I wasn’t sure at first if this experience would fit into my Design & Research impulses, but in the end it turned out to be one of the most memorable and emotionally intense cultural experiences I’ve had in a long time: the theatre performance Die Odyssee at Thalia Theater Hamburg. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone, insane!
Ah and if you want to go, maybe don’t read this impulse now – spoiler alert 😊
The play reinterprets Homer’s Odyssey, but instead of retelling the heroic journey of Odysseus himself, it focuses on the people left behind aka his two sons Telemachos and Telegonos, who have never really known their father. Both wait for the return of a man who exists mostly as a myth, a story or a projection. Odysseus becomes less a person and more an unreliable narrative that the play uses as a red threat.
The performance begins with an almost empty coffin, probably Odysseus’, which already hints at absence rather than presence. At one point, a white balloon rises out of it like a soul escaping, only to be immediately shot down. Instead of epic heroism, we are confronted with absurdity, grief and irony. Throughout the play, the actors constantly switch roles, bodies, and identities. They become brothers, monsters, wrestlers, vampires, Odysseus himself, and at some point even storm through the audience with chainsaws. The stage design keeps transforming, nothing feels stable or fixed.
What makes the whole experience even stranger: most of the spoken language is a kind of fictional Nordic/Scandinavian-sounding mix. I didn’t literally understand much of it and still, somehow, I understood everything. Meaning was not transported through words alone but through rhythm, gesture, movement and atmosphere.
It was chaotic, absurd, funny, dark, and emotional all at once. I laughed a lot, but I also felt uncomfortable or even slightly scared at moments. It constantly shifted between comedy and tragedy. It felt like the play refused to settle into one tone or one clear interpretation.
What does this have to do with communication design?
Afterwards, I kept thinking about how strongly this performance worked without relying on rational clarity. In design, we often assume that communication has to be precise, readable, and immediately understandable. This play did the opposite: it embraced confusion, lost storylines and emotional intuition. And still it somehow communicated incredibly well.
The stage functioned almost like a spatial design system. Light, costumes, props, and bodies created meaning visually and physically. The actors’ movements replaced explanation. Language became sound and rhythm rather than information. It reminded me that communication is not only cognitive but also sensory and emotional.
In a way, the performance felt similar to some of the ideas I’m exploring in my own practice: breaking linear narratives, creating immersive environments, and allowing interpretation rather than controlling it. It also connects to my interest in public space and interaction. The moment the actors entered the audience dissolved the boundary between stage and viewer, turning spectators into participants.
Relevance for my Master’s thesis
This impulse is particularly interesting for my current research around rhythm, rhyme, and perception in design. The play showed me that structure can work beyond literal meaning. Even without understanding the language, I could follow emotional patterns, repetitions, and contrasts almost like a visual or bodily form of rhyme.
For a potential Master’s project that deals with visual systems, visual rhymes, and alternative forms of communication, this feels very relevant. Die Odyssee reminded me that sometimes understanding doesn’t come from clarity but from immersion from trusting emotion and intuition.
Links
https://www.thalia-theater.de/de/stuecke/die-odyssee/192
http://theaterpur.net/theater/schauspiel/2018/04/hamburh-bochum-odyssee.html
