Calypso

Calypso runs approximately 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission. If you require any accommodations, our staff will be happy to assist.

Please do not bring outside food or drinks into the theatre.

This production is recommended for audiences ages 16 and up.

Please be advised that there are a few moments of flashing and potential strobe lighting.

Calypso - Evelyn Jane Wohlbier (u/s Olivia Gregorich)

Hermes - Emma Mansfield (u/s Rachel Katz)

Odysseus - Riley Lucas (u/s Casey McKinney)

Director - Emily Newmark

Assistant Director - Olivia Marmer

Producer(s) - Clara Zucker, Bailey McWilliams-Woods

Stage Manager - Sofie Schmeltzer

Dramaturg - Naomi Kalter

Intimacy Director - Bailey McWilliams-Woods

Production Manager/Set Designer - Katelyn Mongomery

Props Master - Robin Manganaro

Costume Designer - Maggie McGlenn

Lighting Designer - Joseph Nelson

Sound Designer - Emmerich Mager

Marketing - Jane Hobson, Emily Waskowitz

Jordan Muschler is a playwright and director based in Minneapolis. He has developed and directed Calypso with Stone & Sky, SHO Studios, and Minneapolis Arts in the Park; he is honored to continue its journey with the wonderful team at The Village Theater. As a writer, other full-length plays include Grisling Hall and Parasocial Play; as a director, credits include The Buddy Holly Story (Cedar Summerstock), Elegies: A Song Cycle (OSTA), and, most recently, assistant directing A Doll’s House at the Guthrie.

I have always been drawn to Greek myths because their worlds hold power in physical form, gods who walk, rage, and plot among us, forces we can see and confront. I seek these stories because power in our own world often feels abstract, diffused into systems and screens, designed to thin out human connection and isolate us. Calypso speaks to our longing for real, tangible connection, revealing how love, desire, and being truly seen, by ourselves and by others, allow us to discover our voice. 

At its heart, this play insists on the power of creation: no matter how small or alone we may feel, there is immense strength in music and art. The courage to create is perhaps the greatest power we possess, shaping meaning from chaos and breathing hope into the world. Calypso may have all the time in the universe to define her voice, but we do not. Mortals, as Muschler writes, “get the privilege of urgency, knowing it will not last, and knowing they must cherish it while they can.” This line strikes me as a dare: what will you do with your precious time?

— Emily Newmark

Each Village Theater production is developed in partnership with a local organization whose mission aligns with the show's central themes. This approach reflects our belief that transformative art is rooted in collaboration and community, and that meaningful theater must be in conversation with the world around it. We’re thrilled to partner with Three Avenues Bookshop, a beloved family-run bookstore in West Lakeview, for Artemis Books & The Well-Meaning Man. Stop by their table in the lobby and visit their website to learn more!

The Village Theater would like to extend a special thank you to Tara Mallen, Trisha Hooper, Layla Eygabroad, Caroline Uy, Chase Barron, and Tory Montgomery.