Salesianum, along with students from Padua and Ursuline, put on three memorable showings of The Odyssey this past weekend. In all, the play featured 36 students who acted, designed, or worked on other areas such as lighting or effects. The play was directed by Mr. Bogad, but also featured help from Mr. Fin,  Mr. Inglis, Ms. Lantz, Mr. Losten, and volunteer Mr. McManus. The show also featured original music composed by Sebastian Gervay (an alumni) and featured the song “Odysseus” played by Mr. Drake and his awesome band Instant Bingo. Last May, adults started the early stages of production, where students then took over late in the summer. Soon after, rehearsals started 5 days a week after school where cast and crew worked diligently refining what would eventually become the Odyssey. During the last two weeks of rehearsals, nights ran until 7:30, and weekends were spent at Salesianum fine-tuning elements that would come to make the end result that much more of a labor of love. Many in the play will humbly tell you that theater is not for the faint of heart. The over two hours on stage under the bridge lights can be intense, but it all comes together to show a beautiful story. Jack Cunningham ‘26, who played the lead role Odysseus, humorously tells the story of how he had to learn to act without his trusted glasses.

As for the reason The Odyssey was chosen as the play, it is the first show in a set of three that relate to the year’s theater theme of “entity unknown”, or shows where characters go forward without knowing what the outcome will be. According to Mr. Bogad, The Odyssey is about Odysseus trying to return home from the Trojan war and all the difficulties he faced along the way. In his tale he sets out traveling home without knowing where he will end up or where his journey may take him. “That feels very much resonant or relevant to like what it’s like to be, you know, a person in the world today.” Says Mr. Bogad, when asked why he wanted to put on The Odyssey specifically. “We don’t know how things are gonna go with so many different challenges that we as world culture face, and we can look to ancient stories to sort of give us ideas about perseverance, about focus, about being clever, about being creative, about problem solving in not obvious ways. That’s one of the things that like Odysseus as a character is sort of famous for, he’s not a heroic general or warrior like Agamemnon or Achilles, or even Menelaus, he’s known for being clever and kind of working around the system, which is one of reasons why like he’s such an important character, why American schools read The Odyssey where most European schools read The Iliad. The idea that Odysseyus solves his problems by cleverness and by independent thought is, I think a uniquely, not uniquely but a pretty American value to be clever, to be intelligent, to be creative.”

Salesianum theater is very much a student run operation. When working on a production, students have input on how they want the project to go. This is done through a student staff who have major responsibility and are trusted students who have been in many plays and musicals. In this production, there were four students in this leadership. Two girls from Padua, a student from Salesianum, and one more from Ursuline. All schools involved in the play had input through these managers and directors. They especially had a lot of influence through the direction of the show, the work process, and the communication structure. Mr. Bogad tells how “They were really really instrumental in getting the whole thing up and done.” Further, all areas of design are also student led. For example the lighting was done by Kyle Morris ‘26 and sound design was done by Audrey Dever, a student from Padua. According to Mr. Bogad, theater is identical to sports, in that players have the final input on how their games go. Students take influence and guidance from the adults, but in the end they are the ones doing the majority of what is seen and experienced.

Another big detail about the play is that the script is taken from the Mary Zimmerman version of The Odyssey. Salesianum theater was obligated under contract to not take any liberties with the script, which forced them to be as accurate to source in this area. The nature of theater is not to make your show just like every other production, but to highlight what makes the Salesianum theater production different from any other production. Because of this, it was really important for the crew to take creative liberties in all other areas they could, such as the set design, costume, lighting, sound, special effects, and casting. The final version of the play turned out great, featuring fun scenes that extend into the hallways, expressive puppets, and many memorable and truly funny moments. Because “the show must go on” the theater is now moving forward to their next project Into The Woods. If you were somehow unable to make the odyssey and see this beautiful show, definitely make it to this next one. Not just to attend, but to see the show for what it is. A group of our brothers and sisters who through many hard hours, with passion, carry forward a dying tradition for our entertainment. So go enjoy that entertainment made for you, if you don’t then why should they even work so hard in the first place.

*Special thanks to Mr. Bogad for some of the information in this article. Photo one shows the entire student cast and crew for the show. Photo two shows Odysseus instructing his crew to create a spear to stab the Cyclops’s eye and escape the island. Photo three showcases Mr. Quinn who unleashed his surprising acting skills in this unexpected cameo.