Nationwide Theatre to stage The Odyssey in ‘epic’ retelling all over England | Nationwide Theatre

Nationwide Theatre to stage The Odyssey in ‘epic’ retelling all over England | Nationwide Theatre

A retelling of The Odyssey, Homer’s epic tale of stamina and hope, is to be the centrepiece of a landmark job up coming 12 months by the Countrywide Theatre in partnership with local artists and communities.

The creation will be staged in episodes in Stoke-on-Trent, Doncaster, Trowbridge and Sunderland. Each and every of the four parts will be prepared by a regional playwright, and carried out by neighborhood men and women together with skilled actors.

The fifth and closing episode will be a total-scale musical output at the Olivier phase of the Nationwide Theatre in London involving hundreds of individuals from throughout the United kingdom which includes cameo performances by teams from Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire.

“It will be logistically extremely hard, but thrilling to have persons from all around the nation on the stage for the final section,” stated Emily Lim, director of Community Functions, the NT’s countrywide community initiative, which celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2023. Next year is also the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NT by Laurence Olivier.

Emily Lim
Emily Lim Photograph: James Bellorini

Lim and her colleagues wished to phase an “epic, episodic story which would enable us to go on a journey all-around the country and finish back again at the Countrywide Theatre”, she said. “The Odyssey was a single of the most clear, and we resisted it for a even though partly simply because of that.

“But this is a tale of endurance, resilience, of conquering trial upon trial. And of hope, of finding a way of preserving likely. In the context of the earlier two yrs, this is a pertinent thing to take a look at.

“How do we hold heading in the experience of a earth turned upside down? When everything’s falling apart, how do we appear up? Where’s the mild? Where’s the hope? Where’s the ahead motion? And we locate it in every single other.”

Every single episode will be self-contained and “very bespoke”, but part of a person greater tale, stated Lim. “We want to give as much autonomy as achievable to the four remarkable writers and inventive groups all-around the state. But we also will need to make guaranteed that the story retains as a regular total.”

All four sections will open up with the very same prologue, and the exact track will be done with versions in every single output. “There will also be a thing we’re contacting ‘passing the baton’ – a community member from each individual place will journey to the following area to execute as portion of that opening. And they will convey with them a reward to the firm they are likely to from the firm they’ve arrive from.”

An component of the ultimate episode will be a recap of the very first 4 pieces. Lim reported: “We’d enjoy it if men and women travelled to see all five episodes, but anything will be offered to stream. And just about every piece can be enjoyed independently.”

Lindsay Rodden, who is writing the Sunderland section.
Lindsay Rodden, who is crafting the Sunderland part. Photograph: NT

Lindsay Rodden, who is producing episode 4 which will be staged in Sunderland, explained the project was a “huge endeavor, the complete opposite of observing something on your phone”.

The Sunderland episode will be the stories of Odysseus’ experience with the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, and the Cattle of Helios. “These are interesting, dramatic, terrifying tales. Individuals are drawn to enormous, epic dramas,” she said.

Sunderland Lifestyle and the Sunderland Empire theatre, the NT’s associates, experienced an “arms wide open” solution, said Rodden. “It’s an invitation: who wishes to be a part of in? We have a big lovely stage, occur and assistance us fill it.”

Public Functions was set up in 2017 as a participatory theatre programme, with its 1st creation the subsequent 12 months. “Theatre is all about just about anything remaining doable,” said Lim. “With a thing as massive and as epic as this, the clearly show will be a big celebration of who we are and who we can be when we arrive together as a group of artists.”

The very first 4 episodes will be staged in April 2023, with the closing episode in August 2023.