Omniprop Productions

Omniprop will be presenting a new production of Tony Harrison's London hit The Trackers of Oxyrhunchus in August as part of MUDFEST 11!. Trackers is adapted freely for Sophocles' fragmentary satyr play Ichneutae.

Plundering the rubbish dumps at Oxyrhynchus, on the verge of nervous breakdown, two Oxford archaeologists hunt frantically for cultural treasure… and dig up ancient anarchy. Fall through the gaps in Sophocles’ text and be swept up in the satyrs’ search for the source of Poetry, Art, and all that Bullshit.

Warning: may contain traces of Ancient Greek.

Patrons are advised that this is an OUTDOOR adventure - please dress warmly!
Venue: Please gather at the Box Office and you will be escorted to the site.
Tickets: $18 full / $12 conc / $10 union member

Omniprop Productions is an arts and cultural organisation dedicated to creating performances of ancient and classical drama. We expose audiences, regardless of whether they are formally studying Classics, to extraordinary material they might not otherwise experience. We are committed to innovative and passionate productions of ancient theatre, to ensuring that that these works survive as something more substantial than relics or artefacts, and to demonstrating they can still move and challenge modern audiences.

The words "drama" and "theatre" are derived from greek words meaning 'to do' and 'to see' respectively, which perhaps best encapuslates why staging these plays is important; Omniprop sees performance of ancient texts as a vehicle for performers and their audience to explore, understand and engage with these works. Plays are not museum pieces.

As such Omniprop will work to:

• Use ancient texts to present contemporary audiences with high quality productions that are meaningful and accessable.
• Provide educational opportunities, giving students of classical Greece and Rome a chance to see ancient drama live, or to particiapte in its creation.
• Produce less well-known ancient texts to provide audiences with a broader experience of ancient drama.
• Provide opportunities for artists to interpret and experiement with ancient texts to help their development as artist or scholar.

Omniprop was originally started to give a handful of Melbourne Uni Classics students the opportunity to indulge their histrionic ambitions, and actually muck about with some Greek and Roman plays instead of writing obsequious essays on them.

In 2001 a group of students of the then school of fine arts, classical studies and archaeology concocted a plan to form a student society. In 2002, the group decided to staging a rough version of Lysistrata for the entertainment of students and staff of the school. The event was such a success that we decided to do it again next year with The Frogs, which ran for 3 nights and was staged at a lecture hall in Melbourne University. Admission was a gold coin at the door. At this point the entity "Omniprop Productions" came into existence, and with the support of Union House Theatre (and an anonymous benfactor) the group had its first chance to use things like lighting and sound equipment.

Lysistrata excerpts are starting to make their way onto youtube! Check www.youtube.com/ominprop for the latest bits.

 

Here's a sample