Don Pham, Classics

Contact mrpham@u.washington.edu

Dedication

'Dedication' is another Orpheus adaptation for Professor James J.
Clauss's Classics 432 course.  The story takes place in the modern world.
Orpheus is an artist so brilliant that his audience fails to warrant his
attention anymore.  He's bored.  His manager, Erik Weaver, fears that this
may mark the end of his commision and tries to find a way to reignite
Orpheus's passion.  He hires a private investigator to track down the
woman who was the source of his inspiration, the lovely Eurydices, only to
discover she died months ago in a car accident.  But Erik is not one to
give up so easily.  He hires Persephone, an extremely insecure and
inexperienced actress who's one saving grace is an uncanny resemblence to
the late Eurydices, to play the role. Though her performance is somewhat
flawed, Orpheus needs little convincing that she is Eurydices because he
WANTS to believe she is Eurydices.  He only sees her at a regular interval
for a few minutes at a time once a week before she leaves for her bus, but
these encounters mean the world to him however brief they may be and how
little she says.  At the same time, she learns a little more about what it
means to be an artist.  But, no longer feeling the void that Eurydices
left behind, Orpheus doesn't have the motivation to work anymore.  Erik
recognizes this fact and tells Persephone to coldly brush Orpheus aside,
forcing Orpheus to lose her once again.  And then the real tragedy of
begins, with further deceptions, a death, and the final masterpiece
bringing everything to a close.

'Dedication' is a 35 page screenplay (And probably about that long) that
has been written and will be directed by Don Pham.  It is a tragedy with
bits of dark comedy early on and irony towards the end.  This
interpretation is intended to explores such issues as artistry,
inspiration, genius, obsession, and love.