Eurydice

Stephanie Nightingale as Eurydice

## Cast

### Played By

Brenda Lee Grech, Chihiro Kawasaki, Eleonore Cabrera, Mallory Gracenin, Miranda Mac Letten, Sharol Mackenzie, Stefanie Noll, Stephanie Nightingale, WenHsin Lee, Yen-Ching Lin

Eurydice is the waitress of Ciacco's Café, in Troy, and lover to Zagreus.

Her story arc revolves around her reluctance to leave the city, despite Zagreus' insistence, as well as her struggle to cope with the continuing monotony of daily life in Troy.

## Loop

*Based on Loop 2*

Eurydice opens up Ciacco's, and begins tidying up the space (tucking chairs into the tables, dusting the countertop etc.), before finding a note, a daffodil and bottle of sake left for her, by Zagreus. \* She then proceeds to get a bottle of whiskey out from under the counter, and pours drinks for Hecuba, Polymestor, Polyxena, Polydorus and Macaria, and serves them to them, as they celebrate Polyxena's birthday in The Square. \*\*

Returning from the party to Ciacco's, she is meet by Zagreus, and the pair sit together at the window table and drink from the sake bottle he left previously; Zagreus also treats her to some extra splashes of a new blue drink, he made earlier, leaving them both quite tipsy.

The pair leave Ciacco's and make their way to The Palladium arcade, and dance together on the Dance Dance Revolution game, before giddily roaming through the Troy backstreets, occasionally hiding from passing characters.

Arriving outside Eurydice's apartment (Room IIIIIII), in The Tenement Area, the two share a passionate embrace, until Eurydice believes she hears something - recognising the impending invasion, Zagreus tells her to hide and flees.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

*\* In Loop 1, sometimes there is no flower and note, and Zagreus comes straight to her for their date. \*\* In Loop 1, this party interaction does not happen. Additionally, in Loop 3, she also pours a drink for Hades.*

## 1:1s

Eurydice has two '1:1' scenes. including a walk-out.

Typically following Polyxena's resurrection in The Square (although this is dependent on the performer), she will take a WM into the backroom store cupboard behind the counter, in Ciacco's. She tells them that she has been waiting for them, and removes their mask, before leading them inside a small shelter/bed on the floor. She goes on to reminisce of memories of playing in a beautiful orchard, before reflecting on how things have changed; now nothing grows anymore, and thus the only food she can get ahold of is fake. She will then produce two grapes (offering one to the WM and encouraging them to eat it), and then eats one herself - but in savouring the taste she coughs and spits out a small metal leaf, looking to the WM in awe, before replacing their mask, hugging them tightly and then escorting them out of the shelter and back into the public space, behind Ciacco's.

Finally, upon the conclusion of the Troy Finale, Eurydice will stand behind a WM and hold them tightly, as sand falls from the sky, showering Hecuba. She will then take their hand and walk them through to Mycenae to watch the finale over there. After the second finale is finished, she will lead them back towards Troy, remove their mask, thank them for coming, and redirect them towards PEEP. *\**

*\* Some performers may lead a WM to the Mycenae Finale, before leaving them there.*

## Trivia

During previews, Iphigenia changed into the same dress as Eurydice when she first comes to Troy. This caused speculation and confusion about who was who, so now the resurrected Iphigenia wears a red dress instead.

For a single night as part of *The Burnt City Remixed* on August 13, 2023, Eurydice as portrayed by Miranda Mac Letten was depicted as pregnant, reflecting Letten's own pregnancy. The character's dialogue and backstory were changed to reflect this. Letten later released footage of her as Eurydice for this performance on her Instagram.[1]

## Mythology

Eurydice was an Auloniad nymph and wife of Orpheus, a famous musician and poet.

According to the myth, Eurydice was bitten by a serpent and died. Orpheus, who was deeply in love with her, was devastated by her death. Distraught, Orpheus played and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and deities wept and told him to travel to the Underworld to retrieve her. He played his lyre and sang so beautifully that he charmed Hades, the god of the underworld, and his queen Persephone. They agreed to let Eurydice return to the world of the living on one condition: Orpheus must walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world.

Orpheus, overjoyed at the prospect of being reunited with his beloved, eagerly led Eurydice out of the underworld. But just as they were about to reach the upper world, Orpheus couldn't resist the urge to look back, concerned that Hades had deceived him. As soon as he looked back, Eurydice was pulled back into the underworld, never to be seen again.

Heartbroken and grief-stricken, Orpheus returned to the world of the living alone, but he was never the same. He refused to play music or sing, and eventually met a violent end at the hands of jealous women.

###### Zagreus 'substitution' for Orpheus in The Burnt City

The idea that Orpheus could be a reincarnation of Dionysus/Zagreus is a concept that has been explored in some interpretations of Greek mythology. According to these interpretations, Orpheus was considered to be a manifestation or a reincarnation of Dionysus/Zagreus, rather than just a mortal musician with divine talent.

One of the reasons behind this interpretation is the close connection between the two figures in terms of their mythology and worship. Both Dionysus/Zagreus and Orpheus were closely associated with music, ecstasy, and mystical experiences. Dionysus was the god of wine, fertility, and wildness, while Orpheus was known for his musical talent and ability to charm both humans and animals. They were also both believed to have traveled to the underworld.

In some versions of the myth, Orpheus is said to have been initiated into the mystery cult of Dionysus/Zagreus, after his failed rescue Eurydice. As an initiate, Orpheus would have been seen as a devoted follower of the god, and his musical talent would have been seen as a manifestation of the divine power of Dionysus/Zagreus.