winter nights. The people were sometimes cold in their hearts as well; for there was no way to pass on the traditions of the tribe, no way to teach the people how to live or how to treat one another. In one village, there lived a young boy named Crow. Crow’s parents had died and he had no one to care for him. His clothes were often dirty and torn and his hair matted. Some of the people laughed at him, but Crow was a gifted hunter. He could silently steal into the forest and with his bow and arrows and could find much food for the villagers. He would trade the wild game for corn and clothes for himself. 

One especially harsh winter, he had to travel farther and farther into the forest to find food.  Eventually, he came to a clearing that he had never seen before. In the middle of the clearing there was a large flat stone. Crow laid the birds he had shot on the stone and sat down to rest beside them. 

“Shall I tell you a story?” said an old rumbling voice. 

Crow jumped up and looked around. There was no one in the clearing. He sat down again. 

“Shall I tell you a story?” the voice came again. 

This time Crow could tell that the voice came from the ancient rock beneath him. 

“Who are you or what are you?” asked Crow. 

“I am Grandfather Stone. Shall I tell you a story?” 

“What is a story?” asked Crow. 

“Stories tell of all things that happened before this time. Give me one of your birds and I will tell you how the world was made.” 

Crow happily left one of the birds on the stone and the stone began a wonderful story of how the world was made and everything in it. The stone wove wonderful tales until the sun began to set. 

“That is enough for today. Come back tomorrow and I will tell you more.” 

“Thank you Grandfather Stone,” said Crow. 

Crow returned to his village with less food than he had ever had before; the people mocked him and he went to bed hungry. But early the next day, he set out again to find the storytelling stone. He came to the clearing and again lay a bird on the stone. All day he listened to stories of chipmunk and bear and the lessons the people had learned in earlier days. Every day, he came to listen to the stories. Every day he grew a little thinner and the people began to think that he was going mad. They teased him and told him that now; he wasn’t even good for hunting.  

Finally, one day, as Crow lay a bird on the stone, the stone said nothing. 

“Grandfather Stone, why don’t you speak? Won’t you tell me a story?” 

The stone answered, “I have no more stories to tell. It is now your turn to tell the stories. It is time for the stories not to be kept in stones, but in the hearts of the people. Go back to your village and share the stories. The people will bring you gifts for the stories, just as you have brought to me” 

“Thank you Grandfather Stone, I will make sure the stories are not forgotten.” 

Crow was frightened. He didn’t know if the people would listen to him. As he gathered at the edge of the lodge fire that night, he boldly stepped forward into the midst of the people.  They were about to push him back, when he said in a clear, strong voice,

“In the mysterious days of long ago, when Ra-wen-io was fixing the earth so that mankind might have a happy place to live, the trees had tongues and they talked...” 

A hush fell on the room. All other cares were forgotten and there were no thoughts other than the story. When he finished, they made him a place by the fire. They brought him the best food and they asked for another story.

Night after long winter night, Crow was the honored guest at the community fire. He was soon invited to live in the chief’s long house. The people began to treat one another with respect; for they learned about foolish pride from Bear and Chipmunk; they learned about greediness from Turtle. They learned many things and the village became a better place. The people no longer feared the long, cold winter. For it was a time to gather in the long houses and listen to stories.

As Crow grew up, and continued to tell the stories, he made a bag that hung from his waist.  In the bag he would put small objects to help him remember the stories. When he grew into a man, he traveled throughout all of the villages far and near with his story bag and he shared the stories with the people. And until the day he died he was treated with great honor and respect for he had brought story to the hearts of the people.

Sermons in Stone

“Find tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” Shakespeare, As You Like It

One of the most interesting elements of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice is the Stone Characters. In the underworld there are three Stones and although they interact with Eurydice, they seem more set then spook. In this post, we’ll discuss the significance of stone symbolism and how it might apply to Eurydice. In the next post, we’ll discuss the director’s concept for these three characters.

Rocks are significant just because they are so old. They have been a long-standing symbol of permanence and strength. The symbolism of stone is a part of most major world religions.

The Ka'aba

Islam’s most holy site is Mecca. All pious Muslims should visit Mecca to circle the Ka’aba, which includes the Black Stone, seven times.  The Black Stone is said to be a stone sent down from God to Adam and Eve. In Jerusalem, another important site is the Dome of the Rock, which holds a rock that marks the spot where the Prophet Mohammed rose into heaven.

All good Christian children are taught to build their house upon the rock.

In Christianity, Christ is often referred to as the rock and his right hand man, Peter, was also known as the rock. The importance of strong foundations, cornerstones and keystones are found throughout Christian scripture, where we learn that Christ is the foundation stone.

A tribute to Scrooge?

In early Biblical scripture, often the basis for many religions, we see many examples of building the most sacred of edifices, alters and temples, out of stone. The prophet Samuel erected the stone Eben-Ezer or ‘Stone of Help’ to commemorate the Lord’s assistance in beating the Philistines at Mizpah. In the popular hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” I used to be confused by the second verse where it says, “Here I raise my Ebenezer.” It always made me think of The Christmas Carol or someone raising their husband from the dead, but it’s just a reference to Samuel’s stone monument to God.

God’s law was often carved in stone.

Stonehenge

In Pagan rituals, stones often play important roles, such as at Stonehenge. Was it an ancient calendar erected to celebrate the seasons or powerful healing circle? No one knows for sure. Many new age practitioners believe rocks are batteries containing the power of Mother Earth and that if we connect with them, we can access that power.

There is a beautiful Jewish tradition of putting stones on graves instead of flowers. In ancient times, shepherds would keep track of their sheep by placing the same number of pebbles in their sling as sheep they took to the pasture that day. It was an accounting; a remembering. Placing a stone on a grave is like asking God to keep the loved one in His sling; to account for them; to remember them. Flowers are like life; they are here and then they are gone. Stones are like memory. “While other things fade, stones and souls endure[i].”

We pile rocks as a memorial or on a path to remember.

Stones are intriguing symbols because they can stand for both memory and forgetting. They are like ancient witnesses soaking in not only the history of the world, but its wisdom. The Seneca have a myth about how stories came into the world. In short, a native boy learns all the world’s stories from an ancient stone deep in the forest. He then shares the stories with his people becoming the world’s first storyteller.

But stones also symbolize forgetting. “Stone-cold heart” is a heart that has forgotten how to love. A “Stone-face liar” is someone who has forgotten the truth. We use stone imagery to describe someone who is stubborn or shut down, things that seem dead to us, or people who have forgotten how to live.

As you read or view Ruhl’s Eurydice, keep both of these meanings in your mind. Ruhl constantly plays with the lines between memory and forgetting and of these two, the stones are most definitely on the forgetting, shut down, dead side of things; however, can you also find anything of memory? Of Energy? Of Wisdom?

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[i] The Symbol of the Stone by Rabbi David Wolpe

New Story: Orpheus and Eurydice

Here's the story that started it all. I decided to post a video instead of writing it out. There are many versions online, but this one amuses me - plus I liked its use of string:

This is the one story you really should know, so just in case you don't here's the highlights:

• Orpheus is the greatest musician ever.
• He loves and marries Eurydice.
• Eurydice dies from a snake bite.
• Orpheus is so distraught the Gods decide to let him venture into the underworld to retrieve her.
• He gets past the three headed dog by calming him with his music.
• His music also convinces Hades to let Eurydice go.
• There is one condition: Orpheus must lead her out without ever looking back at her.
• Orpheus almost makes it, but can't stand it any longer, turns and looks and she is gone forever.

There's more the video doesn't tell like Orpheus getting torn limb from limb by angry women and how his severed head becomes an oracle, but..well, that's another story.