Nuffield Youth Theatre are to present an adaptation of The Odyssey at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, set in a modern day refugee camp.
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It will be performed entirely by young people aged between 13 and 21 years old.
The Odyssey takes the ancient Greek story of Odysseus and places it firmly at the centre of today’s humanitarian crisis, where people are fleeing from war torn countries to protect their lives.
Treated like animals
Nuffield Youth Theatre Director Max Lindsay was inspired to set The Odyssey in a refugee camp after volunteering in theatre space Good Chance Calais. It was created for the people living in the camp near Calais which has been dubbed 'The Jungle' by its inhabitants because they feel like they're being treated like animals.
He said: “Walking into The Jungle we were struck by how much it resembled walking into a version of the Glastonbury Festival that has been running for 10 years consistently. Toilets, mud and all!
Humanity
“Despite the grim picture that paints, there is also a lot of hope that emanates from the people residing there as they engage with art in a bid to keep a sense of humanity about their situation. It is devastating to see that the theatre has now been dismantled as part of the destruction of the camp.
“In a bid to gain entry to his own country, Odysseus tells the stories of his ten year journey home; the characters, the encounters and ultimately, his enlightenment as he begins to comprehend the horrors he inflicted on the people of Troy. I met migrants in Calais who had similar epic stories to tell of their own journeys and I wanted to filter their experiences through this thoroughly modern adaptation.”
Dates: March 24-30, 2016
Tickets: £8.00, £11.00, £13.00 & £18.00.
For more information visit www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk or call 023 8067 1771.