• The Servant of Two Masters: inaugural production of Ottawa’s first open-air theatre

• Turandot: first-ever collaboration integrating Commedia dell’Arte and Peking Opera

• The Wedding: first dance-theatre piece inspired by a shadow puppet play, in collaboration with Indonesian Wayang Wong artists

• Kolam: Ottawa’s first multi-disciplinary workshop bringing together dancers, actors and percussionists to explore Sri Lankan masks and dance-theatre

• Mask and Indigenous Storytelling: Canada’s first workshop in this field with Cree playwright Curtis Peeteetuce, Laurie Steven, and Ottawa’s the Four Nations Theatre Exchange

• The Other Path Podcast: Canada’s top fantasy audio drama series, involving theatre, fantasy fiction and folkore artists

• Myth, Lore and Stories of Wonder: festival featuring culturally diverse practitioners of theatre, dance, storytelling, visual art, and music

• A Theatrical Land Acknowledgment: Canada’s first, with Métis artist Suzanne Keeptwo and Odyssey’s young company

• The Blue Demon: first collaboration of Sri Lankan Kolam artists with artists outside Sri Lanka

• The World of Masks: creation of the first digital resource center for theatrical mask

• Odyssey’s Theatre Under the Stars introduces new audiences to theatre

• our artistically diverse programming builds culturally diverse audiences

• we contribute to tourism to the City

• our stage anchors beautiful Strathcona Park as a top summer arts venue

• we facilitate many arts groups using the park and make our stage available to the community

• new digital programs reach younger audiences

• over 175,000 people have seen or heard Odyssey live or digitally

• held Branching Out in 2017: artists working with over 1000 people in 8 neighbourhoods to create plays and plant trees.

• building bridges with Ottawa’s local Indigenous art’s community through workshops and performances given by Suzanne Keeptwo and musical group Tennessee Cree

• free access to performances for 700 people from marginalized communities, in partnership with 20 community organizations

• community workshops with groups including Accessible Arts Ottawa, The Creative Well, City of Ottawa, University of Ottawa theatre students, teachers’ federations in Eastern Ontario, Canterbury High School for the Arts, Carleton University Public History students, the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa and a host of secondary schools

• sign language performances for the deaf community

• touch and feel workshops for the visually impaired

• workshops for adults and young people in African and Commedia masks, puppet-making, storytelling, writing, public speaking, Indigenous craft.

• home of Canada’s only comprehensive play creation program for writers and collaborative creators developing work for mask and movement-based theatre forms

• the only mask and physical theatre company regularly accepted as an Ontario Arts Council Recommender

• organizer of 3 new play festivals

• host of 35 new play workshops

• creator and of 30 original plays and new translations/adaptations, all brought to the stage

Workshops by Canadian and international artists include:

• post-modern dance-theatre: Pierre-Paul Savoie; Tedd Robinson

• Baroque theatre: Marie-Nathalie Lacoursiere

• Asian forms of dance-drama: William Lau; Xing Bang Fu; Peter Chin; Wiryawan Padmonjati (Indonesia); Anjali and Kaoru Matsumoto (Japan); Piyasara Shilpadipathy and Ravibandu Vidyapathy (Sri Lanka)

• mask and Commedia: Nicolas Serrault (France); Alberto Fortuzzi (Italy); Dean Gilmour

• physical theatre: Kevin McKendrick; Valerie Dean, Robin Patterson

• bouffon: Fiona Griffiths

• clown: Richard Pochinko,

• experimental puppetry: Felix Mirbt; Almut Ellinghaus, Louise Lapointe

• annual workshops by Artistic Director Laurie Steven: writing for physical theatre forms, directing masks, artistic directing for independent theatres, performing with masks, and Commedia dell’Arte

• Ottawa’s first and only full Youth Apprenticeship program

• jobs for over 800 professional artists

• training for over 500 emerging artists

• participation in large-scale, creatively unique productions that feature new theatre styles, choreography and original music

• rehearsal periods of 4-5 weeks

• cast sizes of 8-12

• mentorships for directors, artistic directors, dramaturges and independent theatres

• jobs in digital arts: new play workshops, public readings, web series, podcast series

• roles in Odyssey’s Theatre Under the Stars and shows we have presented in association with other arts institutions including the National Arts Centre Studio, the National Gallery, the Ottawa Fringe Festival and The Gladstone Theatre

• five exhibitions showcasing mask makers, designers and productions at local and national galleries

• long-term support from the City of Ottawa, the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council (OAC)

• designated a Key Company by the OAC in recognition of Odyssey’s “significant impact on the art form, the artists, their audiences and their community.”

• well-managed, registered charity for over 40 years

• committed, hard-working staff and Board of Directors

• In 2026,  Laurie Steven stepped down as Artistic Director after leading the organization through 40 years of creating professional theatre in Ottawa.