Metamorphoses

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When:

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 10:30am

Where:

Who: The Guthrie recommends that children be 12 years old or older but will admit children as young as 8 years old.
Children younger than 8 years of age will not be admitted.

How much:
Cost for Adults/Educators: $16.00
Cost for Children/Students: $16.00

Please register by: Friday, February 22, 2019 - 5:00pm

Description

Pre-Play Presentation

Please check in by 9:30am. A 30-minute pre-play presentation takes place before the start of every student matinee and exposes students to the creative process of one technical aspect of the production. Pre-show presentations run from 9:45am–10:15am.

Post-Play Discussion

A post-play discussion takes place for 30 minutes after the end of every student matinee. Moderated by a member of the Education team, they provide a space for students and actors to reflect on their shared experience and interact with one another.

Wurtele Thrust Stage

In what’s considered her signature theatrical piece, once hailed as “the theater event of the year” (Time), Tony Award-winning director and playwright Mary Zimmerman juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in a visually stunning theatricalization of Roman poet Ovid’s powerful masterwork, Metamorphoses. Performed in and around a large pool of water, a ravishing effect, an ensemble of actors embodies figures from Greek mythology to share both well-known and rarely told stories of transformation.

Play Synopsis: Around a pool of water, a woman talks of how bodies can assume new shapes, and her words spark stories of transformation – from the creation of the world to human bodies changed into animals and trees – that take place in and around water’s edge. A 10-member ensemble transforms again and again to embody figures from Greek mythology, from well-known stories of Midas with the golden touch and the self-involved Narcissus to lesser-known stories of Alcyone’s grief and Erysichthon’s punishment. Monarchs, sailors, heroes and peasants alike make choices good and bad that trigger a physical transformation that may turn out to be a gift, a curse, or something else altogether.

About the Playwright: Mary Zimmerman is a professor and department chair in performance studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she received her B.S. in theater and her Ph.D./M.A. in performance studies. She is an ensemble member of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company and an artistic associate of the Goodman Theatre. Her credits as an adaptor-director include The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, The Odyssey, The Arabian Nights, Eleven Rooms of Proust, and Journey to the West. Among her honors, she is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (“Genius grant”).

Ovid (43 BCE – 17 CE) was a Roman elegiac poet who studied rhetoric before launching an unsuccessful law career for which he had no ambition. He settled into a life as a poet, and his early work reflected the sophisticated, pleasure-seeking society around him. The Metamorphoses was already underway when Emperor Augustus banished Ovid to Tomi near the Black Sea for his poem The Art of Love, which parodied the conventional love poetry of the time and was considered subversive by an emperor wanting to reform Rome’s morals. In banishment, Ovid continued to write and appeal to the emperor for a reprieve that never came. The themes for much of his work come from Greek literature, and The Metamorphosesis no different, with the first 12 of 15 books drawn from Greek mythology. Written in hexameter verse, almost all the stories share a linking theme of transformation – a person’s shape transforms while the basic character or values of the transformed remain constant.

Classroom Discussion Questions

• Are people inherently good or bad?
• How do these ancient stories relate to our current world?

Script Content Considerations: In this modern adaptation of Ovid’s collection of poems and myths, the character of Eros, the god of love, appears (as the mythological character is often depicted) as a nude man with wings, which the text states is to symbolize the innocence of young love. The student matinee performances may or may not include nudity.

based on the myths of Ovid
written and directed by Mary Zimmerman
from the translation by David R. Slavitt

The following resources are available on the Guthrie’s website:

• Classroom activities provide educators ways to engage students on the themes and content of each student matinee production, based around the different creative skills involved in bringing a production to life. Available online for the 2018–2019 Season beginning August 15, 2018.
• Rehearsal scripts are available for each production and are to be used in the classroom for educational purposes only. Due to the exploratory nature of the rehearsal process, we can’t guarantee that the scripts we provide will exactly reflect the performance on stage. Most changes made in the development of a play for public performance are usually minor and do not affect the overall narrative in any significant way. Available for request September 1, 2018.
• Design sketches provide an inside look at a production’s costume and set designs. Available online after each production’s Sunday night preview performance.
• Play guides are compiled by the Guthrie’s resident dramaturgs and serve as an important context-building resource for the play. Available online after each production’s opening night.
• Performance content considerations address any content specific to the staging of Guthrie productions that students and teachers need to be made aware of in advance. Updated online after each production’s opening night.
• FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are created in response to student questions submitted to studentmatinees@guthrietheater.org and give students the opportunity to hear directly from a production’s creative team. Available online one week after each production’s closing night.

More information: www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2018-2019-season/

Nudity — a letter regarding the nudity in Metamorphoses from the Guthrie’s Director of Education, Jason Brown.

Dear Educator,
 
Thank you so much for deciding to bring your students to the Guthrie Theater’s upcoming production of METAMORPHOSES written and directed by Mary Zimmerman. I am writing to provide you more detail on the content of this production and artistic changes provided for our student audiences. We highly recommend that you share this with students and their families prior to their visit to the Guthrie.
 
During our general public performances, an actor portraying the character Eros appears nude approximately 77 minutes into the play. For our student matinees, the artists involved in the production have agreed to cover the actor’s waist section, leaving the chest, arms and legs of the actor exposed. This garment will be a black cloth wrap attached to a nude dance belt.
 
Although this cloth wrap will essentially cover the actor, I want to make sure to highlight two things:
• The cloth is attached to a nude dance belt. A dance belt is designed to cover the front of the actor but not his buttocks. The cloth encircles the actor’s waist, but there might be unforeseen moments where the actor’s buttocks are unintentionally visible.
• The color of the dance belt is nude, which means that if one is not aware that the actor is wearing it underneath the cloth, one might assume that the actor is completely nude under this garment.
 
As you know, the Guthrie is dedicated to bringing the highest quality productions directed and designed by world-renown artists like Mary Zimmerman. We also strive to provide student patrons with thought-provoking and inspiring theatrical experiences that teachers can use as a part of their classroom curriculum.
 
To that end, we hope that this artistic accommodation and the details provided above will not only give you the necessary information to determine if this experience is appropriate for your school community, but also provide you with the necessary information to help prepare students and their families for what they can expect when they come to the Guthrie to see METAMORPHOSES during a student matinee.
 
As I mentioned above, we highly recommend that you share this with students and their families prior to their visit to the Guthrie. Please feel free to let me know if you need any further information or if you have any questions.
 
All the best,
Jason Brown
Director of Education”

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Payment information

Payment must be received by: Fri, Feb 22, 2019 - 5:00pm

1. Please plan to send your payment the same day that you register.
    
   The organizer will expect to receive your payment within 3 days of your date of registration — or by the payment deadline above, whichever comes first.
    
2. Immediately after you register, you will be emailed payment instructions from admin(at)homeschoolrecess(dot)com.
    
   Make sure your email filters recognize this address as a legitimate sender. If you don't receive this email, please check your spam, junk or bulk mail folder. Contact the organizer if you are unable to find it; if you receive no response to your email, please call the organizer.
    
   You are not officially registered until the organizer receives your payment.
    
3. When the organizer records your payment, you will be emailed a payment receipt from admin(at)homeschoolrecess(dot)com.
    
   If you've sent your payment and haven't received a payment confirmation, please contact the organizer by email or phone.
    
4. If the organizer doesn't receive payment within 3 days of your date of registration or by the payment deadline, whichever comes first, the organizer may remove your family from the registration list.
    
   You will be notified by an email from admin(at)homeschoolrecess(dot)com should this unfortunate event occur.
    
   If you are unable to send payment immediately, please contact the organizer to make other arrangements. This protects the organizer from non-payment due to payment instructions blocked by overly aggressive spam protection.
    
5. If you need to cancel your registration, please do so via an email request to the organizer.
    
   Non-payment is not an acceptable way to cancel your registration. If you wish to cancel, please be respectful of the volunteer organizer's time and send an email request.
    
   If you fail to send a cancellation request by the cancellation deadline, you will remain responsible for reimbursing the organizer for the cost of your family's participation.
    
6. To help the organizer identify you in the registration database, please include your username and field trip number along with any requests. This information can be found in your payment instructions email message and on the registration form on this page.

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Cancellation information

Cancellation deadline: Fri, Feb 22, 2019 - 5:00pm

* TO CANCEL BEFORE THE DEADLINE: 
(1) Please let the organizer know as soon as possible via email. 

* TO CANCEL AFTER THE DEADLINE: 
(1) Let the organizer know as soon as possible via email. 
(2) No refunds can be made as the organizer has already paid for your tickets. 
(3) To avoid empty seats, please attempt to transfer your tickets to another family.
(3a) Any reimbursements should be handled privately between you and your substitute. 
(3b) Please let the organizer know about the substitution. 
 
* TO CANCEL ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 
(1) It is not cool to just not show up. Please let the organizer know if you are unable to attend — via email, text message or voice mail. 
(2) To avoid empty seats, please attempt to find a last-minute substitute for your family. 

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Additional information

Please arrive by:

* Please plan to be early to avoid being late due to inadequate maps, confusing road signs, road construction, heavy traffic, parking difficulties, inclement weather, or uncooperative children. Allow for plenty of time to find parking, visit the bathrooms and otherwise be prepared to be seated promptly. 

* Please check in by 9:30am for the Pre-Show Presentation.

* Each seat at the Guthrie is reserved so you must sit in the assigned seat printed on your ticket. No one is allowed into the auditorium without a ticket; each theatergoer should have his or her own ticket in hand upon arrival. Children must have student tickets and adults must have chaperone tickets. Ushers will escort everyone to their assigned seat.

* Latecomers will be seated during an appropriate break in the action, determined at the discretion of the Guthrie. No refunds, exchanges or adjustments are made for late arrivals.

Where to meet:

* We do not meet as a group. The organizer will mail your paper tickets to you 1 to 2 weeks prior to the show. Please be sure to provide your mailing address in the comment field when you register. 

Food policy:

* Food, gum, and candy are not allowed in the auditorium during student matinees. Beverages, however, are welcome in the theater – in plastic or paper containers, please.

Alternate plans:

* During inclement weather, allow extra travel time. The Guthrie does not cancel performances due to inclement weather. After the cancellation deadline, no refunds or exchanges can be made if you are unable to attend your scheduled performance for any reason, including weather. In the unlikely event that the Guthrie cancels the performance, any refunds will be solely at the discretion of the Guthrie Theater.

Parking information:

* Parking is available in the city-owned Riverfront Ramp directly across from the Guthrie on South 2nd Street, just east of Chicago Avenue. Riverfront Municipal Ramp clearance is 7 feet. Parking rates are subject to change, but expect to pay about $7.

* The Mill Quarter Parking Ramp entrance is on South 2nd Street, west of Chicago Avenue. Ramp clearance is 7 feet. Parking rates are subject to change, but expect to pay about $7.

* Additional ramps and lots are located throughout the neighborhood. Fees vary. More information at mplsparking.com

* Double parking is not permitted on S 2nd St at any time. Do not block the pedestrian crosswalk or the service entrance. 

* Additional information on parking can be found at guthrietheater.org/plan-your-visit/directions-parking/

Directions:

* The Guthrie is located in downtown Minneapolis on the west bank of the Mississippi River. See guthrietheater.org/plan-your-visit/directions-parking/ for more information.

  -- From southbound I-35W, take the Washington Ave exit (exit 17C). Turn right onto Washington Ave, then right onto 11th Ave S. Turn left onto S 2nd St and go 2 blocks. The Guthrie will be on your right.

  -- From eastbound I-94, take the N 4th St exit (exit 230). Turn left onto 3rd Ave S then right onto S 2nd St and go 4 blocks. The Guthrie will be on your left.

  -- From northbound I-35W, take the 3rd Ave/Washington Ave exit (exit 17C). Turn left onto Washington Ave then right onto 11th Ave S. Turn left onto S 2nd St and go 2 blocks. The Guthrie will be on your right.

  -- From eastbound I-394, take the 3rd Ave N/Washington Ave exit (exit 9C). Take the Washington Ave ramp. Turn right onto Washington Ave then left onto Chicago Avenue. Turn right onto St 2nd St. The Guthrie will be on your left.

  -- From westbound I-94, take the 5th St exit. Turn righto onto 11th Ave S then left onto S 2nd St and go 2 blocks. The Guthrie will be on your right.

  -- The nearest MetroTransit bus stop for the Guthrie is the Route 7 or Route 22 stop on the corner of Washington Ave at Chicago Ave. For light rail, use the Downtown East/Metrodome Station stop. Visit metrotransit.org for more information. 

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