Good old Odysseus, legendary Greek king of Ithaca, the center of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the cunning dude who dreamed up the Trojan Horse. What a hero!
Not perfect, of course. Hubristic, selfish—he’s a complex guy.
Support original theater!
The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival is mounting a production of playwright Weston Scott’s new original play Odysseus Dies at the End, running for two weekends only, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4 and 5, and 11 and 12, on the outdoor stage at Filipponi Ranch. Tickets are pay what you can with $6.50 to $33 suggested, available through centralcoastshakespeare.org.
He’s also the subject of a new play written by Central Coast playwright Weston Scott called Odysseus Dies at the End, which is being staged by the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival at Filipponi Ranch.
“Odysseus Dies at the End is adapted from one of Sophocles’ lost plays, Odysseus Acanthoplex,” Scott explained via email. “All that’s left of the play are nine frankly disappointing fragments. It took some work to uncover those, but once I did, I weaved them together into a world where all these secondary characters try to find meaning either in harmony with Odysseus or by trying to end him entirely.”
Scott’s official blurb for his play goes like this: “Odysseus has traveled over the waters, flirted with disaster, and bested every foe. And his friends and family hate him for it. As Odysseus tries to escape a fateful prophecy, he’ll face a murderous son, a semi-devoted wife, a scorned sea-witch, a boy with a cow, the cow itself, and a Greek chorus all trying to make sense of their lives when everything has always revolved around Odysseus. Adapted from the fragments of a lost Sophocles play, Odysseus Dies at the End examines the life of a legend from the perspective of the people clinging to his coattails. Spoiler alert: He dies at the end.”
The play was first stage in April 2024, where it ran for one weekend at The Lavra in Arroyo Grande. Scott wrote it when he was the resident playwright at Exit Pursued by a Bear, what he describes as “a found-space free theater company” that performs plays in various locations.
“In the last two years, I’ve written nine shows for them, and this play was one of the most immediately well-received,” Scott explained. “[Central Coast Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director] Zoe [Saba] has been such an incredible friend and advocate since seeing our first show, and she saw this and loved it and later approached me about doing it with Central Coast Shakespeare Festival.”
“Directing—and getting to see—an original play is a relatively rare opportunity, and one I really value,” Saba said via email. “As an actor, I’ve been lucky enough to work on several original plays in collaboration with the directors and playwrights, and Odysseus Dies at the End is the fourth original play I’ve directed.
“For Central Coast Shakespeare, it’s a first. After the pandemic, we devised a one act piece (The Riot of the Tipsy Bacchanal or A Tedious Brief Assembly of Wondrous Hot Ice and Strange Snow: A Love Letter to Shakespeare) with veteran company members, which was an incredibly rewarding process and very successful, but this is the first time we’ve produced a full-length original script.
“Scott’s play has sharp wit, an open heart, and an unflinching search for meaning in what can feel like a meaningless world,” Saba added. “It’s also the company’s first fall production, so we’re embracing the unknowns, the challenges, and so many delights in these new experiences.”
If you’ve ever been to one of these shows at Filipponi Ranch, they’re an absolute joy, but you must bring a chair or blanket, a picnic if you want, and dress warmly. It can be cold outside. It’s also a bit of a walk from parking to the venue. Wine is available for purchase
“The show is a really fun comedy, and one that’s thoughtful and soulful as well,” Saba said. “The cast is stellar. Several actors are returning to roles they created in the first production at The Lavra with Exit Pursued by a Bear, many who just closed our production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, and they’re joined by other terrific local performers. It’s been a privilege to work with them all.
“And in the rehearsal room, we’ve had Weston refining the script in real time as we explore it on its feet, alongside our dramaturg Diane Mayfield, whose insights enhance our understanding of the work and help us dive deeper into the script by connecting the play’s ancient and modern threads,” Saba continued. “And you don’t want to miss seeing the incredible work our set designer Al Schnupp created, transporting us to the world of Odysseus.”
Scott has effectively reworked his script.
“I had to give the language a haircut!” Scott said. “So much trimming. Writers love words, and I’d be the first to admit that I occasionally put too many on the page. But when wonderful actors get in the room and start working through the text, they can convey whole speeches with just a look. That’s when a writer steps in and ensures the words don’t get in the way. I also did a comedy comb-through to punch up all of the jokes and one-liners. All of this was work I didn’t get to do during the first production, because I was acting in the show! My energy was spent on memorizing lines and staging. When Zoe asked if I wanted to reprise my role, I told her I would relish the chance to just be the writer in the room.”
The play takes up years after the end of The Odyssey. Odysseus, played by Todd Long, has come home to Ithaca, and Scott has created an interesting setting that “straddles both the classic and the contemporary, which means it takes place in ancient Greece, but the characters know about modern things like Hamilton or piña coladas.”
“I hope audiences take the chance to bundle up, pack a picnic, and enjoy a beautiful evening outdoors with us,” Saba said. “All shows are ‘pay what you can’ donations taken online or at the door. And I hope they take advantage of this rare opportunity to see original work performed, produced, and written by artists who live right here on the Central Coast.” ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 2 – 12, 2025.