The Odyssey is a theatrical investigation freely based on the Homerian motifs, performed site specifically at ITs Festival, in Amsterdam in the end of June 2016. Eight Theatre Academies prepared their own part of the whole story that was coordinated and assembled by They Boermans. The project was a part of the Platform of European Theatre Academies. As a underlying thematics lies the refugee crisis going on in Europe at the moment. It is about a journey and it is about not arriving.

Calypso – Helsinki
The piece is based on the fifth and sixth song of Homers Odyssey where Odysseus is being captured on Calypsos island, finally Calypso lets him go only to be caught up in a storm and nearly drowning before being saved by Ioa on dry land. Central thematics are how to let go of someone you love and the trust of going forward towards the unknown and hope everything will be ok.

The Calypso part deals with concepts of trust, individual identity, meetings and community, which is not only present in the discussion of refugees, but in the central focus every time we meet somebody we previously don’t know. The piece tries to open up the audiences mind to how the current situation of Europe might look like to the refugees upon arrival.

Dramaturgical Concept: Jochen Schölch, München
Technical production: Amsterdam ITs: Ellen Tjon A Meeuw
Final-assembly/coordination in Amsterdam: Theu Boermans

Working group Helsinki:
Geoffrey Erista, Verneri Lilja, Joel Neves, Manoel Pinto, Johannes Purovaara, Kalle Rasinkangas, Alexander Salvesen, Lotta Suomi, Anna Valpuri

The other participating schools were:
Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding, München, Germany
Akademia Teatralna im. Aleksandra Zelwerowicza, Warsaw, Poland
Latvian Academy of Culture, Riga, Latvia
Zuyd University of Applied Sciences/Faculty of Arts Maastricht, Toneelacademie Netherlands
Erasmus Hogeschool Brussel/ RITCS School of Arts, Belgium
Mozarteum/Dept. Schauspiel/Regie – Thomas Bernhard Institut, Salzburg, Germany
Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, Norway