CREDITS
The Odyssey was produced by Noosed Octopus: Theatre, etc, and the Christchurch City Council with the generous assistance of Anthony Harper for Anthony Harper Summer Theatre 2024
DANIEL ALLAN is ODYSSEUS, POSEIDON, & OTHERS
DONNA BROOKBANKS is ATHENA, CIRCE, PENELOPE & OTHERS
MILLIE HANFORD is ZEUS, TELEMACHUS, & OTHERS
WRITTEN & DIRECTED by DAN BAIN
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT by MANDY PERRY
SET DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION by CHRIS REDDINGTON
SOUND DESIGN & ORIGINAL COMPOSITION by DAN BAIN
OPERATED by ANDREW TODD
X and X ARE YOUR AUDIENCE AMBASSADORS
SYNOPSIS
First up, if you don't know anything about this - don't panic. In adapting The Odyssey we've done our best to make it as accessible and clear as possible. You shouldn't need a classics degree to make sense of what's going on.
If you do... we've messed up, badly.
Here's what might be helpful to know so if you have to head to the bathroom - it's on the other side of the playground, you can't miss it - and end up not seeing a chunk of the show, here's the cheat sheet of what's happening.
Odysseus is the guy who comes up with the idea of building a wooden horse at the battle of Troy to sneak some soldiers in past the gates. Yeah! That wooden horse. He's the guy!
Also, this is Ancient Greece, so the Gods are 1) plentiful, and 2) always meddling in people's business. Poseidon the god of the sea (and earthquakes, and horses) gets pretty upset at Odysseus and curses him, Saying he'll never make it home from The Battle of Troy to his home in Ithaca.
The rest of our time is Odysseus trying to make it home! We've cut a few things from the original (sorry fans of the Island of Lotus Eaters) and we've taken some liberties here and there with some sequences, but we've also tried our best to do as much of the Odyssey as we can with only 90 minutes (plus a fifteen-minute interval for refreshments) and three actors.
That includes encounters with... The Cyclops, Aeolus Lord of Winds, The Laestrogonians, Circe the Witch, The Sirens, The Scylla, Charybdis, The Sacred Cattle of Helios, and a lot of bad weather until he finally makes it home to find that his wife has been fending off 108 suitors for the last 10 years. And now he has to defeat them all in battle.
All 108 of them.
Oh, and we also turned it into a comedy.
Enjoy!
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
pending
CAST
DANIEL ALLAN - ODYSSEUS, POSEIDON, & OTHERS
Daniel is an actor, director, and teacher of drama. He was a member of the Court Jesters improvisation troupe between 2003 and 2009 and trained with Zen Zen Zo physical theatre company in 2009.
He has acted in shows for The Court Theatre, NZ Playhouse, Fortune Theatre, and multiple Nelson-based companies, including his own theatre company Body in Space. Daniel has been involved in nine large-scale outdoor productions in the last decade including the 2021 Summertimes show Around the World in 80 Days.
DONNA BROOKBANKS - ATHENA, CIRCE, PENELOPE & OTHERS
Donna is an actor, comedian, improviser, voice artist, and writer. She is a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. She has been a Billy T nominee twice with The NZ International Comedy Festival and has written 3 solo comedy shows. Her television credits include 7 Days, Mean Mums, Raised by Refugees, Creamerie, and Funny Girls and she has written for and appeared on Shortland Street, Jono and Ben, and The Project.
Donna has provided the voice for popular TVNZ cartoons Night Eyes and Tu Meke Space. Donna is a proud member of Equity New Zealand and co-founder of the cult hit Auckland improv show, Snort.
MILLIE HANFORD - ZEUS, TELEMACHUS, & OTHERS
Millie is an actor, improviser, writer, and comedian from Ōtautahi Christchurch. She is a regular performer at The Court Theatre, appearing in a range of kids' shows, the late-night comedy show Scared Scriptless, and their Anthony Harper Summertimes seasons.
A 2022 Actors’ Program graduate, Millie now resides in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her recent credits include the TAPAC 2023 kids show season, and the new sketch comedy show New York Architecture and a Fish at the Classic Comedy Club.
Millie was proud to launch and lead the Court Jesters Youth Company in 2021, which is in its third successful year supplying improvisation training for youth aged 16-22.
CREW
HOMER - LEGENDARY ANCIENT GREEK POET
Homer was a Greek poet born c. 8th century BC who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature.
The question of by whom, when, where, and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author.
Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
DAN BAIN - WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, SOUND DESIGNER
Dan has been a theatre director, playwright, improvisor, street performer, actor, motivational speaker, and comedian since graduating from clown school in 2001. He co-created cult improv sensations Perfuct Storm and Improv Seduction and is the creator of the bafflingly popular sleep-aid podcast Dan Bain’s Sleepy Time Mumbles. As a standup his comedy reflects his unique perspective and cheerful vulgarity, all filtered through his desperate attempts to appear clever.
Dan's work as a writer for theatre includes Ivy Black: Axe Murder Girl, and The Light in the Sky, the silent children's shows A Paintbox of Clowns, Why Are My Parents So Boring? and Cat Vs. Dog; the Young and Hungry commissions Gameplan and Uncle Minotaur; the comedy Stag Weekend (with Brendon Bennetts); high school musical The Invisibles (with Luke Di Somma), and his multiple versions of A Christmas Carol. He most recently adapted Homer’s The Odyssey for three comedy actors.
His book on live performance technique These Are NOT the Rules of Improvisation is available from the Playmarket bookshop and online at perfuct.co.nz
Dan was Associate Director of The Court Theatre from 2017 - 2020 and Artistic Director of The Court Jesters from 2014 - 2020. He is currently the Artistic Director of Little Andromeda.
MANDY PERRY - PRODUCTION MANAGER
Mandy worked for The Court Theatre for over 30 years and has been involved with over 120 productions as either Stage Manager or Production Manager. Highlights include August: Osage County; The Complete Works of William Shakespeare; She Stoops to Conquer; Great Expectations; The Sound of Music; Mary Poppins; Stones in his Pockets and When the Rain Stops Falling as well as helping to create a new home for The Court at The Shed and being a regular Stage Manager for Scared Scriptless for over 25 years.
Mandy has worked with many other companies including Pacific Underground, The Christchurch Arts Festival, The World Buskers Festival, NASDA, Two Productions, NZ Opera, Showbiz Christchurch, Cubbin Theatre Company, Rollicking Entertainment, Noosed Octopus, and Christchurch City Choir. Some show highlights include Tell Me on a Sunday; Hairspray and the NZ tour of Maui: One Man against the Gods.
Mandy helps coordinate the Theatrefest one-act play competition, works freelance for a number of Christchurch arts organisations, and is a MUSOC life member.
CHRIS REDDINGTON - SET DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Chris works as a freelance sculptor, set designer and builder, composer, and musician.
His recent work integrates sculpture and music to create sonic objects and concert performances that utilise found materials. His stage designs are also interested in the synthesis of aural and visual rhythms, colours, and energies.
He was employed at the University of Canterbury Theatre and Film Department (2008 -2013) as technical director and designer where he worked with set design, prop construction, puppet making, music direction, and musical theatre performance.
Currently, he designs for musical productions, dramatic productions, and children's productions for various theatre companies.
ANDREW TODD - OPERATOR
Andrew has been working in various creative fields since 2006, as an improviser, actor, writer, director, animator, composer, and designer. He has worked with the Court Theatre, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand Film Commission, Fantasia Film Festival, VICE, and more.
His first feature film, Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws is available now; he has multiple other projects in various stages of development.
Follow Noosed Octopus on social media for info on upcoming productions and behind-the-scenes gossip and info, including all the details of our ongoing podcast releases and our next major production, the national tour of Dan Bain's ANXIETY KNIFE.
THANK YOU
Theatre is the great collaborative art form. Our sincerest thanks and heartfelt acknowledgments to our supporters and suppliers:
ROYAL WOLF
Rebekah Head & Hillary Moulder
COAST
and of course our producing partner
THE CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL
and our principle sponsor
ANTHONY HARPER