NEW YORK – One Year Lease Theater Company (OYL) presents Ellen McLaughlin’s ‘Oedipus’ in August in Greece in the Zagorohoria, Ioannina, and the archeological site of Ancient Corinth.

The production was built in India, Japan, and Greece over the course of two months as part of The OYL International Program, a groundbreaking artistic program that integrates participant artists into the work of an ensemble theater company as it creates bold new work for the 21st century.

‘Oedipus’ performance dates in Greece: Vikos, Zagorohoria August 5, 9 PM; Agios Minas, Zagorohoria, August 6, 9 PM; Papingo, Zagorohoria, August 7, 9 PM; Frotzou Theater, Irakli Vasiadi 58, Ioannina, August 10, 9 PM; and the Archeological site of Ancient Corinth under the auspices of the University of Peloponnese, August 11, 7 PM. The OYL International Program is a global training and performance program. Based out of New York City, OYL has been working in Greece since 2007, running a unique educational program in the Zagorohoria every summer. In 2023, OYL expanded this program to include residencies in Japan and India.

In 2024, OYL officially launched the OYL International Program. Across three different countries, program participants will encounter ancient and contemporary artistic practices of three of the world’s oldest and largest theater cultures. Beginning in India, participants encountered a curated selection of performances and workshops that sample some of the vast richness of the country’s performing arts. The program then traveled to Japan, where workshops in traditional performance practice were combined with rigorous training inspired by those forms. In Greece, these experiences are brought together in a period of intensive rehearsal and development. Beginning in 2024, the program welcomes artists at any stage in their journey and the work of these artists is fully integrated with the company members in OYL’s final production.

The OYL International 2024 Program dates were: Bangalore, India, June 10-18; Delhi, India, June 19-22; Nagano, Japan, June 23-July 5; Tokyo, Japan, July 6-7; Athens, Greece, July 8-12; Papingo, Greece, July 13-August 8; and Ioannina, Greece, July 9-10.

Since 2016, OYL’s summer work in the Zagorohoria has culminated in young English-speaking artists performing in Greek. Following two months of workshops, training, attending shows, rehearsing, and learning the performance text in Greek, a cast of 40 artists will perform a new production of ‘Oedipus’ in Greek in August 2024.

Ellen McLaughlin’s ‘Oedipus’ will be presented in a new Greek translation by Meropi Papastergiou. It will be directed by Ianthe Demos with movement direction by Natalie Lomonte and an original score by Rinde Eckert. Performers and other artists helming the production also include Akiko Aizawa, Amanda Culp, Leon Ingulsrud, and Georgia Tsangaraki, alongside other OYL artists and summer company participants. Ellen McLaughlin will be with the program for its entirety.

McLaughlin is an extraordinary voice and her re-envisioning of ancient Greek texts is courageous, visionary, and an homage to Greek playwrights. Her writing is lyrical, ancient, resonant, and intimate. OYL is honored to be producing her work in Greece in some of the theaters it belongs in.

Over the course of two months in India, Japan, and Greece, OYL collaborated with over 50 local artists including: Infinite Souls Farm and Artist Retreat, The Payana Collective, Odissi dancer Pritvhi Nayak, Konarak Reddy, Kirtana Kumar, The Karthik Mani Trio, Theater Yaksha, Aagaaz Theater Trust, Black Box Okhla, Kathakali artist Maya Krishna Rao, Taiko artist Sato Kensaku, Noh artist Jinya Imai, Tokyo-based musician Ren Ohara, Nihonbuyo artist Ebata-san, and many more.

More information about OYL is available online: https://oneyearlease.org.

Video of OYL’s past work in Greece with students is available on YouTube: https://shorturl.at/11A50.