Odyssey's Thresholds of Invention to Feature Ivo Müller in RILKE, ONE MILLION WORDS

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble's Thresholds of Invention series will present actor Ivo Müller in his hit solo show Rilke, One Million Words. Written and performed by Müller, the piece is the result of more than a decade of research into the work of poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Originally developed in Brazil, the English-language production premiered in New York in 2025. The show, directed by Arieta Corrêa with co-direction by Darrell Larson, arrives in California during the centennial year marking 100 years since Rilke's passing (1875–1926), before heading to its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Rilke: One Million Words connects an actor in the present with a poet from the past. It tells the story of a writer who, for nearly a year, struggles to create poetry and can only express himself through letters. An actor uses these letters to navigate his own challenges in a country where even his name feels foreign, shaking the foundations of his identity. Together, the poet and the actor explore themes of love, the creative process, and a sense of not belonging, topics that resonate deeply in today's world.

Ivo Müller is a stage and screen actor whose work spans Europe, the U. S., and his native Brazil. His main stage credits include a production of Twelve Angry Men with Grupo Tapa, one of Brazil's most established theater companies, as well as his long-running hit solo performance based on the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke. His screen work includes Tabu, the multi-award-winning Portuguese film directed by Miguel Gomes that received the Critics' Best Picture Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012. Müller has worked with major studios such as HBO, Sony, and Globo TV. His recent credits include Hebe: The Brazilian Star (2019), in which he portrayed an AIDS-stricken hairdresser in the biopic of one of Brazil's most celebrated television hosts; the US independent film Proof Sheet (2022); and Night Stage, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2025. Alongside his acting career, Müller has worked as a teacher and acting coach on the award-winning documentary Cine Marrocos (2019), collaborating with homeless people and refugees living in an abandoned movie theatre in São Paulo. His additional stage credits include Stitching by Anthony Neilson, Huis Clos (No Exit) by Jean-Paul Sartre, The Widows by Arthur Azevedo, Camaraderie by August Strindberg, Bitter Sicilian by Luigi Pirandello and Hecuba by Euripides.