Odyssey Theater Company
The roots of this non-profit regional theater organization
date back to the 1990s with the first outdoor production of
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in Christmas Hill Park. That
was followed by Yours, Anne, Fiddler on the Roof, The Miracle
Worker, Quilters, Oliver! and more.
For a time, Odyssey Theater lived within the realm of the
Gilroy Unified School District where the organization’s Artistic
Director, Dr. Kate Booth, also teaches theater arts. In 2014
Odyssey was re-launched as a non-profit theatre company with
transitional funding from the Gilroy Foundation. Programs have
included an apprenticeship spring drama, a summer conserva-
tory, and a main stage fall production.
According to board chairman Jim McCann, “We thought,
why should people have to travel far and wide to see
Shakespeare? We can offer our own summer series right here in
South County.” Odyssey did just that, performing Midsummer
Night’s Dream at the Christopher High School Amphitheater in
August this year. They are now looking at additional venues for
future productions.
“We want to connect the community to Shakespeare’s work,”
Booth said. “Students from Christopher, Gilroy, Live Oak and
Sobrato High Schools have performed Macbeth, Hamlet and
Romeo and Juliet on stage. This September, we’re taking thirty-
three students to Oregon’s Shakespeare Festival.”
Why all the attention on Shakespeare? “His work is full of
the big themes of human nature,” Booth said. “Shakespeare
created three-dimensional characters with complex drives and
motives…tyrants, tragic heroes and impetuous young lovers. His
stories will always be relevant.”
Midsummer Night’s Dream
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
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