LYNNWOOD — In June, the Meadowdale Players will pack up their set pieces, costumes and props and hop on a plane to Bloomington, Indiana.
Meadowdale High School’s production of “Eurydice” was selected from more than 30 shows as one of eight to be showcased on the International Thespian Festival Main Stage, a first for the Lynnwood high school.
The festival at Indiana University Bloomington features high school productions from around the world. Students also attend workshops, meet other theater students, audition for colleges and compete for the chance to win an International Thespy award — the highest honor in school theater.
“I very legitimately did not think we would get it,” Meadowdale drama teacher Jacqueline Meyners said. “I think these guys are amazing, and I think this show is amazing, but it’s really competitive, and we have a tiny theater with not a lot of money, not a lot of budget.”
The play, written in 2003 by Sarah Ruhl, tells the classic Greek myth of Orpheus through the lens of his wife, Eurydice. The story centers around Eurydice’s relationship with her father in the Underworld and her decision to return to be with Orpheus.
“It’s my favorite play of all time,” Meyners said. “I waited specifically until I had a group of people that were really, really awesome that I knew could pull it off. It’s really poetic. The language is really different. So if it’s not well executed, it’s really hard to understand.”
The Meadowdale Players are also rehearsing for their upcoming production of “High School Musical” in May, which has been “a complete 180” from “Eurydice,” said Lucy Knudsen, who plays Eurydice.
“This has been very somber in comparison,” she said. “Even though it’s based on such a well-known myth, there’s still these turns in the story that, even though logically you know they’re coming, it’s still just as impactful.”
Meadowdale drama students usually perform for an audience of 181 in the school’s black box theater. At the festival, they’ll perform in a theater with 3,200 seats.
“Going into this, we are basically the underdogs,” said Tyler Pennington, who plays Eurydice’s father. “I bet there’s not many schools even in Washington who know that Meadowdale even exists. So I’m very happy to get our name out there and to show that we can do something.”
Stage manager Ron Peters said “Eurydice” is different than other shows they’ve managed at Meadowdale.
“Watching the entire rehearsal process, it was interesting to see each little piece individually and that kind of come together at the end,” Peters said. “And then getting to perform it on such a large scale in front of so many people, it’ll definitely be an experience.”
On Monday, cast members were rehearsing for the State Thespian Festival in Seattle on Thursday and Friday. The show has a small cast of 11, in addition to the crew.
“Doing it with such a small cast makes it more meaningful and you get really intimate with your cast members,” said Seda San Nicolas, who plays Orpheus. “It’s very different from what you would usually see in productions, especially in high school.”
Although the cast is excited, there are still logistics the group has to figure out, such as fundraising and transporting their set pieces. Meyners said she hopes every student can attend for free, and the group needs to raise at least $50,000 for that to happen.
“I know that the work we do here is really amazing and awesome, but I don’t know if everyone always sees that, so it feels really nice to have that recognition,” Meyners said.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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