Introducing the Cast and Creative Team of ODYSSEY at Marin Theatre Company

Marin Theatre Company (MTC) announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Odyssey, adapted and directed by internationally renowned writer and director Lisa Peterson, and based on Emily Wilson’s 2018 translation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey—the first English translation published by a woman.

Odyssey will perform at Marin Theatre Company (397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley) August 31 – September 24, 2023. Press night will be held on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Single tickets ($43–$70) can be purchased online at marintheatre.org/productions/odyssey or by calling 415-388-5208. Cost-access tickets are also available for students, educators, military, seniors, and people under 35. Best deal offers are also available via Marin Theatre Company’s email newsletter. Masks for audience members are recommended but not required, with select performances designated as mask-required to support community access needs. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

Set in a present-day relocation center for refugees on the Isle of Lesbos, four young women fleeing conflict in Middle Eastern, North African, and Eastern European countries await the next step of their quest for home and family. Through the extraordinary characters of this epic tale, the women explore what it is to host a stranger, follow (or not) the rules of generosity, question what it means to belong without a “place” to call home, and discover the thrill of adventure at the heart of it all. Odyssey promises to bring bold theatricality, humor, and grace to a story we all think we know. This production from New York’s The Acting Company is in association with Marin Theatre Company and receiving its world premiere at MTC—the first stop on a nationwide tour.

“We are thrilled  to welcome Lisa Peterson to Marin Theatre Company for the world premiere of this epic adaptation,” said Marin Theatre Company Managing DirectorMeredith Suttles. “If ever there was a time to be telling this story it is now. This production will be sure to spark conversations well after the curtain comes down.”  

Odyssey will feature (in alphabetical order) Layla Khoshnoudi (Anoud), Zamo Mlengana (Zee), Anya Whelan-Smith (Hana), and Sophie Zmorrod (Béa).

Under the direction of Lisa Peterson, the creative team for Odyssey includes Tanya Orellana (Scenic Design),  Sarita Fellows (Costume Design), Russell Champa(Lighting Design), Sinan Refik Zafar (Sound Design), Masi Asare (Original Music and Lyrics), Jesse Cameron Alick (Dramaturgy), Margaret Lee (Associate Director), Xavier Clark (Voice and Speech Director), Stephanie Weinzapfel(Production Stage Manager), and Cello Blanks (Assistant Stage Manager).

For more information, visit marintheatre.org.

ABOUT MARIN THEATRE COMPANY

Marin Theatre Company is the Bay Area’s premier mid-sized theatre and the leading professional theatre in the North Bay, producing new American plays. MTC is committed to the development and production of new plays, with a comprehensive New Play Program that includes productions of world premieres, readings and workshops by the nation’s diverse emerging and established playwrights. MTC’s numerous education programs serve more than 4,500 students from over 40 Bay Area schools each year. MTC envisions theatre as a vital space for sharing diverse stories to build a more just and equitable world. MTC is dedicated to inspiring conversation, learning and action to build more inclusive communities. We do this by providing a sustainable home for developing the work of diverse American Playwrights and producing innovative theatrical experiences. MTC was founded in 1966 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
 

ABOUT The Acting Company

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kent Gash, Managing Director Erik Schroeder, and Producing Director Devin Brain, The Acting Company brings professional productions and education programs, in-school residencies, and teacher training workshops to thousands of audience members and students in underserved communities and schools each year. Founded by John Houseman and Margot Harley, the company seeks to develop emerging actors and build enthusiastic, knowledgeable audiences for the theater in towns across the United States. The Acting Company launched the careers of nearly 500 actors, including Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Mary Lou Rosato, Keith David, Rainn Wilson, Lorraine Toussaint, Frances Conroy, Harriet Harris, Lisa Banes, Jeffrey Wright, Hamish Linklater, Jesse L. Martin, Roslyn Ruff, Jimonn Cole, and Kelley Curran.

Over 5,000 students in New York City and across the country benefit from The Acting Company’s in-school residencies and educator workshops every year. Annually, over 20,000 audience members see an Acting Company production across the country who otherwise lack access to professional classical theatre.

Among many accolades, The Acting Company received the 2003 Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater, and recently won the 2019 Audelco Award for Best Play for its production of Nambi E. Kelley’s Native Son directed by Seret Scott.

Since 1972, The Acting Company has performed for over four million people in 48 states, 10 foreign countries, on and Off-Broadway, and at leading resident theaters including The Guthrie and The Kennedy Center. New works commissioned by the company include plays by William Finn, Marcus Gardley, Rebecca Gilman, John Guare, Beth Henley, Tony Kushner, Lynn Nottage, Meg Miroshnik, Ntozake Shange, Maria Irene Fornés, Spalding Gray, Marsha Norman, Charles Smith, Samm-Art Williams, and Wendy Wasserstein.
 
www.theactingcompany.org

 

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