The O’Neill National Theater Institute
Presents THE ODYSSEY PROJECT
December 13 & 14

Waterford CT, December 7, 2002 – The O’Neill National Theater Institute (NTI) at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center will present a work-in-progress performance inspired by Robert Fagles’ translation of THE ODYSSEY. Written by Homer around 700 B.C., THE ODYSSEY depicts the ten-year voyage of Odysseus as he journeys home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, encountering divine and natural forces over the ten-year course of his voyage. NTI’s 32 students of the Fall ’02 semester use excerpts from Homer’s epic to form a Ïcollective creationÓ over the course of six days, using music and movement. THE ODYSSEY PROJECT is their final work of the semester and it will be performed at 8:00 p.m. in the Dina Merrill Theater on December 13 & 14. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

Each semester, the students at NTI culminate their semester by creating a Ïfinal projectÓ. Chosen specifically for them, it may be the presentation of an established piece, an adaptation of a literary work, or an original creation. The goal of this is to draw together the major elements of acting, movement, and voice they have learned. Recent NTI classes have created THE DREAM PROJECT, adapted Angela Carter’s novel NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS and presented WORKING ON LEFTY, suggested by Clifford Odets’ similarly titled play WAITING FOR LEFTY.

NTI Director David Jaffe said, ÏThe idea of working on THE ODYSSEY has been in my mind since I arrived at The O’Neill. In many ways, the students’ fourteen-week journey here is an odyssey. Adapting this epic into a performance is an enormous challenge, which over the course of six days mirrors the more complex journey they’ve taken during their time here at The O’Neill. The goal of the final project is to utilize their strengths as an ensemble and apply the skills they’ve learned to uncharted territory. Fagles’ translation serves as a foundation for the exploration of their newfound ideas and abilities.Ó

NTI is a college-accredited training program for theater artists. The seven-day-a-week schedule includes classes in acting, directing, playwriting, movement, voice and design. This challenging, professional curriculum is enhanced by special workshops, guest artists and theater trips. Two weeks of the semester are spent abroad. In the past, NTI students have traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon to study with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Moscow to train with master teachers from the Moscow Art Theater School and the Vakhtangov School. In 1992 NTI began a collaborative relationship with the Moscow Art Theater (MXAT), offering a semester of study at MXAT in addition to its stateside program.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 and based in Waterford CT, is dedicated to the advancement of new work for the theater and creates and operates programs which complement that goal. These include the Puppetry Conference, Playwrights Conference, Critics Institute, Music Theater Conference and the National Theater Institute. The O’Neill also owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, childhood home of America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Eugene O’Neill, and holds an annual celebration honoring the life and works of its namesake every October.

For more information about the performance or NTI, call (860) 443-5378.