Set sail with A.B.L.E.’s Virtual Ensemble to find a mysterious man named Odysseus.
On their way, they meet a woman with gray eyes, a creature with three heads, and a goddess with a spring in her step. These characters help guide the actors to a mysterious oar and an even greater purpose. Co-directed by A.B.L.E. teaching artists Emma MacLean and Melanie Zehner, the film celebrates how sometimes you may start on one path, but wind up somewhere you never expected.
The project was created by A.B.L.E.’s Virtual Ensemble over the course of 10 weeks of online rehearsals and filming sessions. Led by MacLean and Zehner and a team of volunteer facilitators, the actors devised adventures to build the world of the story. Through acting games, movement activities, and character-building moments, the group explored different elements of Homer’s epic tale. Each actor chose an Underworld character that resonated most with them, and spent the remaining weeks of rehearsal bringing these characters to life through physicality, costumes, and performance presence. In the finished project, the cast of 10 actors all play multiple characters, ranging from heightened versions of themselves to the various denizens of the Underworld.
Into the Underworld premiered on March 20, 2024, in a live event at The Landmark Century Center Cinema and a simultaneous livestream on YouTube.
Teaching Artists: Emma Maclean & Melanie Zehner
Actors: Rachel Buchanan, Martin Conway, Samuel Floersheimer, Jonathan Jennings, Fletcher Jones, Emily Lavin, Mila Medina, Claire O’Leary, Maddi Perez, Tommy Shimoda
Facilitators: Nette Angelini, Chelsea Hosler, Julianne Shea, Polly Yukevich
Editing & VFX: Brock Alter
A.B.L.E.’s 2023-2024 Season of Journeys was partially supported by grants from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, FunFund, The Illinois Arts Council, Innovation 80, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts, and generous individuals like you!
