Schedule
HostsWays to Give
HomePlaylistSchedule
HostsEventsOn DemandOur StoryOur TeamWays to Give Become a Sponsor
How to ListenVisit Help CenterContact Us

Find Us on Social Media:

Logo image

Find Us on Social Media:

Download Our Mobile App:

google play icon

About

HomePlaylistSchedule
HostsOn DemandOur StoryOur Team

Community

EventsWays to Give Become a SponsorPressDiversity StatementCareersAnnual EEO ReportDigital Accessibility

Help

Visit Help CenterContact UsHow to Listen

©2025 Classical California

Sweepstakes RulesFCC ComplianceLocal Public FilesCPB ComplianceAnnual EEO ReportPrivacy PolicyCode of Integrity

articles / East Bay

Return of ‘Black Odyssey’ at Cal Shakes

East BayLiteratureTheaterPop CultureThe State of the Arts

Black Odyssey at Cal Shakes re-imagines the story of Odysseus working his way home from the war. In Marcus Gardley‘s play, the protagonist is African-American soldier Ulysses Lincoln, trying to get back home to Oakland from service in Iraq. It had its West Coast premiere there last year, and returns by popular demand, running tonight through October 7th at the Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda.

Return of ‘Black Odyssey’ at Cal Shakes
00:00

There’s more information at the Cal Shakes website.

“I love the notion of retelling a story and adding your own thread to it,” says Gardley, who himself was born and raised in Oakland. “This piece in particular, I’ve always loved the Odyssey, and what I love so much about it is that it’s an epic, in which it goes on these tangents, these beautiful tangents. It just to me expresses the free nature and the largeness of story telling told in the oral tradition. African American storytelling originated in this way as well, and so I thought, I was trying to bring those two elements together.” The two traditions intertwine, with characters Paw Sidin standing in for Poseidon, and Aunt Tina for Athena. “He’s a soldier who served in the Iraq war, there is a subtle inference that he could – may be suffering from PTSD, but that’s never mentioned. But his journey, unlike Odysseus, is one in which he’s travelling in his own blood. So his own blood is like the sea, if you will, and his own blood is African-American history. So he’s traversing through African-American history to find home.” As an adaptation, Gardley felt the story could go anywhere, while still keeping true to the known elements of Homer’s original. “I’ve stayed faithful. The characters, the sort of monsters and creatures from the Odyssey all have been changed. There’s some semblance of them from the original, but they all have been changed for my own making and flavor.” It was written when Gardley lived in Harlem, and the first production in Denver had Harlem as Lincoln’s home. “I loved that production, but I also felt like, ‘this doesn’t feel like home to me.’ And so when I had the opportunity to do it at Cal Shakes, I just changed everything, and now this is where it will stay.”

 

East BayLiteratureTheaterPop CultureThe State of the Arts
Written by:
Jeffrey Freymann
Jeffrey Freymann
Published on 03.06.2020
Loading...

MORE LIKE THIS

The Salem Witch Trials Revisited at Berkeley Rep

The Salem Witch Trials Revisited at Berkeley Rep

"Playwright Sarah Ruhl's new dark comedy, Becky Nurse of Salem, revisits the Salem Witch Trials, challenging narratives from Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Set in modern times, it reflects the 'Me Too' era."

12/17/2019
A New Era Begins at Berkeley Symphony

A New Era Begins at Berkeley Symphony

Joseph Young steps in as Berkeley Symphony's Music Director after impressing as a last-minute substitute. His debut concert features works by Wilson, Ravel, and Beethoven.

11/07/2019
Cal Shakes’ Midsummer Night’s Dream

Cal Shakes’ Midsummer Night’s Dream

Cal Shakes opens its 2019 season with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Tyne Rafaeli. Despite weather challenges, the outdoor Orinda venue enhances the Shakespearean experience.

06/02/2019
World Premiere of ‘Dreamers’ Oratorio at Cal Performances

World Premiere of ‘Dreamers’ Oratorio at Cal Performances

Composer Jimmy Lopez and librettist Nilo Cruz premiere their oratorio, Dreamers, based on interviews with undocumented immigrants. The performance explores the personal and diverse experiences of immigration.

03/27/2019
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Comes to Cal Performances

West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Comes to Cal Performances

"Conductor Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, featuring musicians from the Middle East, make their debut at Zellerbach Hall. The ensemble aims to unite through music."

03/27/2019
An Odyssey Home to Oakland

An Odyssey Home to Oakland

"Black Odyssey" at Cal Shakes reinterprets Odysseus's journey with an African-American soldier, Ulysses Lincoln, returning from Iraq. The play intertwines Greek and African-American storytelling traditions.

05/11/2018