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2025 Downeast Regional Class A Champion
All Festival Cast
Adam Losquadro
Cecelia Blackett
Graham Carter
Harlan Mahoney
Special Commendations
Outstanding Choral Ensemble - The Chorus of Stones - Ruby DeMuro, Dasha Artemchuk, Jorge Waldrop, Fiona Lantheaume, Liana Johnson and Kevin McDonough
Outstanding Technical Excellence - Addy Raven, Braelynn Bird, Isa Raven, Kaiana Stone and the entire crew
Outstanding Theatrical Spectacle - Full Ensemble
2025 Maine State Drama Festival
All Festival Cast
Harlan Mahoney
Special Commendations
Outstanding Ensemble - The Chorus of Stones - Ruby DeMuro, Dasha Artemchuk, Jorge Waldrop, Fiona Lantheaume, Liana Johnson and Kevin McDonough
Outstanding Student Technical Director - Isa Raven
Outstanding Lighting Design - Braelynn Bird
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MDI Drama Presents a Timeless Reimagining of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice – A Haunting Journey of Love, Loss, and Memory
MDI Drama is thrilled to announce its upcoming one act production of Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl’s lyrical and thought-provoking reimagining of the ancient Greek myth. Directed by MDI Drama Director Casey Rush, this hauntingly beautiful play will premiere on Saturday, March 1st at 7 PM at the Higgins-Demas Theater at MDI High School. Additional performances will be Friday, March 7th at 9PM at the Downeast Regional hosted by MDI Drama, and Wednesday, March 19th at 6PM. With its unique blend of magical realism and poignant emotional depth, Eurydice promises to captivate audiences with its exploration of love, grief, and the power of memory.
In Ruhl's version of the classic myth, Eurydice, played by MDI Drama senior Cecelia Blackett, is not simply the passive figure waiting to be rescued by Orpheus. Instead, she takes center stage, navigating her own emotional journey through the underworld after a tragic death. She explores her relationship with her father and the tension between love and letting go. With Ruhl's characteristic rich poetic language and an innovative structure, Eurydice is a moving exploration of what it means to remember and what it means to forget.
The cast includes a talented ensemble of actors, with senior Adam Losquadro playing Orpheus, the tragic lover who strives to reclaim Eurydice from the depths of the underworld, and junior Graham Carter as Eurydice’s father, whose bond with his daughter is at the heart of the play’s emotional core. Senior Harlan Mahoney takes on a sinister role as the Lord of the Underworld in his various incarnations. A chorus of stones, underworld dwellers who alternately torment and aid the titular character, is led by junior Ruby DeMuro, who also serves as movement coordinator and choreographer. The chorus is rounded out by senior Dasha Artemchuk, sophomore Jorge Waldrop, and freshmen Liana Johnson, Fiona Lantheaume and Kevin McDonough.
The Technical Production Team is led by Tech Directors Carlene Hirsch (Scenic) and Grey Burkart (Lighting and Sound) and student leaders, Student Tech Director and video lead Isa Raven and Crew Chief Mabel Bureau. Other section heads include stage manager Harper DeGeorge, design lead Ila Boatright, sound lead Addy Raven, lighting lead Braelynn Bird, and metal fabrication lead Aiden Furrow. Other tech crew members include seniors Morgan Matthews and Richard Miller, juniors Abigail Kimball and Fred Sebelin, sophomore Kaiana Stone and freshmen Jackson DaCosta, Tobias McLean, and Keiran Miller.
A couple of MDI Drama alumni have also stepped in to provide timely and critical assistance, including Moxie McBreairty ('21), a senior at Bennington College, who is completing an internship and serving in a staff role, and Molly Dillon ('23), a freshman at the College of the Atlantic who is working as a production assistant for the second year in a row.
Says Director Casey Rush, "I had initially planned to direct Eurydice back in 2017 and we had even secured licensing. But the Maine Drama Council changed the maximum show length from 40 minutes to 35, and I didn't think we could adapt the full-length play to that shorter time frame. I ultimately decided to produce The Insanity of Mary Girard, (the 2017 Maine State Championship production) so it all worked out I suppose."
MDI Drama subsequently produced Eurydice during the Spring 2017 season under the direction of Frank Bachman, but Rush couldn't get the show out of his head. "That spring production was really great, but I always knew that I wanted to produce Eurydice as a one act at some point."
The local premiere of Eurydice is scheduled for Saturday, March 1 at 7PM in the Higgins-Demas Theater at MDI High School. Admission is by donation to benefit the MDI Drama.
The Downeast Regional performance at MDI High School is scheduled for Friday, March 7 at 9PM. Electronic tickets are available for purchase at the door and benefit the Maine Principals Association and will be sold before each session and between performances: $5 (plus 1.25 surcharge) for students/seniors 65+ and $10 (plus 1.50 surcharge) for adults.
A final local performance will take place on Wednesday, March 19 at 6PM at the annual Black Rose Showcase. Admission is by donation and will benefit the Black Rose Fund to renovate the Higgins-Demas Theater.
