“When a child takes to the sea, it is not a child who comes home.” This sentiment perfectly captures Telemachus’s journey in The Odyssey, a story-to-stage adaptation by R.N. Sandberg of Homer’s epic poem, presented by the Fifth & Sixth Grade Theatre Ensemble.
The ensemble delivered Homer’s timeless tale through the parallel journeys of Odysseus and his son Telemachus. Odysseus journeys home from the Trojan War, battling raging seas, outsmarting monsters and a one-eyed Cyclops, and fighting to get back to Ithaca. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus struggles to keep their home safe from greedy suitors who seek to marry his mother, Penelope, and steal the throne. Telemachus himself sets sail to find his father, embarking on a journey of self-discovery and belonging, leaving an uncertain youth and returning with the confidence of a man.
The show raises many questions: Will they survive to return home? If they do, what kind of heroes will they have become? While this adaptation imagines a somewhat different ending from Homer’s epic, the questions to be faced are the same set out in the ancient story: How do we protect our homes? What makes something or someone a monster? How do we deal with the monsters we encounter overseas? What does it mean to be a hero, to grow up, and to be civilized? How does each one of us, despite our age, fears, or background, confront the obstacles that life places in our path and find our way through?
For three sold-out shows and one in-school performance, the second year of the Fifth & Sixth Grade Play brought 50+ students to the stage and behind the scenes for this epic production. The 31 students on stage were supported by a 12-person tech team and 10 seventh- and eighth-grade mentors.
The role of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, was played by Chiaya Evans ’32. “What I found challenging about playing the role of Telemachus is that I had to sing and do a sea chant, and I was really nervous,” she said. “But what I enjoyed most is that Telemachus is very dramatic, and I am too, so it was a good role for me, and I also liked that sometimes he was very loud and outgoing, and sometimes he was very shy, and that’s a lot like me.”
Niyah Kohler ’32, who originally signed up for field hockey but switched streams to try out for the play, landed the roles of a Siren and a Charybdis (monsters that lure in sailors). She said, “The work that has gone into this play, and seeing it all come together, is amazing. The most challenging part is that, while I know my lines, some are said as a group, and I’m sometimes unsure when to say them. But overall, it’s been a really fun experience.”
Jack Rooney ’33 played the powerfully hungry and sadistic cyclops Polyphemus. He said, “I originally auditioned for Odysseus, but got this role of a cyclops who’s always kind of mad and eats people. Memorizing my lines was challenging in a short amount of time, but I enjoy working with everybody and hanging out with my best friends.”
Middle School Drama Teacher Deb Mein was thrilled to add the seventh- and eighth-grade mentors this year. She said, “They have done pretty much everything. They feel so empowered, and it’s been really fun to see them problem-solve and be resourceful, especially when it came to creating the Polyphemus puppet.”
Directing the show was an ideal role for Audrey Moore ’30. “I think what I enjoyed most about the show was getting to step into the directing position and work with the actors in that way. Everyone was super talented, so it was super easy to work with them,” she said.
Backstage, seventh- and eighth-grade mentors helped the middle school tech team with their timing and effects while others handled makeup and wardrobe. Ashna Jain ’30, who served as production management for props and costumes, said during a mid-makeup application at dress rehearsal, “I’m excited to show new people how the whole theater program works. I like picking out costumes, designing sets, and the whole creative process. I’ve enjoyed helping design the overall costume look and figure out the pieces and learning how to be resourceful because we have limited materials for this production.” She detailed a challenging aspect of being on wardrobe duty, “We used the upper school costume vault for this middle school production, so a lot of the costumes were too large, and we had to make modifications without completely altering the original costume.”
“The Odyssey, as a show, is super challenging,” said Mein. “These students have definitely risen to the challenge and taken on the dramatic presence that you need to pull this off.”
See the full program, including the cast and crew, here.