Live-stream epic: Oklahoma Contemporary to broadcast marathon reading of 'The Odyssey'

Whether Shakespearean stories or Greek epics, Raffi Barsoumian relishes the cultural history of classical literature.

"It always feels like it's a conversation through time, and you're just picking up where the people before you left off. You'll probably make some of the same discoveries, and if you're with the right company or the right director, you'll made find something new. That's sort of the exciting process for me," the stage and screen actor said in a phone interview from New York City.

"This has been a text that's been around for so, so long. We get to dig into this new rendition of it. It's still the same story and it's still a classic. It will be continuing that conversation — and I love that kind of stuff."

Barsoumian, who is known for his television roles on "The Vampire Diaries," "The Code" and "Shameless" but also has starred on Broadway in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" and performed opposite Tom Hanks in "Henry IV" for the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, will be among the actors, musicians, artists and public officials who will participate in a marathon reading of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey."

In partnership with the Kirkpatrick Foundation, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center will live-stream starting Thursday a six-day reading series of Emily Wilson’s esteemed recent translation of "The Odyssey," the first English translation of the ancient text by a woman.

"As far as we know, it is the first time it's been attempted of this translation, so we're thrilled," said Oklahoma Contemporary Artistic Director Jeremiah Matthew Davis.

Ancient tale

For more than 25 centuries, Homer's "The Odyssey," which was written in the 8th century BCE, has been a foundational work of Western literature. The followup to his Trojan War poem "The Iliad," "The Odyssey" details Greek hero Odysseus' long post-war journey home to Ithaca. He struggles with gods and monsters, shipwreck and sirens on his quest to reunite with his faithful wife Penelope.

"'The Odyssey' — particularly Emily Wilson's translation — is so much about the effort to find home and the feeling of being lost in perpetuity, unmoored from our anchor points. To me, the experience of rereading it felt similar to a lot of things I've heard from people about how they're experiencing this moment," Davis said. "Of course, we're all trapped in our houses, but we've lost a sense of home, a sense of community, a sense of togetherness. The attempt for this project was to endeavor to create these virtual connections and to digitally be in a single space at a single time listening to a story that has been told throughout histories."

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Oklahoma Contemporary was forced to postpone the March grand opening festivities for its new $30 million Automobile Alley campus. The public opening date has not yet been announced.

Although he has been plotting to bring "The Odyssey" to Oklahoma Contemporary since he and his wife first read Wilson's translation in 2017, Davis said the idea of a live-stream reading proved perfect pandemic programming.

"What's exciting to me is the opportunity to work on live performance in a digital space," he said. "I'm excited about the possibilities and what we might learn from this experience."

Diverse readers

The virtual journey is set for 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and Aug. 27-29 and will be streamed on Oklahoma Contemporary's website, on Facebook and on YouTube.

The broadcast will include all 24 books of the epic poem. Wilson, the MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow who has earned acclaim for her translation, will read the final book on Aug. 29.

“'The Odyssey' emerged from an oral folk poetry tradition in archaic Greece, and it’s a joy to see the poem’s performative roots being honored in 21st-century fashion with this virtual live performance," Wilson said in an email.

The cast also includes Emmy and Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth ("Cheers"), film actor Peter Coyote ("Erin Brockovich"), Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, singer-songwriter Feist, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, OKC Councilwoman Nikki Nice, Oklahoma native and "Game of Thrones" writer/producer Bryan Cogman, Guadalajara-based conceptual artist Octavio Abúndez, Cherokee writer and "This Land" podcast host Rebecca Nagle and more.

"We could have cast Shakespearean actors, classically trained actors, who could really dig into the iambic pentameter of the text — and we do have a few of them. But we also wanted to increase representation from educators, poets, visual artists, musicians, public officials. And that's the list that we have," Davis said.

As one of the classically trained actors, Barsoumian said he is looking forward to participating in the epic project, which he joined through his connections with Davis, whom he befriended at a wedding.

"I feel like this in my wheelhouse. The last time I read 'The Odyssey' was, I think, high school, and I still remember the epic journey of it. But it's been a minute, and it'll be fun to kind of reacquaint myself and see the new translation," Barsoumian said last week.

Born in Lebanon and raised in Los Angeles, Barsoumian said the pandemic has been frustrating for actors like him and his wife, Tala Ashe (The CW series "DC's Legends of Tomorrow") since practically all productions have stopped.

"Having done a few Zoom readings, I kind of have a sense of 'OK, it's probably going to be like this,'" said Barsoumian, who will read Book 17 on Aug. 28. "There is a little bit of that fun nervous energy you get of live performance. ... It is fun, it is a little nerve-wracking, but I miss that feeling, honestly. I miss the butterflies. Let's bring 'em back."

GOING ON

Oklahoma Contemporary's 'The Odyssey' live-stream reading

When: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and Aug. 27-29.

To stream or get information: oklahomacontemporary.org/performance/the-odyssey, www.facebook.com/OklahomaContemporary and Oklahoma Contemporary's YouTube channel.

Related Photos