Odyssey Theatre - Theatre In The Park

"Odyssey is...not afraid of taking risks, and has over the years produced some of this city's most invigorating, expansive theatre pieces." Tom McSorley, CBC Radio 1

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LAURIE STEVEN,
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"I was fascinated by this play because, while it tells a love story, the love story is embedded in a tale of political intrigue. I also wanted to know what would happen if the mystical shadow puppets burst through their screen and became real flesh and blood. Images of Commedia and Indonesian dance-drama filled my head." Artistic Director Laurie Steven

An adaptation of a classical Javanese shadow puppet play, transforming an epic with close to a hundred puppets into a play for masked actors. In a rigorously choreographed performance set to live percussion, 10 actors play more than 40 characters invoking the magic of an ancient mythical world and exploring a drama of love and politics that is both charming and moving.

Based on an imagined episode involving characters from the Hindu myth, The Mahabharata, this subtle and rich play satirizes the political machinations surrounding the wedding of Krishna's daughter. Director Laurie Steven and choreographer Peter Chin created an original style of style that fuses Commedia with Javanese dance-drama and extends the boundaries of both art forms.

ODYSSEY - THE WEDDING

2004 - The Wedding - Capital Theatre Critics Association Award for Best Director to Laurie Steven

Translation: James R. Brandon, Pandam Guritno Siswoharsojo, and Stephen R. Alkire.
Adapted by Laurie Steven

Directed by Laurie Steven

Designer: Art Penson
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Lighting Designer: Rebecca Miller
Movement Director: Peter Chin
Stage Manager: Heather Landon
Composer: John Armstrong
Musician: Robert Graves
Fight Choreographer: Mark Huisman
Properties: Almut Ellinghaus
Production Assistant: Sara Feeny

Cast: Scott Maudsley, Marc Bendavid, Nathalie Baroud, Terry Judd, David Langlois, Alix Sideris, Mark Huisman, Craig Burnatowski, Pierre Simpson

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Reviews:

"[The Wedding's] transposition on a stage with human actors worked magnificently, thanks mainly to director Laurie Steven. Very clearly, she has reached the pinnacle of her art… Laurie has done something extraordinary by creating a hybrid corporeal performance. She has fused commedia techniques with the gestures and movements of the Indonesian shadow puppets and the result is a fascinating style of movement which fuses the vulgar commedia with the delicate hand gestures and ways of walking and talking of those lacy refined puppet creatures. The Wedding is a must!" Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio One

"The Wedding [is] a production that combines elements of commedia dell'arte, Indonesian shadow puppetry and even a little martial arts into an original theatrical experience that goes from the ridiculous to the sublime… Rated 5 stars out of 5. Denis Armstrong, The Ottawa Sun

Photos: (top) Marc Bendavid, Scott Maudsley, Alix Sideris;
(bottom) Terry Judd, Pierre Simpson.