Bay Ridge Theatre Group Performs Grade School Version of ‘The Odyssey’

Homer would be proud of what a Bay Ridge theatre group has done with “The Odyssey.”

Classical Remix, the theatre collective in residence at P.S. 264, the Bay Ridge Elementary School of the Arts, will be presenting “The Odyssey,” an original play based on Homer’s epic.

It will be performed at Fringe Jr., an independent theatre festival that’s part of the New York International Fringe Festival. The community-based event is geared towards young people and families.

Classical Remix is made up of educators at P.S. 264 who work together as a community to bring classical theatre productions to elementary school students. “The Odyssey” is geared towards children ages five to 12.

The theatre collective offers a fresh approach to Homer’s epic tale and introduces the work to a present day audience. Written by Hannah Reuter, this charming adaptation revolves around a madcap team of thespians and their quest to band together long enough to reach the shores of Ithaca.

“I wrote ‘The Odyssey’ as a response to the endless struggle to find new, fun, intelligent productions for children, to be performed by adults,” Reuter said. “My goal is to create new works that expose children to the joy that is live theatre as well as the resonance of historical works that have shaped who we are today.”

In the 35-minute version of “The Odyssey,” the aforementioned eccentric acting troupe is traveling to Athens to perform in a theatre festival to honor the god Dionysus.

Along the way, they get lost as they search for an audience to perform “The Odyssey” for and encounter many obstacles and adversaries including a Cyclops, Sirens and the god Poseidon.

“Now more than ever, we need to expose children to work that inspires the collaborative spirit of expression, which builds communities and encourages dynamic conversations,” Reuter said. “This does not only plant seeds for the next generation of artists, but also the next generation of thoughtfully engaged social participants.” 

“The Odyssey” will be performed at HB Studio Theatre, 124 Bank Street in Manhattan, from Saturday, Oct. 6 through Wednesday, Oct. 10. Tickets are $22 for adults and $16 for kids. For exact show times, go to FringeNYC.org.