Persephone

Part of the 2010 Next Wave Festival

Oct 26—30, 2010, 7:30pm

NY Premiere

Mimi Goese / Warren Leight / Ben Neill / Ridge Theater

“[Julia] Stiles’ asset is that she brings inner heat to sullenness.” —The New York Times

In Greek mythology, Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, was a fetching young woman whose beauty set Hades’ dark heart ablaze. He had to have her, and so he did, spiriting her into the depths of the Underworld.

In collaboration with composer Ben Neill, singer/actor Mimi Goese, and Tony Award-winning playwright Warren Leight (Side Man)—and featuring Julia Stiles (Bourne films, Oleanna on Broadway) in the title role—Ridge Theater (Lightning at our feet, 2008 Next Wave) reimagines the myth as a spectacular 19th-century theatrical tableau. Infused with rock and electronica, as well as evocative visuals, this work creates a fantastic mythical landscape that paves the way for Persephone to find her way home, only to return her to the Underworld forevermore.

BAM Harvey Theater
90min, no intermission
Tickets: $25, 45, 60, 70

Music by Ben Neill & Mimi Goese
Lyrics by Mimi Goese
Book by Warren Leight
Films by Bill Morrison
Projections by Laurie Olinder
Sets by Jim Findlay
Dramaturgy by Daniel Zippi & Karl Precoda
Choreography by Dan Safer
Lights by John Ambrosone
Costumes by Jane Alois Stein
Sound design by Jamie McElhinney
Directed by Bob McGrath

Co-commissioned by Virginia Tech for the Department of Theatre and Cinema at Virginia Tech and by BAM for the 2010 Next Wave Festival.