Visiting Company

The Trial of Odysseus

National Hellenic Museum

Performances

Mar 12 Thu 7:00PM

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Performance Run Time: 2 hours

The National Hellenic Museum Trial Series presents live, unscripted mock trials from Greek history and myth, exploring questions of power, justice, and responsibility.

Drawing on Homer’s Odyssey, the case examines Odysseus’s return from Troy to find his home overtaken by men seeking to claim his wife, property, and throne. He initially conceals his identity, only to reveal himself in an eruption of violence that leaves both the suitors and members of his own household dead.

Renowned attorneys will argue the case before esteemed judges and a distinguished jury, while the audience casts the deciding vote—echoing the role of citizens in an ancient Athenian court. The Trial brings the community together as an active civic body and underscores the continued relevance of these questions today.

ABOUT NATIONAL HELLNIC MUSEUM

The National Hellenic Museum's (NHM) mission is to share Greek history, art, culture, and the Greek American story. We strive to make relevant and meaningful connections between the past and the present, between Greece and America, between the Hellenic legacy and our current time. We do this through exhibitions, collections, programs, and events designed to educate and inspire.

Founded nearly forty years ago, the NHM is located in the heart of Chicago’s historic Greektown neighborhood. The museum has over 10,000 artifacts in our collection and houses the world’s largest collection of Greek American oral histories.