Bearden theatre announces cast list for April’s production of ‘The Odyssey’
Bearden theatre teacher Ms. Katie Alley (center) works with her new cast for The Odyssey during fourth block. Ms. Alley has announced the cast list, and students are moving forward with preparations for the show.
January 18, 2019
After the excellent performances of Anything Goes in the fall, Bearden’s theatre department is now back in action, announcing the cast list for April’s production of The Odyssey.
The cast list was released Friday, revealing senior Pyper Rucker as Athena and senior Trinity Venard as the Muse. Senior Seth Reynolds was announced as Odysseus on Monday.
Slightly different from the classic tale, this story begins with a young woman in modern times having trouble understanding the original telling of The Odyssey. When a muse arrives on the scene, the woman transforms into the goddess Athena.
“As Athena, I would say the most challenging thing about this role is that you are a woman goddess but you are also supposed to be kind of masculine; you are empowering,” Rucker said. “I would say that’s the hardest part because that’s definitely out of my character.”
The two go through the adventures of Odysseus and his encounters with all the eclectic characters he comes across on his journey.
“I think it’s really cool because it’s really similar to Arabian Nights (2017) because they’re telling a story while there’s a real play going on in the background,” Reynolds said.
“I definitely feel like the biggest part is that I have to fill up the entire space with myself, not only physically but also with my voice, so that’ll be a challenge. Also, memorizing countless lines is going to be pretty tough.”
The crew is bringing in five tons of sand in order to thoroughly set the scene and get the actors fully involved in how it was for Greeks in that time period.
Tickets are not on sale yet, but will eventually become available at www.beardentheatre.com. Shows will be April 26, 27, and 28. Stay tuned to both The Bark and BBN for more coverage on the production throughout the coming months.