Olympia! Olympia! Olympia!

§ 01

Synopsis

In 2015 Claire Kaplan had a surgical abortion. In the wake of it she lost everything: her childhood home, her apartment, her relationship, even her own body as she knew it. Though she resolved to normalize her experiences and talk about them openly, it is nonetheless difficult. It helped to tie it to her own family myth — how her great-grandmother left Italy and came to America, how her mother left New York for California. The women in her family have a history of leaving everything behind and choosing a new life, even when it's painful.

Claire weaves together four generations of stories, mixing them with poetry, music, dance, New Yorker articles and even the film Moonstruck to explore the power the women in her family have had to summon in order to choose what they want when it means leaving what they have. She gathers the audience in an inviting, comfortable space and tells the story simply.

§ 02

Development History

Olympia! Olympia! Olympia! began in 2018 as part of arthaus.berlin's master's program in devised performance. It was workshopped at Dock 11 Eden in Berlin with Georgina Edwards on the mandolin and titled Little Green. This performance featured only the story of Claire's great-grandmother.

In Chicago the piece expanded to become more personal and include other stories, including "How a Young Woman Lost Her Identity" by Rachel Aviv, and John Patrick Shanley's Moonstruck. It also included musical arrangements by Jon Schneidman. It was retitled and presented as part of the Third Mask Festival, with Claire Kaplan, Warren Wernick, and Jon Schneidman.

Claire performs Mary Oliver's poem Dogfish

Claire sings Crane Your Neck by Lady Lamb

Claire and Olympia sail through the storm

In July of 2019 the piece underwent an additional week of development with Sam Hunter as director, and a showing at Theaterhaus Mitte in Berlin. It included Jon Schneidman's arrangements, as well as original music by Warren Wernick and Amelia Gutfeldt. The workshop was performed by Claire Kaplan, Warren Wernick, and Amelia Gutfeldt and produced in association with the Whisper Theater Collective.

Claire sings Solitary Daughter by Bedouine

Olympia begs her child to stay here, on this shore

Claire and Olympia sail to the new world

In August of 2019, the piece returned to Chicago for further development with Claire Kaplan, Warren Wernick, and Amelia Gutfeldt, this time at the Otherworld Theater in association with Luna Nova Theater Company. The ending was expanded and the music further refined.

§ 03

Touring Information

Number of people on the road

4

Number of people on stage

3

Playing area

Suitable for small and mid-scale theaters. Minimum playing area 4.5m × 4.5m (15 ft × 15 ft).

Running time

Approximately 1 hour

Age suitability

14+

Available

For US and European touring from October 2020.

Freight (best estimate)

2 cubic meters, 120 kg (71 cubic feet, 265 lbs) — to be confirmed.

Cultural sensitivities

Olympia! Olympia! Olympia! contains frank and open discussions of abortion and child abandonment. It contains some profanity.

Workshops & education

Members of The West are highly sought as teachers and directors for their original and singular work. The West uses techniques they've been developing together since they met in 2007 to help participants unlock their own unique style of work through a range of workshops in devising, movement, voice and speech, and Viewpoints. Please contact Sam Hunter to discuss a curriculum that might be appropriate for your community.

Contact

Sam Hunter for additional details.

§ 04

Credits

Performers

Claire Kaplan, Warren Wernick, and Amelia Gutfeldt

Written by

Claire Kaplan

Directed by

Claire Kaplan and Sam Hunter

Original music by

Warren Wernick and Amelia Gutfeldt

Musical arrangement

Jon Schneidman

Text derived from

Rachel Aviv, Mary Oliver, John Patrick Shanley, Lady Lamb, Martha Wainwright, and Bedouine

Supported by

arthaus.berlin, Columbia College Chicago, Whisper Theater Collective, and Luna Nova

§ 05

Biographies

The West

The West was founded in 2009 at the University of California, San Diego by Sam Hunter, Claire Kaplan, Spencer Howard, and Nathan Turner. Originally founded as a sketch comedy group, The West expanded its focus to theater and film in 2014. Hailed as one of "Los Angeles's best theater companies" (Mark Hein, Theater Ghost) and now creating work between Los Angeles, Chicago, and Berlin, The West is a leader when it comes to deceptively simple, intimate performances enjoyed by and accessible to a wide range of audiences. Together they have created Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk's The Suitcase with the Echo Theater Company; The Soyuz Files; Kristin Idaszak's Second Skin; and Lady Into Fox. More information at thewest.la.

Jon Schneidman

Jon Schneidman is a two-time Jeff-nominated music director and composer whose work has been seen on stages around the Chicagoland area. Favorite credits include High Fidelity and The Spitfire Grill (Refuge Theater Project), Moby Dick and Thaddeus and Slocum (Lookingglass Theatre), The Nutcracker (The House Theatre of Chicago), The Civility of Albert Cashier (Promoveo Productions), Ring of Fire (Mercury Theater), and Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite program. He is currently serving as music director for Barrel of Monkeys, a non-profit organization serving the Chicago Public Schools district.

Claire Kaplan

Claire Kaplan is a theatre creator and teacher from Long Beach, California. She's a founding member of the Hungry River Theater Company, a theatre collective that started making work in Ridgecrest, CA in 2011. Claire is also a founding member of The West. She has collaborated with the New York-based company THE TRIP, and has worked at regional theaters in California such as La Jolla Playhouse and South Coast Rep. She has also performed at the Oval House in London. She is a co-creator of Wild Women, which performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as a piece based on "The Yellow Wallpaper" which was developed as part of a residency with Links Hall in Chicago. Claire recently got her MFA in Devised Performance from Columbia Chicago and arthaus.berlin. More information at clairekaplancreates.com.

Warren Wernick

Warren Wernick was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he studied theater at the Foothill Theater Conservatory. He moved to Chicago in 2015, where he has worked as a scenic carpenter, technical director, and musician. He has worked with Steppenwolf Theater Company, Broadway by the Bay, the Drury Lane Theater, Rough House, and Jackalope. He also creates custom furniture.