The Theatre Times: Imagine, if you will, one of those old-fashioned TV game shows with two doors. Behind Door Number One is the Odysseus we all know from the Homerian epic: valiant hero, master strategizer, savvy trickster, and luckless victim of the gods’ perverse whims.
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I was talking to Mindy and she told me about this production and I’ve been itching to see it since. I adore works that warp the classics, specifically those of the Greco-Roman era as I grew up obsessed with the mythology and literature of the Greek pantheon. With this production specifically, I loved reading about how every aspect of the design serves the thesis of the piece. The melding of classic and modern aesthetics and the DIY side of the design is super exciting to me and I really want to see the tarp wave in action. By far the most interesting piece of the production in my mind is the movement of the audience in the final moments of the production, especially the way that it fits into the Greek structure of storytelling so perfectly exemplified in the Odyssey. Before the return to the regular world the hero must face one final challenge, and I think that the climb uphill is a genius dramatization of that final step of his journey.
I love when directors and designers can take an old piece of literature or play and turn it into something that tells a completely different story than was originally told, while staying true to the “script.” It is a huge testament to the power of live theatre that the entire message of the play can be changed simply by design and direction. It is also impressive, as in the case of this play, when a playwright is able to reference and allude to an old tale while also telling a somewhat similar, yet different story. Theatre’s ability to apply the social commentary of a previous time to the present is something that is profound and helps its patrons see the world from different and various perspectives. I wish that I knew this production happened so that I should see the full vision for myself. I would have loved to see a piece that was worked on by so many of our CMU professors.
One of the most inspiring things that theatre can do, is allow for the retelling and recognition of historical events. It is up to the prerogative of the space to keep the same narrative present in a sense; for example recognizing the horribly abusive colonial habits that Odysseus represents. Quantum theater recognizes it and redirects it to send a completely different message. Quantum theater represents the future of modern theater in many ways, from accommodating outdoor venues for social distancing to being conscious of our geographic footprint by performing innovatively in surprising places. One of my professors described how she worked on a production for them that was held in a slaughterhouse, another in a lake! Another thing that we can take from Quantum into our theatrical practices, is the accessibility to all people. They are currently doing an incredible self-guided walking tour that tells 10 narratives through audio. Not only is this free and accessible for people of any income level, but it also lets a level of ability or level of risk for exposure to Covid-19 to experience theater outside of an enclosed space.
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