Presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater & Music Theater
Sisyphus by Jessica Lopez ’24
Run Time
Approximately 30 minutes, no intermission
Special Notes
Please silence all electronic devices including cellular phones and watches, and refrain from text messaging for the duration of the performance.
Accessibility
The Drapkin Studio is an accessible venue equipped with assistive listening devices. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.
Cast
Sisyphus: Seryn Kim ’27
Death: Jacob Unger ’25
War: Simone Acosta ’27
Chorus: Grace Wang ’26
Production Team
Director: Jessica Lopez ’24*
Stage Manager: Marlie Kass ’27*
Assistant Stage Manager: Tiffany Rawlston ’26*
*denotes a certificate student/minor in the Program in Theater & Music Theater
Faculty Advisors
Aaron Landsman, Faculty Advisor
Sylvia Khoury-Yacoub, Writing Advisor
Jacqueline Halloway, Fight Choreographer
Letter from the Senior Thesis Proposer
“Respice post te. Hominem te esse memento. Memento mori!”
This line comes from an ancient Roman military tradition during which, after a significant victory, the lead general would be paraded around the city to be praised by the community while a slave periodically reminded him of the above phrase: “Look behind you. Remember that you are a (mortal) man,” ending with the infamous “memento mori”. This slogan has frequently been translated as “remember that you must die”, placing focus on the inevitability of every man’s demise. However, I have always favored a slightly different translation of the phrase: “Memento mori” means “remember to die,” delivered with the same intonation as “remember to take out the trash,” or “remember to call your Mom this weekend.” It is a reminder not of the inevitability of the action, but of its necessity and significance, marking it as the last item on every man’s to-do list.
In Sisyphus, the titular character does not believe that he can escape death forever, yet he sacrifices everything to delay his fate. He believes that the mortal world still demands too much from him and refers to accepting death as “selfish” and “irresponsible” behavior, as it would mean forcing his responsibilities onto the living. It is not that he does not respect Death and its purpose, but that he cannot accept his failure to accomplish everything he wanted to before his time is up. Eventually, he realizes that even within the scope of eternity, his work will never be finished, yet he never stops trying until he physically cannot resist anymore. I hope you find Sisyphus’s determination both admirable and horrifying in this modern retelling of the Classic myth, and that you enjoy the show!
Jessica Lopez
Director and playwright
Land Acknowledgement
An estimated 10 million Native Americans lived in North America before the arrival of European colonizers. Many thousands lived in Lenapehoking, the vast homeland of the Lenni-Lenape, who were the first inhabitants of what is now called eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.
Princeton stands on part of the ancient homeland and traditional territory of the Lenape people. In 1756, the College of New Jersey erected Nassau Hall with no recorded consultation with the Lenni-Lenape peoples.
Treaties and forced relocation dispersed Lenape-Delaware to Ohio, Kansas, and Oklahoma. We acknowledge the violence of settler colonialism and pay respect to Lenape peoples past, present, and future and their continuing presence in the homeland and throughout the Lenape diaspora.
For more information, see the websites of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Princeton (NAISIP), Natives at Princeton and Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition.
Lewis Center for the Arts
Chair: Judith Hamera
Executive Director: Marion Friedman Young
Director of Program in Theater: Jane Cox
Producing Artistic Director, Theater And Music Theater Season: Elena Araoz
View a list of Program in Theater & Music Theater faculty & guest artists
For a look at all the people working behind the scenes to bring you this event, view a list of LCA staff members.
The programs of the Peter B. Lewis Center for the Arts are made possible through the generous support of many alumni and other donors. View a list of LCA Supporters
