This particular text by Euripides - a satyr play, rarely performed today - is a parody of one of the most famous and well-known encounters in the Odyssey, that between the hero Ulysses and the cyclops Polyphemus, as well as one of the mythological episodes most appreciated by children, due to its eclectic, adventurous and frightening nature on the one hand, and surprising and ingenious on the other.

Silenus and his fellow satyrs have been hired as “waiters” and handymen by the terrible Cyclops Polyphemus, who forces them to look after his sheep and do his household chores, when Odysseus and his faithful men arrive, returning from the Trojan War to Ithaca.

As is well known, Odysseus soon finds himself having to save his companions, who have been kidnapped along with him by the Cyclops, who wants to make them his dinner. In Euripides' version, the mythical inventor of the Trojan horse has no choice but to collaborate with Silenus, timid and drunkard, in order to save everyone.

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Main themes: play, collaboration, adventure, storytelling, myth, epic
 

The staging will involve the direct participation of the young audience as active participants in the story, under the guidance of some of the actors in the cast. First-hand participation in the theatrical game is one of the strengths of this proposal, together with the preparatory nature of the text chosen for the reasons outlined above.

 

Euripides intertwines different myths, such as that of Dionysus, the god of theatre kidnapped by pirates and long sought after by satyrs, with the great Homeric epic, drawing from it a story that is both familiar and surprising, particularly suited to introducing this world to young students who will become part of the story and ultimately help Odysseus defeat his fearsome enemy with his proverbial cunning.

 

The show is designed to be adapted, depending on demand, to young audiences of different age groups (children between 7 and 10 years old and pre-teens from 11 to 12). A fundamental feature for the involvement of the young audience is the frequent breaking of the fourth wall, as well as the simplification of the language, while respecting the Plautine matrix of the text.

 

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Stage direction: Marialuce Giardini and Giacomo Lisoni