DELVE INTO the past with as a unique contemporary exploration of The Odyssey comes to Oldham for one day only this spring.
Theatre maker Rose van Leyenhorst and co-director Chris Hill have teamed up to create THE ODDITY, introducing Tilly, a girl lost between ancient fiction and modern reality.
The play turns the Greek myth on its head, by telling the classic story from a female perspective in a feast of words, light and movement through a dark yet humorous tale.
Creator Rose van Leyenhorst has been working on this piece of theatre since 2013 and Chris Hill joined her, first as dramaturg, then as co-director.
They are interested in big, bold stories told in intimate spaces and Rose, who is passionate about collaborative theatre, set up OUT OF NOWHERE THEATRE to facilitate the collaborative work.
“THE ODDITY was not created conventionally” says Rose. “We tested the script and plot ideas in the rehearsal room with co-director Chris and a cast of actors.
“It has been a continuous work-in-progress, with the script as a starting point rather than an endgame.”
The production will tour the North West from Friday 29 April to Tuesday 7 June 2016, launching at Oldham Library on Friday 29 April with performances at 1pm and 7pm.
In the following weeks it will travel to Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, Unity Theatre in Liverpool, New Continental in Preston and Mill at the Pier in Wigan.
The tour has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England and all the people who have backed their Kickstarter campaign.
Rose has already enjoyed success with Edinburgh Fringe hit Loving Dick (2013), and Conor McKee’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Deadly Sins (2014).
Chris’s directing credits include Crash Pad (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Me, as a Penguin (Arcola/Lowry/West Yorkshire Playhouse), and Rabbitskin (Theatre in the Mill and UK Tour).
Out of Nowhere Theatre presents THE ODDITY, suitable for ages 12+, on Friday, April 29 at 1pm and 7pm at Oldham Library.
Tickets cost £5 (£4 library members) and are available by calling the Box Office: 0161 624 2829 or go online: oldham.gov.uk/liveatthelibrary
Find out more online: www.odditytheplay.com or on Facebook and Twitter.
