Download The Odyssey - Olympia Junior Programs

Olympia Junior Programs presents
BOXTALES Theatre Company in
The Odyssey
March 12-14 and March 17-18, 2014
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts
A Study Guide for Teachers of Grades 4-6
To Prepare Students for a Positive Theater Experience
SUMMARY OF THE PRODUCTION
Homer’s Odyssey has been called one of the most important stories of Western civilization.
Over and over the Western imagination has returned to the story of Odysseus, the sea-bound
warrior, and his ten-year journey from the terrible Trojan war to his home in Ithaca. In this
performance of The Odyssey, Odysseus describes his adventures in his own words, acting out
various episodes from Homer’s epic tale. As he travels over the seas with his crew of men he
encounters many beings who delay his return to Ithaca. Among them are Poseidon, god of the
seas; Cyclops, a one-eyed giant; Aeolus, master of the winds; Circe the enchantress; Tiresias and
others in the underworld; the Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis, Helios, and Calypso.
Odysseus is with Calypso on her island when Zeus sends Hermes, his messenger, to demand that
Calypso set Odysseus free and allow him to return to Ithaca. Odysseus builds a raft and drifts
toward the island of the Phaeacians. Poseidon, god of the sea, creates a storm and the raft is
destroyed but Odysseus arrives safely on the shore of Phaeacia where he is rescued and sent
home to Ithaca.
Once Odysseus is home, he must find a way to defeat the suitors who have pursued his wife and
reunite with his son, Telemechus, and his wife, Penelope. He must also resume his role as king
of Ithaca. He is transformed by Athena, Olympian goddess of wisdom, into an old beggar and
goes to his palace, where he meets the challenge to string his polished bow and send an arrow
straight through the sockets of twelve ax heads lined in a row. His true identity is acknowledged
and the suitors are defeated. Odysseus is reunited with his son and wife.
The Odyssey tells the eternal story of a man coming home from a world of war to a world of
peace, and the journey that transforms him.
CHARACTER LIST
Aeolus: Master of the winds.
Achilles: Greatest Greek warrior, commander of the Myrmidons, killed at Troy.
Athena: Olympian goddess of wisdom; Odysseus’ divine helper
Calypso: Nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island, wanting him for her husband.
Charybdis: Creature who sucks the swirling water down with force no mortals can escape.
Circe: Goddess/Witch who turns Odysseus’ men into pigs, then becomes his lover and teacher.
Cyclops: Son of Poseidon
Helios: God of the sun.
Hermes: Olympian god, messenger of Zeus.
Odysseus: Protagonist, hero of Trojan War, unable to return home: “Man of twists and turns.”
Penelope: Odysseus’ faithful and clever wife, mother of Telemachus.
Poseidon: God of the sea; bears a lasting grudge against Odysseus. Often called “Earthshaker.”
Scylla: Six headed monster
Sirens: Dangerous and beautiful creatures who lured sailors with their enchanting music and
voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.
Telemachus: Odysseus’ son: “a fine-looking boy” approximately twenty years old.
Tiresias: Blind Theban prophet, encountered by Odysseus in the underworld.
Zeus: King of the Olympian gods, father of Athena.
ABOUT THE THEATRE COMPANY
Boxtales is a storytelling theatre company which uses masks, movement, storytelling and live
music to present myths and folklore from around the world. The performers, Michael Andrews,
Matt Tavianini, and Marie Ponce combine their diverse talents to create a professional, high
energy, highly interactive theatrical experience for young audiences.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PLAY
To introduce students to classic stories from Greek Mythology and encourage them to seek out
and read more mythology from all over the world.
To help develop creative imaginations.
To introduce the importance of oral tradition and theatre as an educational tool.
To present stories that will help raise self-esteem and teach important lessons.
To encourage students to identify character traits, attitudes, and situations that are true both in
the play and in our present day society.
FACTS ABOUT HOMER
The two greatest Greek epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are attributed to a blind poet
named Homer, thought to have lived about 2,800 years ago. Homer lived in the Classical Greek
period, and the period he describes in his epic poems is earlier still, his tales blending his own
Olympian world and the Mycenaean world of the Trojan heroes. The Iliad and the Odyssey tell
the stories of heroes of the Mycenaean age, which was viewed in Homer’s time as an age of
greater men and greater connection to the gods. The Greeks traced the origins of their culture to
the Mycenaean age, during which for the first time the peoples of the Aegean gathered together
to form a Greek army, and defined themselves as such in opposition to their enemies. It is
believed he composed the Odyssey in the seventh century B.C.; however, there is no factual
record of Homer or how the poems were composed. Modern scholars who accept the idea of
Homer as an individual composer of the epics agree to certain assumptions regarding Homer.
They believe he would have been trained as an oral singer of the time. As a singer, or oral poet,
his repertoire would have included his own compositions as well as songs passed down by word
of mouth.
The oral poets sang at court for royalty and performed in public assemblies. Most songs would
have consisted of about 100 verses, which could comfortably be performed in about one hour.
The Odyssey would have taken at least five long evenings, perhaps more, to perform.
Scholars believe that the Homeric epics as written down are probably essentially true to the
lyrics composed by Homer. Verbal formulas such as recurring ideas and situations, repeated
phrases and set patterns of speech, a highly formalized poetic language, and other conventions
act as memory aids that enable a poem to be repeated and passed from poet to poet quite
faithfully, as long as they have trained in the same tradition. Singers in a living oral tradition
(without writing) do, however, have the inclination to adjust, elaborate, and improve the material
that they have acquired, and probably the Iliad and the Odyssey were affected in this manner
before they were written down. The first printed edition of Homer was issued in Florence in
1488 and prior to that it appeared only as a handwritten book.
BEFORE ATTENDING THE PERFORMANCE
Review the OJP Theater Etiquette Guide regarding student behavior. Talk about the theater,
especially if you have students coming to the Washington Center for the first time. Discuss how
seeing a live performance is different than watching a movie or television show.
Tell students about the performing company and have them observe during the performance how
the three actors play different characters and use props.
ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSION IDEAS
Introduce the students to either a written or a recorded version of the Odyssey. If able to do both
discuss the difference between reading and hearing this story. How does the imaginative
experience change? Which do the students prefer and why?
Discuss why the Odyssey is considered such an important text. What makes it such a great
story?
Discuss the idea of gods and what role they play in the Odyssey. Why are they in the story? Are
they important to the story?
Read other stories of Greek mythology and note the gods represented in the stories and their
attributes.
Identify Greece and the Mediterranean Sea on a world map.
The term “epic” is used to designate a long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds. The term is
also used to describe lengthy novels that deal with sweeping historical issues, great deeds, and
heroes. Some movies are described as epics. Discuss what poems, novels, or movies the
students consider to be epics.
VOCABULARY WORDS
Odyssey, Aegean, Mycenaean, Hades, muse, mythology, tactician, fortified, sacked, whey,
avenger, custom, barbarian, cannibal, beeswax, immortal, mortal
AFTER THE PERFORMANCE
Discuss the play and the techniques used by the three actors to portray the story of Odysseus.
Were there any special effects that the students particularly enjoyed and that helped enhance the
theatre experience?
Talk about the values and behavior of the characters in the play.
Discuss how the theatrical version of the story was different from the written or recorded version
and how that changed the experience of the story. What became more or less important?
Discuss the idea of the hero. How do we define heroes today? Who do we see as heroic?
Discuss ways in which Odysseus does and does not fill the role of a hero? What are his heroic
attributes? What are his less heroic qualities or choices?
Discuss war and its effects. Veterans in recent wars have encountered difficulties upon returning
home with their experiences of war to a culture of peace. How do those experiences coincide or
differ from Homer’s description of the experiences of Odysseus and his men? Are there parallels
between modern day veterans and Homer’s veterans?
Have the students write their own Odysseys. They may choose a journey and make detailed
journal entries about the locations they visit, the adventures they have, and the things they
learned through each adventure. They can also make a map of their journey. It can be either a
real or an imaginary odyssey.
Discuss with the students what they did or did not like about the play, the characters, costumes,
or set. Send letters or pictures to Olympia Junior Programs, P.O. Box 1371 Olympia, WA
98507-1371.
Teachers please complete the Evaluation Form provided by the school’s OJP Representative or
post comments online at the Evaluation Tab of www.olympiajuniorprograms.com. Thank you.
RELATED BOOKS
The Odyssey
by Gillian Cross (Author) Neil Packer (Illustrator)
The Odyssey (Puffin Classics)
by Geraldine McCaughrean
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Ingri d’Aulaires
Information about this production and some of the activities/discussion were taken from
BOXTALES’ Touring Odyssey Teacher Guide which can be viewed at the following
website: http://www.boxtales.org/TouringOdysseyTeacherGuide.pdf