Odyssey Theatre marks 40 years and artistic director Laurie Steven's retirement
The longtime local company closes its founding era with Mirandolina at Strathcona Park, celebrating four decades of physical theatre and masks.
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Odyssey Theatre is marking its 40th anniversary and the retirement of founding artistic director Laurie Steven this summer with a new production of Mirandolina at Strathcona Park.
The theatrical adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's The Mistress of the Inn, adapted and directed by Eleanor Crowder, exemplifies the company's signature style: physical humour, heightened theatricality, and masks. The story follows an innkeeper uninterested in love until a smug nobleman enters, prompting a game of manipulation and seduction.
Steven moved to Ottawa in the 1980s and founded Odyssey Theatre after discovering a gap in the local arts scene. "I showed up, and so I decided, 'Well, I'll just start a company,' and that's it," Steven said. She brought in internationally renowned puppet and mask maker Félix Mirbt, whose work inspired the company's direction toward mask-based storytelling combining comedy, satire, and explorations of international myth and folklore.
Beyond annual performances, Odyssey has built a youth apprenticeship program and created the World of Masks initiative to make theatre accessible to broader communities. "We've taken two directions in the work: one is comedy and satire, but the other is exploring international myth and folk tale through masks," Steven explained.
The details
Who is directing Mirandolina?
Eleanor Crowder adapted and directed Mirandolina for Odyssey Theatre.
Who founded Odyssey Theatre?
Laurie Steven founded Odyssey Theatre in the 1980s after moving to Ottawa and identifying a gap in the local arts scene.
