Ithaca, Our Odyssey

From 29th November until 2nd December, the sea of Ithaca floods the Onassis Stegi main stage. Ulysses, Penelope and Calypso float on its waters. An ancient myth or a news flash about the refugee crisis? The Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy turns a magnifying glass on contemporary reality. She creates a parallel universe – present and past in one – reflecting the odyssey of homecoming.

Through her multimedia work for the Odéon-Théâtre and the Comédie-Française, she has captivated the French audience. Her work, “Ithaca”, is a combination of stage-work, digital and cinematic depiction.

Christiane Jatahy sets her Ithaca on two islands, Calypso’s Ogygia and Penelope’s Ithaca and the sea between them, the water becoming a travel memorial. Like a siren, Jatahy sings the eternal song about the pain of exile, the longing for a homeland and love that survives in times of waiting. An international coproduction of Onassis Stegi.

Credits

Dramaturgy, Scenography & Direction: Christiane Jatahy
Artistic Collaboration, Lighting, Scenography: Thomas Walgrave
Collaboration on the scenography creation: Marcelo Lipiani
Artistic Collaboration: Henrique Mariano
Sound Design: Alex Fostier
Photographer: Paulo Camacho
Costumes: Siegrid Petit-Imbert, Géraldine Ingremeau
Video System: Julio Parente
Staging Assistance, Translation: Marcus Borja
Cast: Karim Bel Kacem, Julia Bernat, Cédric Eeckhout, Stella Rabello, Matthieu Sampeur, Isabel Teixeira

Stage Set Production: the decoration workshop of Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe
and Odeon-Theatre de l'Europe's team
Translation from French: Louiza Mitsakou
Translation from Portuguese: Yannis Papadakis
Premiere: 16 March 2018 at Ateliers Berthier, Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe
Special regards to: Kais Razouk, Godrat Arai and Nazeeh Alsahuyny for sharing some parts of their own odyssey with us.
Production: Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe
Co-production: Théâtre National Wallonie - Bruxelles, São Luiz Teatro Municipal - Lisbonne, Onassis Stegi, Comédie de Genève, Ruhrtriennale - Germany
With the support of Centquatre - Paris
Christian Jatahy is supported by Sesc Consolação in São Paulo

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“Ithaca, our Odyssey” is a coproduction of the Onassis Stegi and the Odeon-Theatre de l' Europe. It is the first part of an ambitious diptych titled “Our Odyssey”, covering all attempts to return to the birthplace/cradle. Jatahy uses three Brazilian actresses for the part of Penelope and three actors for Odysseus.

After "Ithaca" comes “New Ithaca”, merging myth and document. Ulysses’ return to Ithaca and the restitution of his relationship with Penelope includes material from refugee stories.

“New Ithaca” will include filming and research in Greece, Palestine, Lebanon, South Africa, Turkey, Syria and Brazil.

“It holds up Homer’s historical fiction as a magnifying glass on our time, its wars, its movements of departure and arrival, on every attempt to reach one's home, as literally as metaphorically” says Christiane Jatahy describing the project.

Jatahy’s performance comes after the “Odyssey” of her compatriot Leonardo Moreira, a production performed as part of the Onassis Stegi Fast Forward Festival 5.