English Touring Theatre and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse have announced the full cast for the world première of their co-production of The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead. The production reunites Simon Armitage and Nick Bagnall after their recent collaborations on The Last Days of Troy and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Nick Bagnall will direct Lee Armstrong, Simon Dutton, Roger Evans, Polly Frame, David Hartley, Ranjit Krishnamma, Chris Reilly, Sule Rimi, Danusia Samal, Colin Tierney and Susie Trayling.
Simon Armitage said “The new gods sit in Whitehall and Downing Street, no less image-obsessed and power-hungry than their ancient counterparts, and a latter-day borderless Europe forms the backdrop to Odysseus’ travels, to a journey that begins at the confluence point of East and West, a place of conflict from the Siege of Troy to the present day.”
Nick Bagnall commented, “The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead is a story Simon and I have wanted to tell since we left the Greeks setting sail for Ithaca in our production of The Last Days of Troy. We are going to sail Odysseus home. After ten years in a stalemate stuck on a disease ridden beach with the Trojans behind their impenetrable wall we now face the open seas and a whole army of mythical creatures to knock us off course. It has been the most thrilling year for me, from my appointment as Associate Director to A Midsummer Night’s Dream and then The Odyssey with our greatest living poet.”
Director of English Touring Theatre, Rachel Tackley said, “I thought The Last Days of Troy was extraordinary and compelling, bringing ancient characters to life for modern audiences, so I leapt at the opportunity to commission Simon Armitage to finish the story. I’m delighted to be working with him and Nick Bagnall on a new version of The Odyssey for audiences all over the country. It’s a joy to be working with our old friends in Liverpool and to be opening it at the Everyman. We can’t wait to get started.”
Gemma Bodinetz, Artistic Director of Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse added “We are thrilled to be collaborating with English Touring Theatre on this extraordinary project. Simon Armitage is renowned for his lucid reimagining of Homer’s epic poetry and as was proved with The Last Days of Troy, his theatrical adaptation of The Iliad, he is in the most inspiring of directorial hands with our associate director Nick Bagnall. The Everyman is the perfect performance space for epic ensemble theatre and we are proud to launch The Odyssey on its maiden voyage around the country with such distinguished co-producers as English Touring Theatre.”
The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead opens at Liverpool Everyman on 30th September, with previews from 25th September, and runs until 17th October.