A 40 Year Long Odyssey (the Odyssey Theatre Ensemb

the very beginning wildly successful and innovative productions such as The Serpent and Brechts Threepenny Opera immediately gained the Odyssey its reputation for producing dangerous, magical, and experimental work. Originally located in a Hollywood storefront, in 1973 the Odyssey moved to a larger venue in West Los Angeles where, beginning with one 99-seat theater, it gradually expanded to a three-theater complex.
The 1979 season resulted in a record-breaking 15-month run of the Odyssey-created Chicago Conspiracy Trial, the first production in Odyssey 2, the theatres second space. (This play, written by Ron Sossi and Frank Condon, was translated to the screen as an HBO Special Presentation in May, 1987,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which itself won the Cable Industrys ACE Award.) 1980 saw the addition of a third space, Odyssey 3, in which the highly acclaimed Traces (a powerful collaboration with Vietnam veterans) began its successful production history, eventually playing to audiences at Joseph Papps Public Theatre, the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and the Royal Court Theatre in London.
In 1982, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circles most prestigious honor, the Margaret Harford Award, was presented to Ron Sossi and the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble for "demonstrating a continual willingness to experiment provocatively in the process of theatre." The following year saw multiple awards for the theatres productions.
In 1984, the Odyssey was selected to participate in the Olympic Arts Festival. Its production of David Mamets Edmond was recognized by two German television networks, the British press, and East Coast theatre periodicals as being "the best of the American entries." In 1985, the Odysseys unique production of Garry Trudeaus and Elizabeth Swados Rap Master Ronnie moved to a commercial run in a larger facility and saw subsequent productions in major US cities. The final 1986 season production, the world premiere of Steven Berkoffs Kvetch, opened Off Broadway in 1987, while continuing to play to sold-out houses at the Odyssey where it ran for 8 years. Successes in the 1988 season included the theatres multiple-award-winning production of Master Class by David Pownall and Three Top Hats by the Spanish playwright Miguel Mihura. This latter play was the first production of LAAFO (Latin Actors and A Few Others),[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], an ensemble established at the Odyssey to make the wealth of Hispanic theatre, old and new, accessible to English-speaking audiences.
Due to the sale of the building on Ohio in July, 1989, the OTE family--made up of staff, board members, volunteers, actors, and friends--spent many months converting a city-owned vacant warehouse into a three-theatre complex. Faith Healer, the first production in the new facility, opened in September, 1989. The 1990 world premiere Struggling Truths and the compelling hit TEA in 1991 examined Eastern concerns, while Arthur Kopits irreverent The Road to Nirvana, also in 91, slaughtered Hollywoods sacred cows.
Recent successes such as David Hares A Map Of The World , Euripides The Bacchae , Suzan Lori-Parks Imperceptible Mutabilities In The Third Kingdom, and the cabaret Frauleins In Underwear are evidence of the Odysseys cultural eclecticism. The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is currently planning expansion into a major International Experimental Theatre Center. In the meantime, they explore, produce and present works on the forefront of contemporary theatre art.
Two currently on-stage productions of OTE are, again, very promising.
Bach at Liepzig, running through August 23rd,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], is based on actual events in 1722. Playwright Itamar Moses takes us on a hilarious wild ride as seven rival musicians compete to fill the most sought after musical post in Europe, organ master at Leipzig. A. Jeffrey Schoenbergs costumes reportedly made from scratch for this production, along with period shoes, and wigs, are sumptuous. Kurt Boetcher provides sound gags and bone-rattling organ music.
Heavy like the Weight of a Flame is a solo

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