Metamorphoses
April 5-8 | 7:30 p.m. | Gaede Stage
Challenging production transforms Gaede Stage into 20-ton pool of water
Ovid’s mythological tales undergo dramatic transformation by contemporary, award-winning director/playwright Mary Zimmerman in a production of Metamorphoses, presented by the MSUM School of Performing Arts April 5 to 8 on the Gaede Stage in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts.
The play, which tackles love from several perspectives, is one of the most acclaimed plays of the 21st century, according to director Patrick Carriere, an associate professor of theatre at MSUM. However, it rarely gets produced. “The production’s design requires the construction and maintenance of a huge pool on stage. It will be a technical and performance challenge for our professional staff and our students.”
Actors move in and out of the pool, appear from and disappear into it. “We will have to develop new technical skills and new approaches to movement and performance. It will be a rigorous rehearsal process that will require a discipline and precision in performance that most plays don’t.”
MSUM is hiring a guest lighting designer for the production, which includes 13 actors, a production team of 10, and an additional 20 technicians. On April 5, MSUM is also offering a talkback session geared towards local actors and directors on the use of water on stage. The talkback takes place after the performance.
This production of Metamorphoses is the result of collaboration between Concordia College, NDSU and MSUM. Each college is producing one of Zimmerman’s works. NDSU presents Odyssey April 27 to May 5; Concordia presents Secret in the Wings March 30 to April 2. Carriere says the collaboration with the other universities is the first of its kind and will serve as a foundation for future collaborations.
For tickets, go to www.mnstate.edu/tickets, or visit or call the MSUM Box Office at (218) 477-2271 Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Patrick Carriere at (218) 209-7929 or patrick.carriere@mnstate.edu.