UCL 2021 Classical Play - The Odyssey

20/02/2021

Look at what our amazing team and the equally brilliant Academus Education produced! Check it out - I promise it’ll be time well spent

Also! Check out our living archive whilst you're at it ✨✨
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/classics/classical-play

Academus has partnered with the UCL Classical Play to produce a resource booklet all about the Odyssey as classicists and dramatists. Articles include women in the Odyssey, directing the Odyssey and Emily Wilson's translation.

08/02/2021

Our 'Living Archive' is now live!
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/classics/2021-homers-odyssey-living-archive
Thank you so much to everyone who has sent us your work, we really enjoyed reading, listening, and viewing it! We will be adding more content throughout the week so stay tuned!

We are also very excited to welcome Emily Wilson tonight at 6:30pm - if you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late to do it here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/whats-on/classics-2021

VisualRosie Lowndes at The Greycoat HospitalHere are a series of pictures I took, based around the witch Circe. I wanted to do a 20s, art-deco take on the classic Greek tale of Circe and Odysseus, as the 20’s took a lot of fashion inspiration from ancient Greece; long, flowing silhouettes, without...

28/01/2021

Just a reminder that you can be a part of our 'living archive' by sending any Odyssey/Homer-related creative work (a piece of poetry, artwork, a translation, a song, a photo, or an acted-out scene (or whatever else they may think of!)) to [email protected] by 3rd February 2021.

Thanks a lot to those who have already submitted something - your submissions are wonderful!!

UCL Greek & Latin

23/01/2021

Registration links to our amazing engagement programme are now live! You can book your free ticket for the following lectures below:


Translating The Odyssey. In Conversation with Emily Wilson:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?ev=20037

Visualising Odysseus and his journey: cinematic approaches to the Odyssey:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?ev=20038

Home is where the hearth is. Odysseus and Mycenae:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?ev=20039

Dead Men Talking:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?ev=20040

Performing the Epic Now:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?ev=20041

14/01/2021

We are excited to share with you APGRD's (Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama) podcast, which featured a few members of our production team and our play!

We are so thankful to have been part of this episode and also to have also met two wonderful directors from the University of Oxford who are working on staging Orestae in 2021. Our conversation focused on some of the challenges presented by Covid-19 in the world of theatre and drama🎭 and how it impacted both of our plays. Please do check it out here:
http://www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/digital.../podcast/episode-8!

17/12/2020

We are excited to announce that Dr Michael Loy's essay is up on our website!!! 🎉📃 🎉

Please check it out here:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/classics/classical-play/past-productions/2021-homers-odyssey-study-guide?fbclid=IwAR1ywd82Q5LcdoAYA2Nlq3NVzVvc1ppBw_ZtKg43PwRDuUbQQ3KVESZCNnA

Home is where the hearth is – Odysseus and MycenaeMichael Loy, British School at AthensIn Book XIX of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus disguised as a beggar has made his way back to his home on Ithaca. As the night draws in, Odysseus’ unsuspecting wife Penelope sits by the fire and talks with her dis...

09/12/2020

Shout out to The Tab London for the article on how to support the arts industry in our circumstances!

Check out some ways to support theatre during the pandemic online and in-person as socially distanced theatre begins to open up in London.

08/12/2020

Our performance of Book 16 of the Odyssey for The Centre For Hellenic Studies at Harvard University will be going live tomorrow, on 9th December at 12pm, via this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FUbIVUbHfU&feature=youtu.be

It's only about 5 minutes long, so please do set up a reminder and don't forget to give it a like!! 😁

27/11/2020

We were really lucky to take part in the Odyssey ‘Round the World project by Centre For Hellenic Studies at Harvard University.

This project is a 24-hour event that will feature performances of every rhapsody of the Odyssey, recorded by students, faculty, and actors around the world.

A rhapsody will be released on the CHS YouTube channel every hour, on the hour, beginning December 8.

You can watch the recording of our cast perform Book 16 of the Odyssey (the book when Odysseus' dog dies 😭) at 12pm on Wednesday 9th December. We'll share the link closer to the time so stay tuned!

27/10/2020

Next up is Charlotte - one of our wonderful Assistant Producers. Charlotte is a Fresher and experiencing a very strange UCL, but her enthusiasm will be much appreciated as we begin our long journey!

26/10/2020

And welcome to Ffion who is doing her masters at UCL. As someone with a lot of experience in how theatres run, she will prove an invaluable member of our super team

24/10/2020

And a big welcome to Holly, our Assistant Designer. Holly has a lot of fantastic ideas for The Odyssey, and we’re very excited to see how that comes into effect. As someone who has had a lot of experience in Design we’re looking forward to her help and expertise as we attempt to stage this huge huge show!

22/10/2020

And introducing Sofie, our wonderful Head of Design. As someone who knows Blooms inside and out, as well as being Vice President of Stage Crew, Sofie will provide a huge amount of experience and contacts to help our show fulfil its potential. She also has a lot of fantastic design ideas. So watch this space…

21/10/2020

Meet Alex our incredible Head of Costume. Someone involved in theatre who doesn’t study a humanities subject – what!!! Alex brings some amazing experience to the team, having been Assistant Costume Designer for ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and Head of Design on the UCL Drama committee. We’re very excited to see how Alex attempts to dress well over 70 characters…don’t think he knows that quite yet…

20/10/2020

And next up is Zoe our Assistant Director. As someone with a lot of experience in drama and physical theatre, we’re really excited to see how she works with such a magical and wondrous story

18/10/2020

Hey, meet Diego Collado – our Director of Film, here to record every bit of our exciting journey. As Head of FilmSoc and an amateur radio operator, he’s got the know-how, contacts, and experience to really transform our production of Homer’s Odyssey!

13/10/2020

Hey this is Björn Franke – our Composer, here to provide us with a bit of music as we sail past the straits of Medina. As the reigning Arts Contributor of the Year, Bjorn is sure to provide a lot of fun and fantastic ideas on this passage!

07/10/2020

χαίρετε!

Jermyn Street Theatre and The London Review Bookshop have organised a reading of the Odyssey, which we are very excited to watch! Please find the details below (including a discount code for a physical copy of the book!!!)

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In a digital theatrical first, W.W. Norton has joined forces with Jermyn Street Theatre and The London Review Bookshop to stage a live performance of all twenty-four books of The Odyssey delivered by seventy-two actors over a twelve-hour period.

On 9th October, the critically acclaimed translation of Homer's great epic work by Emily Wilson will be presented in its entirety, back to back via a free online stream on YouTube. The performance will remain available for you and your students to watch back, for the next week.

We understand that your course plans have been disrupted this year and you will be moving elements of your course online for the first time. We hope that you will find the performance an invaluable resource to help keep your students engaged as they transition to online learning.

On Friday 9th October, Books 1 to 4 will stream from 9am on the LRB Bookshop YouTube (https://s6.newzapp.co.uk/t/gtl/MTQ2NzYyNDEsMTQ1MTEzNDIwNSwxNA==), and Books 5 to 24 will continue at 12 noon on the Jermyn Street Theatre YouTube (https://s6.newzapp.co.uk/t/gtl/MTQ2NzYyNDIsMTQ1MTEzNDIwNSwxNA==) and run until late that night. The entire reading will remain on the YouTube channels for one week.

To celebrate this exciting event, we are delighted to offer you a 20% off both our Norton Critical Edition and our paperback edition of Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey.

Please visit: www.wwnorton.co.uk
Enter code on checkout: WN733

02/10/2020

Dear philoi (friends),

The auditions for the acting team are officially open! The Classical Play is nationally recognised and this play has the potential to spread even further. Why wouldn't you want to be part of such an amazing show?

The auditions will take place synchronously online, which means that we would like you to audition live for our small production team.
This is a step by step guide to how to audition virtually:

1. Click on the link, fill out the form and sign up for a time slot

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjBNM7X3A1cYCRtKqI8xVX2sD_WRwExpypmmFKrNMnEwIaRw/viewform?usp=sf_link

2. Read through the pieces and decide which one you’d like to audition with. This doesn’t have to be learnt, but we recommend printing it out or writing it down on a piece of paper to perform with. You only need to have prepared ONE

https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fd%2F1Z3mepz8xbxyt3u8Ht85MWDWWY4ZnENB9T-p_WzWdj5o%2Fedit%3Fusp%3Dsharing&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3efb04593c7f4e0c274c08d86701de4c%7C1faf88fea9984c5b93c9210a11d9a5c2%7C0%7C0%7C637372605001262505&sdata=cVXQzY9GbcYn51DeChypSiVOTMakhq%2BOAZjT4FxJ098%3D&reserved=0

3. Read it through and perform it out loud a couple times, and make sure you’re comfortable with the piece. Have a read up of the character and the scene, as we may be asking some questions
4. On the day of the audition, you will get an email through containing the Zoom link. Turn up 5 mins before you’re allotted time slot, and stay in the Waiting Room before you get invited in, that way we don’t have more than one person auditioning at a time
5. In the audition, perform your heart out! We know this is going to be a very different audition to what you are used to, but at least we’ll have the chance to speak to you a bit, and you’ll be able to ask any questions that you may have about the production

**IF YOU CAN’T MAKE ANY OF THESE TIMES EMAIL EITHER Lewis Bentley or Elena Bashkova ASAP**

28/09/2020

Dear philoi (friends),

The auditions for the production team are officially open! We are looking to expand our team and are searching for individuals who would like to join us on our own odyssey through this year's production of the play.
We are looking for an assistant director, assistant producer, and head of design. Please check the description for each role below and apply through this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScav9EagB773LBHkD523DpEGF1saf069x-2gxHaYVJa5jkWbA/viewform?usp=sf_link

APPLICATIONS CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!

Assistant Director:

Will work closely with the Director on rehearsals and overall style of the play. This is a really exciting opportunity and one that doesn’t require experience just a lot of enthusiasm. If you’re interested in acting
and drama but haven’t had a chance to direct then this is a really good path to take! If you’ve got any questions about the role then don’t be afraid to message our director

Assistant Producer:

Will work closely with the Producer on everything beyond the stage and overall style of the play. The role doesn't require any prior experience and is ideal for someone looking to participate in a play and find out
more about what goes on behind the scenes! It's a great way to gain more experience in the world of drama and you will acquire skills that can be used in the future in any career! If you have any question, please feel free to reach out to our Producer

Head of Design:

Will work with Producer and Director on overall design of play, including, but not limited to – costume, stage, make-up, props… This is a performance that is annually mentioned by major newspapers and highly regarded,
and so would be a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in this avenue of Drama. If you have any questions, please message our Director or our Producer .

27/09/2020

Hey meet Ellie – our PRODUCER - here to guide us through the ocean. As Treasurer VegSoc and Classics Soc as well, she’s got all the required qualities needed to be successful in this role!

25/09/2020

Hey this is Lewis - our DIRECTOR on this exciting voyage. As President of Drama as well this year, you’re sure to see him around soon enough!

18/09/2020

18/09/2020

Welcome to the UCL 2021 Classical Play!

We'd like to announce that this year we'll be putting on The Odyssey, based on Emily Wilson's translation. Stay tuned for more updates on our exciting journey, interviews with the production team and actors, and much much more!
Also, keep posted for the information about the auditions, which will be happening soon.