Rideau Awards:
Outstanding Adaptation – David S. Craig

Outstanding Production Nominee
Outstanding Direction Nominee - David S. Craig
Outstanding Female Performance Nominee - Rose Napoli
Outstanding Male Performance Nominee - Andy Massingham

Capital Critics Circle Award:
Best Professional Actor – Andy Massingham

Best Professional Theatre Production Nominee

A simple fan strips the mask of idyllic calm off small town life in this raucous comedy of misconceptions and gossip, meddling and intrigue, and fistfights and fainting fits by men and women alike.

THE FAN by Carlo Goldoni Directed and Adapted by David S. Craig Set Designer: Brian Smith Costume Designer: Snezana Pesic Mask Design & Construction: Almut Ellinghaus Composer and Musical Director: John Armstrong Choreographer: Jay T. Schramek Assistant Director: Jodi Sprung-Boyd Stage Manager: Krista MacIsaac 
Production Assistant: Jess Preece 
Cast: Pierre Brault, Robin Craig, Brad Long, Andy Massingham, Rose Napoli, Jay T. Schramek, Kaitlyn Semple, Michael Showler, Alix Sideris, Nicolas Van Burek

Show in 2010.

A Guy Named Joe—Rideau Awards Nominee for Outstanding Costume Design to Jennifer Triemstra & Karen Rodd

A dark comedy about a guy living in precarious circumstances on the fringes of society, coping with an assortment of impediments, and his struggle to make a good life for himself.

“A Guy Named Joe began with the commedia character, Pulcinella, a rogue given to drunkenness, debauchery, disguises, and get rich quick schemes through which he ridicules the rich and powerful. I wondered what would happen if a group of these characters appeared today. Immediately I saw them crowded in a rooming house, staring at an eviction notice. This was a starting point for research into housing conditions, networks of support, and justice systems for the poor.”
—Artistic Director and Playwright Laurie Steven

Joe, a hard working down on his luck aspiring accountant, loses his job as a busboy and is evicted from his rooming house for having his no-good cousin, Frankie Fingers, visiting him. He takes up with Frankie and his cohorts, giving them the idea to rob his cruel landlord, Larry. The fun begins when the robbery turns into a hostage situation and the boys are left to keep up the front of Larry’s property management company.

Reviews:

“[The story line] develops in a most unexpected and very amusing way…a masterpiece of mask work [in which] Pierre-Paul Savoie’s choreography, linked to Laurie Steven’s staging, created the most exciting moments, [and the actors] worked like a perfect acrobatic team… they do almost like a dance with words. It’s all enhanced by Glenn Davidson’s excellent set and lighting, with the terrifying shadows set to the throbbing beats of what sounds like acoustic strings. Everything works together beautifully… It’s a team that works together here with great, great precision.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio

“[A Guy Named Joe is a] resonant comedy…written and directed with a highly focused vision by the company’s artistic director. The masks and stylized movement of Commedia, heightened by Davidson’s lighting, underscore these powerful tensions between Joe’s interior and exterior action, just as they do in other characters.”
—Patrick Langston, The Ottawa Citizen

A GUY NAMED JOE by Laurie Steven
Directed by Laurie Steven
Lighting and Set Designer: Glenn Davidson
Composer and Musical Director: John Armstrong
Costume Designer/Wardrobe Manager: Jennifer Triemstra
Design & Construction of Masks, Special Effects Costumes and Puppets: Karen Rodd
Choreographer: Pierre-Paul Savoie
Fight Choreographer: Mark Huisman
Assistant Dramaturge: Laurie Fyffe
Stage Manager: Wendy Rockburn
Production Assistant and Properties Manager: Lisa L’Heureux
Cast: Nicholas Di Gaetano, Cory Doran, Scott Florence, Mark Huisman, Alex Guard, Scott McCulloch, Thea Nikolic

Bungsu and the Big Snake—Capital Critics Circle Award Nominee for Best Actor to Alix Sideris

In this heart-warming coming of age story, a rebellious young woman named Bungsu faces the terrors of the forbidden Snake Mountain.

A meditation on the roles of faith and ritual versus progress, our original interpretation of this fantastic tale incorporates masks, movement and dance-drama to explore the values of courage and transformation.

In this heart-warming coming of age story, a rebellious young woman named Bungsu undertakes a quest to save her dying mother by facing the terrors of the forbidden Snake Mountain. Along the way she finds herself entangled in the politics of her island, which is ruled by an oppressive dictatorship and exploited by foreign economic interests. Through her journey Bungsu learns to value her gift for story-telling and her passion for restoring balance to the island.

Reviews:

“Girouard’s lovable, spunky Bungsu is a special delight, but the whole cast is outstanding, achieving acting magic even while wearing masks (an Odyssey regular feature). While the masks add to the fairytale enchantment, they prevent the actors from relying on full facial expressions. Not an easy task, but they pull it off without exception.”
—Jennifer Hartley, Ottawa XPress

“… the play is … alive with magic and fun. In typical Odyssey fashion, ornate costumes, music and a commedia dell’arte flair give the show vibrant life.”
—Kim Mannix Vermette, Metro, Ottawa

“The stage is greatly enlivened by Alix Sideris, an Odyssey regular, as the Monkey Goddess. Sideris keeps the audience in stitches with her hilarious performance of a goddess trapped inside a monkey’s body.”
—Paul Gessell, The Ottawa Citizen

Bungsu and the Big Snake by Lib Spry (in collaboration with Odyssey Artists)
Directed by Diana Fajrajsl
Lighting Designer: Lynn Cox
Sound Designer: Luc Martin
Set Designer: Katka Hubacek
Properties Manager: Roy Hansen-Robitschek
Costume Designer: Stephanie Carter
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Stage Manager: Tina Goralski
Production Assistant: Zachary Counsil
Cast: Jesse Aaron Dwyre, Michelle Girouard, Terry Judd, Claire Frances Muir, David Shelley, Alix Sideris, Beverley Wolfe

Scapin

A witty satire about a scoundrel who casts a wide net of trickery and nearly ensnares himself in one of its many snags.

“It has been a pleasure to reunite with Joanne Miller to create a new translation of Scapin. We have given the play a somewhat mythical contemporary context to highlight the impact of Molière’s acerbic wit. At the same time, we have laboured to stay faithful to his flamboyant use of rhythm and language.”
—Artistic Director Laurie Steven

Scapin is an intriguing play. On the surface, it is a joyful comedy in which Molière, nearing the end of his life, tips his hat to the traditions of Commedia dell’Arte, which was a great source of inspiration to him. Beneath the shimmering veneer of conviviality, however, Molière has constructed a world in which the rich use their power to dominate those dependent on them.

Reviews:

“Scapin takes the best of both French farce and Italian commedia and rolls it into a riotous satire of contemporary mores and politics. The effect is breathtaking… 5 stars!”
—Denis Armstrong, Ottawa Sun

“It’s very smart, it’s energetic, it’s entertaining …. the performances are impressive … Laurie Steven’s direction, it’s sure footed and it’s imaginative and the result is really a marvelous evening of theatre.”
—Tom McSorley, CBC Radio

“A post-modern urban Commedia dealing with contemporary issues: illegal immigration, drugs, gangs, assassins… a non-stop whirlwind of breathless energy… excellent performances… you’ve got to go and see it.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio

“Joy is evident in every facet of Odyssey’s Scapin”
—Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen

SCAPIN by Molière
Translated and adapted by Joanne Miller and Laurie Steven
Directed by Laurie Steven
Set Designer: Louise Lapointe
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward
Stage Manager: Heather Landon
Music Composer: John Armstrong
Costume Designer: Pascale Matheron
Fight Director: Mark Huisman
Movement Coach: Pierre-Paul Savoie
Cast: Kurt Spenrath, Alix Sideris, Jesse Buck, Sarah Joy Bennett, Mark Huisman, Kevin Kincaid, Dykan Jukes, Thea Nikolic, Adrienne Rogers, Fraser Mackay, Cynthia Bernstein

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

A unique blend of Commedia and Asian dance-drama based on an ancient Javanese shadow puppet play.

“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.

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

THE WEDDING
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

The Illusion

Tony Kushner’s contemporary version of the Pierre Corneille classic about the illusions of love and theatre.

A clever and incisive adaptation of the Pierre Corneille classic with a sharp contemporary edge by Pullitzer-prize winning playwright, Tony Kushner. In theatre, as in love, what is real and what is the illusion?

An imaginative production of The Illusion, directed by Diana Fajrajsl. Kushner’s rich text brings a sharp contemporary edge to the masterpiece by French neoclassical playwright, Pierre Corneille. Corneille drew inspiration from Spanish plays of honour and Commedia dell’Arte to probe the chameleonic nature of both romantic love and the theatre.

The Illusion follows the adventures of a roguish lover as viewed through the eyes of his miserly father with the help of a multi-faced magician and her amphibian servant. Odyssey’s set featured the gaping mouth of a gargoyle with a lolling red tongue into which actors appeared and disappeared, creating a surreal world. But through this journey, this play within a play probes the illusions of both familial and romantic love and the illusions and value of theatre.

Reviews:

“…one of the most innovative, invigorating and consistently intelligent theatre companies in Canada…Odyssey has…delivered something approaching a masterpiece…Art Penson’s set is a wonder, something straight out of a late period Fellini film…startling, wild combinations [in design] animate the themes of this sparkling, literate text and the performers even more so… [there is] a wondrous alchemy of light and shade in this masterful production…”
—Tom McSorley, CBC Radio 1

“…the performance was utterly stylish, perfectly coherent and an enormous pleasure to watch…the illusion we were watching was perfect!”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio 1

THE ILLUSION by Tony Kushner
Directed by Diana Fajrajsl
Assistant Director: Catherine Edwards
Designer: Art Penson
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Lighting Designer: Rebecca Miller
Composer and Musician: John Armstrong
Stage Manager: Lara Goldenberg
Production Assistant: Rachelle Audette
Fight Choreographer: Mark Huisman
Cast: Jeffrey Aarles, Anand Rajaram, Nicky Brodie, Mark Huisman, Michelle Girouard, Alix Sideris, Attila Clemann, William Beddoe.

The Raven – Capital Critics Circle Award for Best Design to Art Penson.

Gozzi’s grotesque Commedia fairy tale featuring medieval choreography and two-dimensional puppets.

The Raven is about the inescapable human journey that takes us from naive tranquility through the dark and shadowed recesses of the soul where we face our weaknesses, where illusions are shattered, where death is confronted, out of which is born a deeper humanity, a renewed creative vitality.

Laurie Steven and Lib Spry created an original adaptation of Carlo Gozzi’s Commedia masterpiece, The Raven. The Raven explores the love and conflict of two brothers and their quest for a mythical raven princess. Through this exploration Gozzi playfully probes the obsessions and passions of the human heart and he questions the justice of destiny.

Gozzi’s play falls in the genre of the grotesque: he weaves comedy and tragedy, the mundane and the transcendent; he ruptures the dramatic illusion of reality with references that question the relationship between theatre and truth; he creates a dark and fatalistic world that casts a futile light on human endeavour, yet makes you delight in the whimsical journey through this world.

The production combines medieval movement with a contemporary sensibility, and the patterned movement of the choreography reflects the geometric conception of the whole. Louise Lapointe’s extraordinary puppets, create fate’s dark world of wizards and demons that infiltrate the world of the kingdom, were inspired by alchemical symbols, the medieval counterpoint to Christian thought.

Reviews:

“ The production is lively and enjoyable… Laurie Steven’s direction is simple and subtle, and the cast is terrific… Times have changed, but Odyssey has endured, developing into one of the most exciting and imaginative theatre companies anywhere.”
—Tom McSorley, CBC Radio 1

“The Raven is a very syncretic performance. The adaptation has captured [the] shifts in theatrical style and levels of language. It unfolds on Art Penson’s very sophisticated set which opens to create imaginary spaces for Louise Lapointe’s exquisite fairy tale puppet creatures.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio 1

“The production is smooth, visually stunning and hugely entertaining. This production is a visual feast.”
—Barbara Crook, Ottawa Citizen

THE RAVEN by Carlo Gozzi
Directed by Laurie Steven
Adaptation by Laurie Steven and Lib Spry
Choreography: Robin Patterson
Designer: Art Penson
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Puppet Design and Construction: Louise Lapointe
Composer and Musician: John Armstrong
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward
Stage Manager: Stéfanie Séguin
Assistant Stage Manager: Sally Crate

Stage Musician: Anthea Jackson
Cast: Brendan McClarty, Kyle Horton, Nathalie Baroud, Alix Sideris, Brendan McClarty, Paul Griffin, Andrew Morphew, Jordan Hancey, David Marta, Mary Shearman, Cassandra Silver, Lawren Taylor

Kamalay

An original work inspired by Asian myth and Kathakali dance.

Through the relationship of two sisters and all who are drawn into their tale, we see the struggle for all of us to define our place in the world.

A collaborative creation resulting in a complex, multi-layered piece based on an original story inspired by Indian and Burmese mythology. Kamalay tells the tale of two sisters, daughters of a great King, who are manipulated by the powers of the goddess Kali and battle each other for their place in the world. These unusual feminine archetypes explore the issues of power and empowerment in society and in personal relationships. Kamaly is an exciting exploration into the rich and demanding world of Indian Kathakali dance.

Reviews:

“The elaborate multi-faceted set design is a delight, the percussive musical accompaniment is expertly performed and well-conceived, and the costumes and masks, as is usually the case at Odyssey, are spectacular. Laurie Steven’s direction is supple and imaginative, as she keeps this restless fictional world in marvelous motion… Odyssey has delivered another magic evening of theatre. We are lucky to have such an imaginative and intelligent theatre company here in our city.”
—Tom McSorley, CBC Radio 1

“The spell cast by Kamalay is in the spectacle of Karen Rodd’s masks, Art Penson’s versatile set design, Ron Ward’s lighting and Anne-Marie Gaston’s choreography. Not to mention the music; it is all enhanced by Dan Sauvé’s performance. The formula of many seasons continues to work its charm under Steven’s assured direction.”
—Iris Winston, Ottawa Citizen

KAMALY
Based on a scenario by Laurie Steven, developed collaboratively by members of the cast
Director: Laurie Steven
Writer: Lib Spry
Dramaturge: Chet Rajani
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Set and Costumes Design: Art Penson
Props Design: Isaiah King
Indian Dance Movement Coach and Choreography: Anne-Marie Gaston (Anjali)
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward
Musician and Musical Collaborator: John Armstrong
Musician and Musical Collaborator: Dan Sauvé
Stage Manager: Erin Oke
Assistant Stage Manager: Lucy Martin
Cast: Andrew Morphew, Jesse Buck, Jeffrey Aarles, Robert Ross Parker, Susan Bonham, Beverley Wolfe, Sarah Chrétien-Melbourne, Lincoln Shand, Lisa Norton, Sarah Bennet, Lindsey Milligan, Allison Patterson, Alistair Cheng, Matt Nemer, Andrew Watson

The Miser

A physical and modern adaptation of Molière’s classic satire about greed.

Harpagon is the embodied archetype of GREED: the grasping, suspicious, resentful greed of the haves in society as they pit themselves against the have nots—a greed as rampant today as in Molière’s time.

Laurie Steven and Lib Spry created a radically modernized, original adaptation of Molière’s comic classic, The Miser. Odyssey’s version of Molière’s scathing social satire sets the archetypal skinflint Harpagon in the mythic now – a contemporary world where we peel the skin off our own society to give a visceral sensation of the greed that lies beneath.

The image for the production is that of a contemporary, decaying, urban circus with actors drawing props and set pieces from the junk heap of modern civilization and wearing masks inspired by circus clowns and costumes woven together from images of Commedia, clown and punk. The actors worked with Steven and movement coach Valeri Dean from Le Cirque du Soleil, to create an acrobatic language to express their character’s desires and emotions. Scenes were conceived as a miniature circus act with leaping, flying and tumbling accompanied by a live percussion score.

Reviews:

“…a 20th century, post-modern, Commedia dell’Arte, punk rap performance, with an added bit of Brechtian political theatre… a madcap orchestration of rhythmic movements, leaps, hand gestures, facial manipulations, comic effects, set of by banging, snapping of percussions and multiple electronic sounds… this is the world of the body gone wild, of raw, vulgar humour and they do it well.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio

“…a highly entertaining broad comedy… a life-sized Punch and Judy show — as this stylized, precisely timed, physical comedy bubbles into life… a show rich in visual and aural appeal. Each exaggerated gesture and facial expression, every flick of a cloak or removal of a piece of furniture is part of a harmonious whole…”
—Iris Winston, The Ottawa Citizen

THE MISER by Molière
Translation and adaptation by Laurie Steven and Lib Spry
Directed by Laurie Steven
Set, Costumes and Props: Art Penson
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Movement Coach and Choreography: Valerie Dean
Musical Direction and Composition: Paul Vaillancourt
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward
Musician and Musical Collaborator: Dan Sauvé
Stage Manager: Erin Oke
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachel Bélanger
Assistant to the Director: Val Smith
Cast: Robert Ross Parker, Tanya Popert, Mark Whitbread, Stephen Guy-McGrath, Jeffrey Aarles, Paulette Sinclair, Paul Griffin, Andrew Morphew, Susan Bonham

Ondine

A visually stunning production of Girauduox’s grotesque adult fairy tale.

A joyful, inventive, funny and sad play where aspects of real life are simplified and exaggerated. Ridiculous characters undertake serious actions with consequences that seem inevitable yet paradoxically illogical. It conveys Giraudoux’s view of the absurdity of the human condition.

An original adaptation and translation of Jean Giraudoux’s Ondine by Laurie Steven and Joanne Miller. Based on a medieval German fairy tale about a knight who falls in love with an ondine or water nymph, Giraudoux explores the true ebb and flow of human passions, questioning our romantic notions about the possibility of finding one, ideal lasting love. He presents a view of humanity pulled in one direction by sunshine—in the guise of a free-spirited ondine—and in the other direction by moonlight—via an ambitious Bertha handcuffed to social conventions.

Odyssey’s design, movement and staging are influenced by the medieval paintings of Bosch and Breugel and the more modern abstract styles of cubism and fauvism. The play involves 14 actors playing more than 50 characters and 30 masks. The staging abounds with stylized magical apparitions and transformations, comic routines, dance sequences and choral work.

Reviews:

“Odyssey’s journey into German myth via Giraudoux melts the boundaries between drama, music, dance and visual art… the overwhelming impression is of a multi-dimensional richness.”
—Iris Winston, Ottawa Citizen

“Once again, director Laurie Steven uses the fantastic in the service of reality… a unique blend of Commedia dell’Arte, dance and spectacle… Odyssey has gelled into something special… Ondine is a fun, thought-provoking time which appeals to all of the senses.”
—S. Mistal Baker, Ottawa X-Press

“It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful… go and see Ondine, it’s a wonderful experience.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio

“Odyssey is equally dynamic in its experimentation and explorations of theatrical forms and space [as Robert Lepage]… fast-paced action, dozens of… idiosyncratic characters, spectacularly colourful masks and costumes and a live soundtrack… Ondine is a poetic, provocative production and a great night at the theatre.”
—Tom McSorley, CBC Radio

ONDINE by Jean Giraudoux
Adapted by Joanne Miller and Laurie Steven
Directed by Laurie Steven
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Movement Coach and Choreography: Xing Bang Fu
Costumes by: Teresa Przybylski
Set Design: Art Penson
Musical Composed and Performed by Paul Vaillancourt accompanied by Andrée Martin
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward
Stage Manager: Judi Pearl
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachel Bélanger
Assistant to the Director: Zachary Smith
Cast: Bernard Arène, Laura Di Cicco, Mark Whitbread, Mireille Rancourt, Paulette Sinclair, Susan Bonham, Jeffrey Aarles, Robert Ross Parker, Pierre Brault, Cheron Martin, Sarah Bennett, Katie Layng, Zachary Smith, Craig Desson

Turandot

A blend of Commedia and Peking Opera provides a new take on this classic myth.

History has been exceptionally unsympathetic to this enchanting riddle princess. Rather, Turandot can be seen as representing the feminine longing for freedom, self-determination and self-expression.

An original script based on a scenario by Laurie Steven and created through a collaborative process with writer Lib Spry, dramaturge Liang Tee Tue and the company. While previous versions by Gozzi, Schiller, Puccini and Brecht all portray the heroine as a cold, cruel, vain, and neurotic beauty conquered by a Persian prince, Odyssey makes her flesh and blood, caught between her emotions and her spiritual values. We trace her spiritual journey – her quest for freedom, self-determination and self-expression – against the backdrop of a repressive patriarchal society.

Steven and choreographer Xing Bang Fu collaborated to create characterization, movement and staging inspired by both Commedia and Peking Opera techniques. Turandot is performed to a live percussion sound scope and enhanced with the antics of the clowns, elaborate dance and fight sequences and court pageantry.

Reviews:

“Magical! That is the only word that adequately describes the visual and aural richness of Turandot… [a] fascinating blend of the traditions of Commedia dell’Arte and Chinese opera… employs flowing robes, pennants and gongs in the Chinese style, and comic characters drawn from both. The result is stunningly effective… this fast-paced and beautifully choreographed production of Turandot is a theatrical experience that touches all the senses. This is the type of show that underlines theatre as a major art form.”
—Iris Winston, The Ottawa Citizen

“…a marvellous, incredible production by Odyssey Theatre… a witty, wise, and thoroughly entertaining play. Events like these are exciting as they are rare — a new play given a tour de force production. There are powerful ideas at work here — the most powerful of which concerns the relationship between the sexes. (Director Laurie Steven) has created a wonderful world using all the resources she could muster.”
—Chris Baker, Ottawa X-Press

“Sumptuous! …the dancing, prancing entrances, the robes and ribbons flying, the gongs pounding, the circular movement, the sweeping hand gestures, the choreography with all the weapons, the many pitched voices… I don’t think there is another company in Canada doing the kind of work Laurie Steven does and it gets better each year.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio

A collective collaboration by members of the cast and:
Director: Laurie Steven
Writer: Lib Spry
Dramaturge: Liang Tee Tue
Based on a scenario by Laurie Steven
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Costumes: Teresa Przybylski
Movement Coach and Choreography: Xing Bang Fu
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward
Set Designed by Barry Padolsky
Music composed and performed by Paul Vaillancourt
Stage Manager: Sarah Gale
Asst.: Chad Boole
Cast: Diana Fajrajsl, Laura DiCicco, Kathleen Egan, Tim Kohout, Henry Gauthier, Mark Whitbread, Mike Brunet, Bruce Spinney, Sarah Muff, Robin Black, Devon Taylor

Don Juan

A dark but sympathetic portrayal of Molière’s rogue and scoundrel.

Don Juan is an anti-hero. He is fighting for freedom in love and struggling to hold on to his individuality in a society dominated by rigid codes of behaviour. In that sense it raises issues we face today with our political correctness and social conservatism.

An original adaptation by Joanne Miller and Laurie Steven of Molière’s Don Juan. Based on the old Spanish legend about a wandering scoundrel, Don Juan, who seduces and abandons fair maidens, Molière’s play is critical of society’s excessive desire to punish individualism, to repress sexuality and to limit it to the confines of accepted social institutions. Odyssey’s production shows us a whimsical side of the villain; his moral excesses are balanced by the weaknesses of the other characters who tend to be cold, self-serving, indulgent, hypocritical and ridiculous.

Reviews:

“A manic roller coaster of laughs and melodrama. Molière’s depth has been added to the mile-a-minute pacing of Commedia resulting in a fast paced, entertaining show with a dash of melodrama and tragedy thrown in for good measure… the direction is inspired (the chorus of clownish bouffons and Sganarelle’s supper are truly marvellous).”
—Chris Baker, Ottawa XPress

“…this adaptation has added action, mimicry and noises, shrieking, playful encounters and visual games, and of course, the masks … there was some very, very, good staging… it’s a very entertaining show.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, CBC Radio

DON JUAN by Molière
Adapted by Joanne Miller and Laurie Steven from a translation by W. Ozell
Directed by Laurie Steven
Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Costumes and Set Design by: Teresa Przybylski
Set Design: Art Penson
Musical Directed and Composed by Timothy Kohout
Lighting Designer: Scott McTavish
Bouffon and Movement Coach: Fiona Griffiths
Fight Choreography: John Koensgen
Poster Design by Vladimir Kovalchuck
Stage Manager: Sarah Gale Berger
Assistant Stage Manager: Tracy Alves
Cast: Ross Mullan, Timothy Kohout, Steven Bush, Diana Fajrajsl, Bernard Arène, Bernadette Hendrickx, Mark Whitbread, Andrew Peck, T.L. Stewart, Yurij Kis, Virginia West