The Odyssey - a reading on line from the Jermyn Street theatre. 9 October 2020 starting at 9 am. 72 actors will read the 25 books of the epic.

The Jermyn Street theatre in association with The London Reviews Bookshop is presenting this chance to dip in and out of one of those books not everybody reads although the outline of the story is the stuff of bedtime tales and some epic movies. The session starts at 9 am on 9 October 2020 on the LRB You Tube and will cover the first four episodes of the epic tale. At noon the remaining 21 will start transmission on the Jermyn Street Theatre You Tube. Over 12 hours 72 actors will deliver the 25 episodes of Homer's epic using the translation by the Booker Prize judge Emily Watson.
The entire reading will remain on You Tube for a week so if you miss the 9 October reading or wish to dip into the story at a later stage you can. Casting has yet to be announced.
Tom Little, Jermyn Street's Artistic Director, said The Odyssey was not just a gripping adventure story of gods and monsters, but an astonishing work of psychological realism. "Its themes of travel, homeland and homelessness are powerfully resonant in 2020," he added.
This mammoth undertaking aims to reawaken an oral tradition that hails from the eighth century BCE when the work was first performed by bards across the Mediterranean.
William Russell

POhotograph - The Stage.