METAMORPHOSIS

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DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

The word Metamorphoses means change or transformation. As such, Ovid's "Metamorphoses" is a collection of Ancient Roman and Greek myths that tell the story of the evolution of humanity, of the gods and of the earth itself, to wisdom.  Like all religious stories, they are allegories, which contain encoded messages to help humanity down the spiritual path.
 
I have chosen to frame the stories through the eyes of Europa, a mistress of Zeus who gave birth to three sons (and one of his few mortal lovers that didn't get punished by his wife, Hera!)  The journey of birth seems like a perfect metaphor.  It is an emotional, mental and physical transformation, and requires total trust, self awareness and courage, as well as the complete balance between mind, body, heart and spirit.   The process of birth is a journey of spiritual awakening and a chance to transcend our world and make contact with something divine.  Ultimately it is also a journey of total and unconditional love, and that in itself, makes it a great metaphor for the play.

MORE ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:

In the opening of the play, a woman (whom we see as Europa in the first photo) says:  

"Bodies, I have in mind, and how they can change to assume new shapes-- I ask the help of the gods, who know the trick: change me, and let me glimpse the secret and speak, better than I know how, of the world’s birthing, and the creation of all things, from the first to the very latest".

In this production the woman is struggling with her own metamorphoses through the joys and fears of pregnancy and birth, wavering between the fear of the experience (medical intervention) and the enlightenment of the experience (natural birth).  The stories ask her to trust, to let go, and eventually she is able to enter the water, which becomes a symbol of the unconscious mind, the womb, and the birthing pool.