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VENICE, FL, APRIL 7, 2016 – Venice Theatre will present Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman April 28 through May 15, 2016. Performances will take place in the Pinkerton Theatre at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $28 for adults, $15 for college students and $13 for students through 12th grade. Group discounts are available for parties of 20 or more. Tickets are available now at 941-488-1115 or www.venicestage.com.
A school-time performance is scheduled for students and teachers on Friday, May 13 at 11 a.m. Interested educators should call Venice Theatre’s Director of Diversity Kristofer Geddie at 941-488-1115, extension 247. Metamorphoses is generously sponsored by Laura B. Kopple, Inc.
MORE ABOUT THE PLAY: Metamorphoses is a collection of vignettes that brings Ovid’s epic poem to stunning visual life. Only 90 minutes, it comprises just a fraction of the Roman poet’s 15-book narrative poem, focusing on themes of change and transformation. Set in and around a large pool of water, Zimmerman’s re-telling juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in both language and image. Audiences will experience anew the stories of Midas, Alcyone & Ceyx, Orpheus & Eurydice, Eros & Psyche and more.
A professor at Northwestern University, Zimmerman debuted her production in Chicago, later moving it to Broadway and earning a Tony Award in 2002 for Best Direction of a Play. The Broadway production also won the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Music, the Drama League Award for Best Play and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. Metamorphoses once again received high praise when it was revived in its hometown in 2012. Chicago critic Alan Bresloff said of the Lookingglass Theatre Company’s production, “The storytelling is filled with mystery, romance and humor and … will linger with you for many years to come.”
Venice Theatre has brought in Kathy Pingel to direct this challenging piece. Actors have been rehearsing for several weeks, sometimes in Executive/Artistic Director Murray Chase’s swimming pool. Pingel says they need to test how their blocking, movement and costumes work in water. She explains, “Directing Metamorphoses is as much a lesson in physics as anything else.”
The cast and crew moved into the Pinkerton Theatre as soon as Venus in Fur closed on April 17. A 3000-gallon pool has been moved into the space so the actors can float, swim, sink and splash as they give these universal stories new life. Seating is general admission. Patrons in the first row may get splashed.
Again, tickets for Metamorphoses are available now at www.venicestage.com, 941-488-1115 or in person at 140 W. Tampa Ave. on the island in Venice. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays; and one hour before showtime.
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