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The Odyssey: Episode 1 - The Lotus Eaters

A group of people dancing around a golden shaft of light leading upwards to a three-chimney building on a hill with a fire harnessed inside

Booking and details

30 March — 2 April 2023
This show has now ended
The event location is

Restoke

Restoke. The Ballroom: Albert Square, Fenton, Stoke-On-Trent. ST4 3FA

Presented by Restoke, written by Gabriella Gay and the company.

We can’t be resilient on our own 

With a backdrop of destruction and loss Odysseus and her crew reach Stoke-on-Trent, where they encounter two communities; The Lotus Eaters – dazzling party goers who tempt the crew to join them and lose all sense of their past and future; and a community who offer solace and support to help Odysseus regroup her crew and continue their journey home.

Working with a company of people from Stoke-on-Trent, Restoke have taken inspiration from this part of The Odyssey to create a production using their own experiences, stories and connection to the story. They have reimagined what the Lotus could be and the challenges we have to overcome, but importantly how we connect as a community to stay on track.

Performed 30 March — 2 April 2023 in the Restoke, Stoke-On-Trent.

Gallery

Ensemble members of 'The Lotus Eaters' standing in a circle with their hands in the air, bathed in a red light
Ensemble members of 'The Lotus Eaters' standing in a circle with their hands in the air, bathed in a red light
Ensemble members of 'The Lotus Eaters' standing in a circle with their hands in the air, bathed in a red light
View 7 images
Ensemble in 'The Lotus Eaters' - one person raised in the air by a group of others with one hand above their head and the other outstretched Cast members in 'The Lotus Eaters' - an individual with one hand raised in the air and the other stretched out behind them and their legs in a lunge position Cast members in 'The Lotus Eaters' holding hands with each other Cast member in 'The Lotus Eaters' singing Cast members in 'The Lotus Eaters' - four people holding hands wrapped around one another. Cast members in 'The Lotus Eaters' bathed in blue light - three people in front with hands in the air.

Production gallery

Discover more from The Odyssey

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The Odyssey: Episode 2 - The Cyclops
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The Odyssey: Episode 2 - The Cyclops

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The Odyssey: Episode 3 - The Four Winds
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The Odyssey: Episode 3 - The Four Winds

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The Odyssey: Episode 4 - The Island of the Sun
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The Odyssey: Episode 4 - The Island of the Sun

Presented by The Fire Station (For Sunderland Culture in partnership with Sunderland Empire Theatre), written by Lindsay Rodden
28 — 29 April 2023
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The Odyssey: Episode 5 - The Underworld
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The Odyssey: Episode 5 - The Underworld

The final act of our new multi-venue nationwide production of The Odyssey. Created with our Public Acts partners, this episode will be a full-scale musical written by Chris Bush and with music by Jim Fortune played out on the Olivier stage.
26 — 28 August 2023
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About Restoke

A photo of the frontage of the Restoke building in Stoke-on-Trent

Restoke put the people of Stoke-on-Trent at the heart of creative adventures.

They make performances, plan events and run workshops alongside people who may not usually meet, forming new bonds of friendship, understanding and solidarity in the city.

Restoke have recently restored and reopened a ballroom in a former town hall, which had been converted into magistrates’ courtrooms in the 1960s and will become a civic arts centre sharing free creative experiences with their local community.

 

Supporters

Theatre Nation Partnerships is generously supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation.

Public Acts is supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The CareTech Charitable Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Mosawi Foundation, The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust and Susan Miller and Byron Grote.

Illustration by Ignasi Font