Opening at the end of the month, The National Theatre’s multi-location production of The Odyssey is currently in rehearsal at five locations across England.
The Odyssey is an epic, multi-venue production made in collaboration with hundreds of community members and professional artists from across the country. Through this landmark project, the adventures of Odysseus are reimagined for today as a universal story of resilience, loss, healing and hope.
Journeying alongside the productions, The Galley will appear in public places including markets, local beaches and parks to collect messages of remembrance from the local community. A 10-metre-long ship crafted from sustainable materials including bamboo and rope, The Galley represents Odysseus’ epic voyage and the nationwide connection between the communities who will tell the story. After each of the episodes, The Galley will transform into the stage of a closing ceremony to pass the baton of the storytelling forward.
The Odyssey will be told in five episodes taking place across the country from 30 March 2023, culminating with the final episode on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre on 26-28 August 2023.
The first four episodes are being created and performed by local artists and communities in four partner organisations across the country: Restoke in Stoke-on-Trent (30 March – 2 April), Cast in Doncaster (15–16 April), Trowbridge Town Hall in Trowbridge (22–23 April) and The Fire Station (for Sunderland Culture in partnership with Sunderland Empire) in Sunderland (28–29 April).
The production is a joyful celebration of national community marking the fifth anniversary of Public Acts, the NT’s nationwide programme to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community. The lead creative team for the project is Director of Public Acts Emily Lim, playwright and lyricist Chris Bush, who will write the final episode and act as Dramaturg for the first four episodes in collaboration with playwrights from across the country, and music composer Jim Fortune who will compose music for the final episode.
A company member in Sunderland said, “’We’ve come together really well as a company and it’s amazing to see the progress in just a few rehearsals. There’s a huge amount of talent in the group and it’s great for Sunderland, as a city by the sea, to be part of this national project.”
Playwright Chris Bush said, “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate five years of Public Acts than with this truly national project, assembling our own mini pantheon of world-class writers from up and down the country. It’s been a joy and a privilege to help weave this epic story together, and I can’t wait for our final episode at the National Theatre this summer.”
The culmination of The Odyssey journey, the fifth episode, will be staged as a full-scale musical production at the National Theatre on 26-28 August 2023. This final production will feature community performers from all four previous episodes, as well as members recruited through Public Acts founding community partners, founding theatre partner Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and Trybe House Theatre in London who are working with Public Acts for the first time this year. The performance will feature a total of 140 people including six professional actors, six live musicians and three cameo performance groups from across the UK.
