Centenary Theatre Program presents “Metamorphoses” October 17-20
SHREVEPORT, LA — The Centenary Theatre Program (CTP) opens its 2024-2025 season next month with an inventive take on Ovid’s tales in a production of Tony Award-winning director and playwright Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. Called by Time the “theatre event of the year,” Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses mesmerizes with tales of Midas, Orpheus, Aphrodite, and more in a whimsical and heartbreaking meditation on the joys and perils of being human.
Metamorphoses opens on Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. and includes additional evening performances on October 18 and 19. The show’s run ends with a 2:00 p.m. performance on Sunday, October 20.
The ensemble cast includes both Centenary students and community members and will be led by director Jared Watson. Watson is the producing artistic director of Stage Center, a local theater company and performing arts school that he co-founded in 2012. He previously collaborated with CTP in 2022, directing Peter and the Starcatcher. Watson is a member of 2007 class of the Director's Lab at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City, and a 2004 graduate of the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theater at the University of Oklahoma.
Metamorphoses is comprised of ten myths, some of which will be familiar to audiences and others that may be new. All of the stories, Watson noted, are about the human condition, illuminating “…what we go through for family, love, life itself, and ultimately fulfillment; the transformation we undergo moving from the past to the present.”
Set in and around a large pool of water onstage, the play explores a world where primal storytelling and modern sensibilities collide, as gods and mortals alike endure love, loss, and transformation.
“Metamorphoses is an exciting production for many reasons, but especially because our scenic design is a body of water,” explained Watson. “In the abstract theater world, performers don't always get to work with such tangible elements, so developing and collaborating on this piece has been a unique and exciting challenge. The water in the show becomes a metaphor for many things, especially the transformation or "rebirth" each of the characters undergo to overcome obstacles in the ancient myths we present. I think people will be surprised at how funny the show is because the playwright (and original director) Mary Zimmerman blends new sensibilities and old-school storytelling together so well.”
Tickets for the CTP production of Metamorphoses are now available at centenary.edu/mlptickets. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors/military members, and $10 for students with ID. Tickets are free for Centenary students, faculty, and staff.