The Odyssey (Appleton North High School theatre production)

Following their highly successful productions of Metamorphoses and The Arabian Nights, Appleton North High School's theatre department presented another a ground-breaking work by Tony Award-winning playwright Mary Zimmerman. This dramatic adaptation of Homer's ODYSSEY begins with a modern young woman who is struggling to understand Robert Fitzgerald's translation of the famous myth. A classical muse appears, and the young woman becomes the goddess Athena--a tireless advocate for Odysseus in his struggle to get home. With her trademark irreverent and witty twist on classic works, Zimmerman brings to life the story of Odysseus's journey, depicting his encounters with characters such as Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon, Calypso, the Sirens, and others with creatively magical theatricality. Mary Zimmerman's ODYSSEY is vivid in imagery, rich in imagination, witty, and thoughtful in its lively adaptation of a classic work for a contemporary audience.

North's production features many unique theatrical elements including a 30 foot raked sandscape on stage as well as breathtaking lighting, movement, and music.

"Not of one age but of all ages... This Odyssey is grand theater." --Philadelphia Inquirer

"The greatest show in the sky, on the seas, even on earth with side trips to the underworld." --New York Times.