A woman dressed in a purple veil and cream dress sitting on the floor, with her eyes closed, and her hand raised gracefully. People in the background are seated, some holding papers.

PYTHIA

March, 2025

Director and Composer: Mya Vandegrift

Producer: Nora James Eikner

Music Director: Santina Juma

Choreographer: Eliza Fisher

Runner-up for best undergraduate research project of the year in the Performance Studies department at Northwestern University

“Vandegrift started writing “Pythia” in February 2024 for her senior thesis. The music drama is based on Greek mythology and specifically the history of the Pythian priestesses — the women who served at the Oracle of Delphi at the Temple of Apollo. These women delivered prophecies that would guide Greek and Roman empires and were thought to be the connection between Gods and humans. However, the women themselves were erased from history, with only their prophecies remaining.

“(I explored) the idea of prophecy, what it means to be all-knowing, how history is recorded and remembered and what women and what people are erased,” Vandegrift said.”

link to read more performance video available upon request

Role: Pythia (lead)

A group of women dressed in white and beige gowns on a stage, with one woman in a dark dress, appears to be performing a dramatic scene.
Two women in white dresses standing side by side on a dimly lit stage during a performance or rehearsal.
A woman with curly hair wearing a leaf crown sits on a white cloth and holds a wooden staff, conversing with a young woman in a white dress, in a dimly lit setting.
Group of women performing a theatrical scene on stage with white curtains, while an audience watches in the background.
A woman with long, wavy brown hair stands on stage, wearing a white dress, illuminated by a spotlight, with large draped fabric backdrop behind her.
Five women sitting on outdoor stone steps, each covered with purple sheer fabric, in front of a stone building with large windows and decorative urns.
A young woman with long wavy hair appears to be on stage, leaning forward with a determined expression, her arm extended with a jewelry bracelet, surrounded by draped fabric.
A young woman in a white dress with a purple sheer shawl draped over her head, standing in front of a stone building with arches and a bronze statue of a soldier.