The adventures of Odysseus have been workshopped with Doncaster community performers as part a multi-location production of The Odyssey, which opens this month.
The project is an epic retelling of the ancient Greek poem from the National Theatre as part of their Public Acts program and will tell the story in five episodes across five different theatres.
A local writer from each area has adapted a chapter of The Odyssey to modernise and “revolutionise the story”, and Episode 2, The Cyclops, has been created in partnership with Cast Theatre.
Written by Tajinder Singh Hayer, this part of the story takes place in a industry warehouse, replacing the Cyclops monster with a Big Brother-like overseer who watches those inside through cameras.
In the original chapter, Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poem, finds himself trapped in a cave with his fellow crewmates by a one-eyed giant.
Billy Woolrich, on the marketing team at Cast and one of the performers in the production, commented on the modernisation and the themes of the performance:
“There’s a sense of drudgery and degradation that a lot of workers go through in these huge fulfilment centres.
“Day by day they’re monitored and they can’t really relax, and it takes the human element out of the workforce.
“The show reflects the way that people work together within their workspace to break out of that and reclaim their humanity and their individuality that the industries and corporations are taking away from them.”
He said that the theme running throughout all five episodes is “one of hope and working together to overcome challenges”, reflecting Public Act’s mentality of community and engagement with your community.
The message is that “as long as you work together and you believe in each other, you can overcome your hardships”.
In the final episode, The Underworld, Odysseus is a woman, and in The Cyclops, Odysseus is multi-rolled and the character’s gender is removed altogether.
Mr Woolrich explained that removing the gender of the hero makes the story all the more relevant in today’s world, and “changes the narrative a little bit.”
As well as working on the marketing team and being involved in the production meetings, Mr Woolrich will be playing the part of playing Perimedes, Odysseus’ right-hand-man.
He said: “It’s been extraordinary, to meet people who get along so well and are so supportive of each other, personally, professionally and creatively.
“To be welcomed into a room where you don’t know anybody and feel like one of them within a few minutes is really inspiring, and humbling as well.”
National Theatre’s Public Acts is designed to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community in partnership with several theatres around England, one of which is Cast.
The programme builds sustained partnerships with theatres and community organisations across the UK who share their vision of theatre as a force for change.
In the creation of The Cyclops, community members were invited to come along to workshops that Cast held specifically for this production, taking part in script and movement work.
Community involvement is something that is “vital” to Cast, and runs throughout their work.
Mr Woolrich said: “A local theatre, like Cast, is a hub for so many creative people – people who might not have creative careers but they have a creative bone in their body and they just want to express themselves.
“Programs like Public Acts encourage that. It’s about bringing theatre into a whole new generation and into the lives of people who wouldn’t necessarily think theatre is for them.
“It’s really quite inspiring when you see a rehearsal, or a workshop, to see the smiles on people’s faces and the sense of community that they form when they’re here.”
This year Cast celebrates their 10th birthday.
According to Mr Woolrich, this performance “encapsulates everything that the theatre does”.
He said that the production is a massive celebration of Cast because it’s “not just us”.
“It shows the links that we have around the country with other organisations.
“We want to bring theatre to everybody and make sure that people in Doncaster feel like they can come to Cast and have a great time no matter who they are and what they like.
“Every person that passes through its doors, whether its a customer, a guest, a creative, or a new staff member – everybody comments on how great it is as a place to be, as a place to work, as a place to play, really.”
Episode 2 of The Odyssey: The Cyclops, will be performed at Cast theatre on April 15th and 16th.