Errand Into the Maze premiered in 1947 at the Ziegfield Theater in New York City. With a score by Gian Carlo Menotti, and set design by Isamu Noguchi, the dance was choreographed as a duet for Martha Graham and Mark Ryder. It is loosely derived from the myth of Theseus, who journeys into the labyrinth to confront the Minotaur, a creature who is half man and half beast. In Errand Into the Maze, Martha Graham retells the tale from the perspective of Ariadne, who descends into the labyrinth to conquer the Minotaur. Substituting a heroine for the hero of Greek mythology in her dance, Martha Graham created a female protagonist who would confront the beast of fear, not just once, but three times, before finally overpowering him. Noguchi designed a set that consisted of a v-shaped frame, like the crotch of a tree or the pelvic bones of a woman. A long rope curves its way through the performance space and ends at this symbolic doorway. Influenced by the theories of the great psychologist Carl Jung, Martha Graham was exploring the mythological journey into the self in this dance.