Amelia Dewberry-

This week the Gustavus Theater & Dance Department is presenting its first show of the school year, Metamorphoses, a play based on the poem by Ovid. The play opened on Thursday and will run until Sunday, Nov. 5th.

While Ovid follows the history of the world from its creation until Caesar’s deification, this version of Metamorphoses is a recent adaptation that was first performed in 2021. It is considered a contemporary retelling of the myths written in 8 CE. Metamorphoses was created by writers-in-residence at the Globe Theatre, Sami Ibrahim, Laura Lomas, and Sabrina Mahfouz. The playwrights describe it as stories of transformation, resilience, and the wonder of life with some well-known characters like Odysseus and Hecuba.

Audience members may recognize some familiar and well-loved myths, and will also be introduced to a few shocking and dark stories. “Metamorphoses is a set of monologues inspired by Greek myths,” Senior cast member Mar Rodriguez-Guzman explained. The play features a range of emotions within each story, including some that are tragic, funny, and hopeful. The show is “… a modern way of telling transformation stories at the hands of the Greco-Roman gods,” cast member and First-year Amara Prochaska said.

Metamorphoses uniquely features several monologues that the cast has worked hard to prepare. First-year cast member William McDonough reflected, “I think in order to make this show work, there’s an amount of vulnerability needed for the individual monologues and for our shared monologue. Every single member seemed up to it both on and off stage.” Rodriguez-Guzman echoed, “It is a show where there is a lot of energy, and everyone has a moment to tell a story.”

Producing the show was a learning experience for everyone involved. Rodriguez-Guzman shared that “At the beginning of the production, there were some hiccups as we tried a lot of new things, but in the end it’s a show that I feel can be enjoyed by many.” The cast is filled with new talent including McDonough and Prochaska, as well as people who have never been in a Gustavus play before.

“Even though we have only a few weeks to rehearse together, it is a close cast, and we are here to support each other,” Rodriguez-Guzman commented. The tight-knit cast was essential to bringing the show together. “Working with this cast is really a treat,” McDonough said, “it really encouraged me to bring all of the energy I could give and got me through some pretty cruddy days.” Prochaska added, “The time we’ve all spent on this show is really admirable. I’m proud of all of us for how much we’ve pushed our limits to make this show the best it can be.”

There is still time to catch Metamorphoses this weekend. Performances are tonight, Nov. 3rd at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 4th at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 5th at 2:00 p.m. All performances are in the Rob and Judy Gardner Lab Theater. Tickets can be purchased online, and are free for students and $10 for the general public.