Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem “The Odyssey” has been adapted countless times, but New York City-based theater group The Acting Company took a unique approach to the epic. On October 26, they brought their stage adaptation of “The Odyssey” to the Center For Faith and Life as part of Luther’s Center Stage Series and the company’s national tour.
The Acting Company’s retelling of the poem follows four women held in a refugee camp, who retell the story of “The Odyssey” while they await buses that will take them to their next destination. While on stage, the four women frequently used the various objects that they had with them as props as they let their imaginations take them back to ancient Greece. Additionally, the production also included a few musical numbers performed by the cast. Cast members included Layla Khoshnoudi as Anoud, Zamo Mlengana as Zee, Abiola Obatolu as Swing, Anya Whelan-Smith as Hana and Sophie Zmorrod as Béa.
The show is written and directed by Lisa Peterson. The translation of “The Odyssey” that guides this production is also the only translation of the poem completed by a woman, Emily Wilson. Petersen explains in the performance program how the production stays true to the original Greek poem in its own way.
“Emily’s translation keeps opening windows to many of the less famous but more complicated elements of ’The Odyssey’ [like] the focus on the Greek idea of xenia, or hospitality,” Peterson said. “In her hands, the story keeps touching down on the different ways that humans deal with guests and strangers, especially those that find themselves on the shores of a new land and need help.”
At Luther, the Performing Arts Committee (PAC) oversees the presentation of the Center Stage Series. The board consists of Co-Presidents Niamh Mee (‘26) and Lily McGohan (‘24), Vice President Sofia England (‘26), Marketing Chair Carina Crouse (‘26), Secretary Cassandra Norton (‘24), Hospitality Chair Deepa Gayadin (‘24) and Tech Chair Allan Mills (‘26).
Co-President McGohan (‘24) felt that one of the most unique parts of the play was the characters sharing their perspectives as refugees.
“The women were acting out the story, and they had the book that they were reading from, and they were acting it out, but they would interrupt the story with their own experiences,” McGohan said. “When Odysseus sees his mother and realizes she’s dead, one of them talks about the last time she saw her mother, and that she’s pretty sure her mom’s dead but she really has no idea.”
McGohan also felt that the refugee aspect of the performance was a thoughtful way to consider Homer’s epic.
“It definitely gave me a different perspective on the Odyssey and Odysseus. He had been gone from home for so long that when he got back he didn’t recognize it,” she said. So, in a way, he kind of was like a refugee, but we don’t think about him that way.”
Kristen Underwood, the Director of Campus Programming and one of the staff advisors for the PAC, felt that the program had meaningful and relevant connections for Luther students, partially due to ”The Odyssey” being a past summer reading text for Paideia classes.
“I chose [‘The Odyssey’] because I hoped there would be a curricular connection,” Underwood said. “Plus, the way they were framing ’The Odyssey’ in a refugee camp and personalizing the stories of people looking for home seemed so relevant.”
Each year’s Center Stage Series aims to offer something for everyone, according to Underwood. She highlighted the idea of storytelling as a key factor guiding selection of shows for each Center Stage Series season.
“Storytelling really engages a different part of the brain and imagination,” Underwood said. “I like, when I can, to include something theatrical like this [in a Center Stage Series].”
The performance on Thursday night was the second show in the Center Stage Series for the fall, following the Invoke performance on September 29. The Center Stage Series continues with Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn’s performance on November 9, in the CFL Main Hall.
