By bringing one of humanity’s foundational works to life in the language in which it was first sung nearly three millennia ago, this
Odyssey invites audiences into a rare encounter with the origins of storytelling, theater, and the enduring questions of what it means to be human.
The core idea for this project, to memorize all the books of the
Odyssey and perform them as a 24-hour solo performance, appeared after 9 years of sporadic self-study of the Ancient Greek language. In the decade since, site-specific performances of the first three books have been completed, with Books 4 and 5 in development.
The project was recently awarded a
NYSCA Support for Artists grant to develop Book 4 at
The Cherry in Ithaca, NY. It has received additional residencies with
Mercury Store,
Invulnerable Nothings, and
Theaterlab. It has been featured in
The New Yorker,
American Theater, and
The Brooklyn Rail, and Book 2 was presented in the
Live Arts in Nyack Phoenix Festival.
The Odyssey is paired with The Study: a library, work studio, reading room, gathering spot, and intimate performance venue. The Study explores the creative process itself, and experiments with shaping and defining the relationship between a performer and the audience. It does this through community events, educational outreach, and theatrical programming.
Learn More: https://www.theodyssey.info