Costume Design

Concept Costume Designs for Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice

Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice” is a tragedy about the fragility of mortal lives. The play depicts the trials and tribulations of Eurydice, her father and Orpheus, as they try, but fail, to defy fate and the Gods. I chose toys as a visual representation of how mortals are at the whim of the Gods. It also represents how the Gods play with mortal’s lives with little consequence to their own well being, much like toys are at the whim of the children who play with them. This motif is supported by the depiction of The Lord of the Underworld as a child. I chose toys from the 1950s as inspiration for the costumes in the Land of the Living because they are filled with bright colors, and hope and tend to be a symbol of a “better” or a “simpler” time. This reflects the youthful and naive ideas found in the first act. The toys in the living world are new, exciting and not worn from use. The Underworld is based on ancient greek times and the toys that have been found from that era. These toys are made of fragile materials like clay. The underworld is filled with broken, overused, and worn toys made of clay. Eurydice and Orpheus’s futile battle resembles the ancient pottery’s battle against the pressures of time, stone and water erosion.