Odysseus sails into the unknown. His face is tense as the voyage is precarious. Suddenly, music begins and he starts singing. Mortals live and die at the whim of the Olympian gods. Gods play with people, they are entertained and mortals are terrified. The AUA Large Auditorium is turned into Olympus, students into Greek gods and warriors.
The Drama Club is in its final rehearsals for the new play, set to premiere in November. Inspired by “Epic the Musical,” the AUA Drama Club is staging a theatrical musical based on Greek mythology and the great masterpiece of Homer, “The Odyssey.” What might have been a short performance piece turned into a two-hour tragicomedy with 25 actors, one year of preparations and many musical elements .
The story moves from the Trojan War to “The Odyssey,” where the gods interfere with mortal lives, turning fate into a game. Odysseus, protected by divine favor, faces the last round.
Anna Poghosyan, a BAB’25 alumna and the leader of the club, came up with the play’s idea almost a year ago. She has been the leader of the club for two years, and during that time, she acquired skills like scriptwriting, directing and acting. Having no prior experience on stage, Poghosyan acknowledges that her journey to the theater world started with AUA’s Acting Techniques course. After a year of wrestling with self-doubt and questioning whether she was ready to take on the responsibility of leading the Drama Club, she finally accepted the role and gave a new life to the club. “I had to rewrite my whole personality to lead the Drama Club, but I didn’t do anything forced, it all came to me naturally,” Poghosyan acknowledged. She approached each member of her club individually, based on their style, talent and preferences. “Managing 25 actors isn’t easy—I have to make sure everyone stays on track and shows up to rehearsals,” Poghosyan noted. “Some don’t like texting, others avoid group chats, so I try to reach out to each person in a way that works best for them. It can be exhausting at times, but it’s worth it when I see them come alive on stage.”
Staging a musical without any relevant experience has been a real challenge for Poghosyan. She jokes that she teaches the actors how to sing without knowing how to sing herself. But practice and hard work make it possible, as, according to her, everyone can learn. Still, she couldn’t manage anything without the support of her team.
Daniel Kurghinyan, a BSES senior, both portrays Odysseus and produces the play. Kurghinyan has been a member of the Club since 2019. He rejoined it last year, after coming back from military service. “When Anna recruited people for the Club, she mentioned something about Greek mythology, that we might have some short 10-15 minutes of Greek gods performance. ‘Aha,’ I said. And here we are preparing a two-hour-long musical based on Odysseus and Greek mythology,” Kurghinyan highlighted.
The position of the producer came to him spontaneously. He was just showing up for his lines and rehearsing for the first couple of months. Then he went on to help improve the script and format sections, giving his peers advice on performing their roles. His background in two acting and directing courses at AUA, Acting Techniques and Drama and Performance was valuable, as was his experience leading the Dungeons & Dragons Club, which gave him a strong grasp of club management and technical logistics.
Despite the excitement of the cast, the Club faced a number of challenges. With the Large Auditorium under renovation, the team had to act fast and find a solution as the stage is the core element of rehearsals.
After rehearsing in Manoogian Hall for a month, they are back in the Large Auditorium. “Adaptability is a key,” said Kurghinyan. “The script kept evolving—people joined, left, roles changed. I know that Anna had bigger plans for the script originally, but we’ve shaped something cohesive,” he added.
Talking to the cast is a joy, as they lit up when describing their roles. Many, like Tsovinar Tadevosyan, EC junior, Syuzi Vahanyan, Business sophomore and Lusine Norekyan, CS sophomore, came to the Club after taking Acting Techniques. Most actors play more than one role, and many said they see a bit of themselves in their characters. For them, the Club is a place to grow, connect and have fun.
Interestingly, most of the actors created their own costumes, finding it easier to make a Greek god outfit out of bedsheets and other simple materials. Student Affairs supported the effort by providing props and accessories, often crafted from cardboard and other basic supplies.
Now in its final stages, the Drama Club is busy with rehearsals. The play, titled “God Games,” awaits its final approval. The club will share the information about tickets soon. Poghosyan’s initial idea was to donate a large portion of the proceeds to charity, while setting aside the rest for future projects. As she noted, it is AUA’s first major theatrical event in five years.
This production is a massive collaboration and a year of hard work. So stay tuned, buy your tickets and get ready to watch Odysseus and the gods come to life—singing, clashing and playing fate on the AUA stage.
Photos by Meghrie Yaacoubian , AUA Manoogian Hall
