“Hello and welcome to…”
“Oh my god, HE STARTED THE CLOCK!”
With these first two lines, the audience is thrown into the world of Greek mythology as the actors introduce the Greek Gods in an unconventional setting: a modern-day talk show. Not afraid to break the fourth wall (speak directly to the audience) the actors hand out programs to audience members, as if they are a part of the talk show, calling out “Programs! Programs! Can’t do the myths if you don’t know the Gods! And you won’t know the Gods without a program!”
The Iliad, The Odyssey, and all of Greek Mythology in 99 minutes or Less follows five actors taking on all of Greek mythology, as the title suggests, in just over an hour and a half. Directed by Anna-lies Voorham (VI), the cast was made up of Jesse Gold (IV), Atiksh Bordia (IV), Susie Hunt (V), Cory Metz (V) and Merideth Metz (III).
The performances on October 20th and 21st were filled with laughs, applause and even audience participation. At each show, one of three audience members sitting in a “hot seat” was picked to join the actors up on stage for a short scene before returning to their role as a spectator. The rest of the audience watched as the surprise performer was given a script and a costume for the scene. This surprise performer even had a death scene as one of the actors narrated, “And now Semele in an energetic, committed and entertaining manner you will flail about and shriek, cry and moan, pull out your hair, and scream as you die an agonizing death.”
The rest of the scenes were no less memorable with the actors portraying a different character in each scene, sometimes even two in the same scene. Over the course of the entire show, each actor played between 18 and 32 characters. The first act is the story of the Iliad with other Greek myths interspersed, then followed by a short intermission and concluded with the second act detailing the events of the Odyssey. With a modern twist to classic stories, the classic Greek gods interact through game shows, sports broadcasting and more, all while staying under 99 minutes.
When asked about the choice of show, director Anna-lies Voorham originally had mixed feelings, since she had originally picked a different show to direct. However, as she started to grapple with the material she realized that The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All of Greek Mythology in 99 minutes or Less could be a very “complicated and smart” piece.
Directing a Studio Theater show came with its challenges. Voorham went into rehearsals with a set schedule: four days a week for blocking and one day for the actors to memorize their numerous lines. This plan quickly fell short as blocking – placing actors within the scenes – took longer than the anticipated two weeks. Voorham noted that the process “was rocky but it was really worth it, and it was good noticing that it was hard.”
The other main challenge Voorham had during the process was balancing her friendships within the show. Voorham is close with many of the castmates, specifically Hunt. She explained that she had to deal “with the difference between these people being your friends and being people that you direct. There’s always a social component to it because the second you leave [rehearsal] it’s Susie, it’s not my actor so it’s difficult trying to keep that accountability in that professional relationship.”
However, the show was also incredibly rewarding. When asked about it, Voorham explained that even though watching the show itself was stressful, “seeing how much fun these kids had, [she] was so happy.” Some of the younger members of the company explained to Voorham how doing the Studio Theater show made them want to participate in theater in the future.
Voorham herself was introduced to Fieldston Theater through a Studio Theater production over Covid. Not knowing very many high school students at the time because of virtual learning, she grew close with her cast mates. “One of those kids is going to a college that I really want to go to and I sat down and had coffee with him. I really hope that one of these kids who were younger and were acting for the first time had that good of an experience,” Voorham explained.
Studio Theater is an amazing opportunity for students to participate in theater at school and through work in an all-student environment, build relationships with castmates and crew members. The next Studio Theater, The Visitor, written by Tallulah Reiser (VI) will be performed Friday, December 1st in the Alex Cohen Theater!
