Hovey Players starts 90th year with ‘Eurydice’

The Greek myth of Orpheus has been retold countless times over the millennia from the protagonist’s point of view. However, the venerable Hovey Players theater group will perform the classical tragedy from the heroine’s perspective in the upcoming show “Eurydice.”

Director Jill Tokac said “I feel so honored,” when asked about leading her first Hovey show, especially at the beginning of the organization’s 90th anniversary year.

The Newton resident has been directing for five years while simultaneously working a full-time job at the Boston Children’s Chorus. She was drawn to the modern retelling of “Eurydice” by playwright Sarah Ruhl’s openness to directors bringing her work to life in their own ways.

“I completely changed the concept of what the script is,” said Tokac about her interpretation. She praised Hovey for giving full creative control to her, the actors, set designers, and other contributors.

Director’s vision

According to Hovey Players’ description of the play, “‘Eurydice’ transforms a traditional myth into a visceral, contemporary meditation on love worth grieving for.”

Part of the seven-person show calls for music to be played at certain times but leaves it up to the director to choose the tunes. Tokac decided to commission original music written by her friend Bryan Whittier.

According to Rebecca Shor, a member of Hovey’s creative board, the theater group’s shows often include music but it produced its last full musical about 10 years ago. However, other companies have staged musicals in the Hovey space.

In addition to adding songs, Tokac also had the challenge of fitting the expansive concepts in Ruhl’s play into Hovey’s 50-seat black box theater.

“It is very, very intimate,” she said. In fact, the audience is so close to the actors that microphones aren’t needed.

Since “water is a big theme of ‘Eurydice,’” said Tokac, she decided to create a modern beach setting.

“We’ve moved it forward in time,” she said, noting that a character even uses a cell phone during the show. As a side benefit, it’s also cost effective to set it in the 21st Century.

Tokac, who appreciates Hovey’s support, hopes to direct more shows with the theater in the future.

Hovey Players is located at 9 Spring St., Waltham. “Eurydice” will run from Jan. 23 to Feb. 7. For more information, visit the website.