THE London Bodhrán Band have been announced among four performance groups who will make a cameo appearance in the National Theatre’s upcoming production of The Odyssey.
Written by Chris Bush, with music by Jim Fortune and directed by Emily Lim, The Odyssey: The Underworld is the fifth and final episode in the National Theatre’s series which has reimagined Homer’s epic eighth century poem in five parts.
Each part has played at a different venue across the country, with the professional acting cast being joined by a raft of local performers to make up a community company too.
The full company for the upcoming National Theatre production (Pics: Joseph Lynn)So far the productions have taken place at Restoke in Stoke-on-Trent, Cast in Doncaster, Trowbridge Town Hall in Trowbridge and Sunderland Culture in partnership with Sunderland Empire Theatre in Sunderland
For its fifth and final part of the tale the National Theatre returns home, with The Odyssey: The Underworld running at its Olivier Theatre from August 26-28.
The grand finale will bring together communities from across the country to perform alongside six professional actors and six musicians.
The company in rehearsals for the production of The Odyssey: Episode 5 the Underworld at the National Theatre (Pic: Joseph Lynn)It will also feature dance, music and songs from four cameo performance groups.
Announced today, the four cameo groups performing in The Underworld are The London Bodhrán Band, a group of students from the London Irish Centre that perform traditional Irish music.
The Haringey Vox Choir, which is a free choir for young people from the London borough of Haringey run by Haringey Music Service.
The Impact Dance Group - a London based art for social change organisation that empowers young people aged 11 – 19 predominantly from African and Caribbean backgrounds and specialises in Hip-Hop Theatre, Street Dance and Youth Development.
The fourth cameo group is the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus - an LGBTQ+ community choir based in Cardiff, performing distinctive choral arrangements steeped in Welsh traditions.
Eastenders star Emma Prendergast, who plays, Athena, in rehearsals for the show (Pics: Joseph Lynn)“These performance groups will join the 160 strong company of people from across England including six professional actors and musicians, with 68 freelance artists working across the nationwide production,” the National Theatre has confirmed.
The full professional cast includes Amy Booth-Steel as Calypso, Tarinn Callender as Telemachus, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Odysseus, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Poseidon, Emma Prendergast as Athena, and Zubin Varla as Hades.
Speaking of the final instalment of The Odyssey series, Emily Lin, Director of the National Theatre's Public Acts initiative, which has produced the theatre series, said: “Our rehearsal rooms up and down the country have been fuelled by the infectious joy, passion and creativity of our amazing teams of professional and community artists.
“It's a privilege to work on something of this epic scale with a community of people who share our belief in the values and purpose of this work.
"We are so excited to bring this final chapter of The Odyssey to the Olivier Stage, celebrating the power of theatre as a force for connection and change in the world.”
Tickets for The Odyssey: The Underworld are on sale now. For further information and to book tickets click here.
