The Odyssey

On 9 October, in a digital theatrical first, we'll witness a grand undertaking by Jermyn Street Theatre which joined forces with the London Review Bookshop and publishers WW Norton to stage a live performance of all twenty four books of Homer's "The Odyssey" delivered by seventy two actors over a 12-hour period. Homer's great epic work was translated by Booker prize judge Emily Wilson in 2017 and was welcomed with a huge critical acclaim. Charlotte Higgins of the Guardian had said: "The first version of Homer's groundbreaking work by a woman will change our understanding of it forever..."

The online narration, which will take place in its entirety, back to back and without a break via a free online stream on YouTube, aims to reawaken the oral tradition of bards from thousands of years ago. The session will start at 9 am on the LRB YouTube and will cover the first four episodes of the epic tale. At noon the remaining 21 episodes will start transmission on the Jermyn Street Theatre YouTube. Casting has yet to be announced. The entire reading will remain on YouTube channels for a week.