The Year 7 play, inspired by Homer’s epic poem, followed Odysseus and his intrepid Warriors on their extraordinary voyage home to Ithaca at the end of the Trojan War. Furious that his sacred city of Troy had been destroyed, the god Poseidon vowed to get his revenge, sending Odysseus and his crew on a long and perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.

The production adopted a highly visual style, incorporating a number of movement sequences choreographed by members of the cast and puppet sequences depicting a smaller version of Odysseus’ boat to allow for the cast to play with scale. Dialogue scenes between the Greek Warriors provided moments of comic relief whilst moments of tension and atmosphere were created on the Islands of the Cyclops and Circe and in the Land of Shadows.

A large number of students were involved behind the scenes: Year 12 Performing Arts Construction students constructed the prow of a boat which formed the basis of the set, whilst backstage students designed and made the Scylla sea monster puppets and other props and costumes to help bring a myriad of mythical characters and creatures to life. The fluorescent garlands, masks and backdrop were created by Year 9 Drama Backstage students.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this production with Year 7. I was incredibly impressed by the commitment, energy and enthusiasm of everyone involved: this is a very talented cast and definitely one to watch out for in the future!