Pitt’s Theatre Department is doing its part to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by… Pitt’s Theatre Department is doing its part to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by doing what it does best. It will host a staged reading of Tennessee William’s “Orpheus Descending” on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Studio Theatre, located in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning. Students with ID are asked to donate what they can afford, while a $20 donation is requested of others. Proceeds will be given to the Red Cross.

Teaching artist, lecturer and department alumna Elena Alexandratos will be leading a cast composed of theatre arts students and faculty. Lofty Durham, an M.A./Ph.D. student, will direct the reading of William’s modern retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus, a poet and musician who was murdered by Maenads for no longer worshipping Dionysus.

William’s play is set in a small southern town characterized by conformity and narrow minds. It tells the story of Val and Lady. Lady, a middle-aged woman, runs a dry-goods store and is stuck in a loveless marriage to a dying husband. When Val blows into town, carrying a guitar and clad in a snakeskin jacket, he breathes new life into Lady, as she finds herself attracted to the charismatic young man.

The play deals with passion and life, but also consequences and tragedy, as we watch Lady and Val struggle to live with hope in a fallen world.

The reading will undoubtedly resonate with audience members as our local community works hard to help those devastated by the hurricane rebuild their lives.