“If you enjoy laughing and you want to have a good time, come out and see the play September 17 at 7:00 and 18 at 2:00 at the middle school auditorium.” Do you really need a better invitation than these words from drama teacher Kelli McNeven?

The Rolla High School Drama Department is performing The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza at the Rolla Middle School Auditorium. GMO, as the cast calls it, is a vignette-style play revolving around Greek mythology. The play will contain seven different Greek myths which include Kronos and the creation of the gods, Prometheus and the creation of man, Pandora and her box, Jason and the Argonauts, Hercules, Icarus learning to fly, and Orpheus’ love affair with Eurydice. To help set the stage for the weekend performances, we asked mythology teacher Natasha Green to give us the mythological scoop. Before you head to the show, make sure you know these Greek myths.

Kronos: “Father of the Year”

According to Green, “[Kronos] was afraid of losing his powers, so he ate his children every time they were born.” His children included Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades. When Zeus was born, in an attempt to keep Kronos from eating him, his mother fed Kronos a rock wrapped in a blanket. Kronos fell for the trick, and his wife sent Zeus away where he could grow up to eventually overthrow his father. Kronos will be played by senior Zach Phelps and Zeus will be played by senior Ethan Pennington.

Prometheus: The Man Who Plays with Clay

“Prometheus is a Titan god, and he joined Zeus’ side against all of the Titans in war,” said Green.  

According to her, Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus were given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped a man out of mud and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, breathed life into his creation. Both Prometheus and Epimetheus loved mankind, so when Zeus took fire away from man Prometheus lit a torch with the sun to give it back to them. Zeus was angry that Prometheus disobeyed him and punished both man and Prometheus. When Zeus punished man for Prometheus bringing back fire, he asked Hephaestus to create a mortal of stunning beauty: Pandora, the first woman. The gods gave Pandora gifts of great wealth and Zeus asked Hermes to give her a deceptive heart and lying tongue. The last gift they gave her was a box she was forbidden to open. The gods then sent her down to Prometheus’ brother Epimetheus. Prometheus had warned him not to accept any gifts from the gods but he was stunned by Pandora’s beauty and he let her stay. Eventually Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box. When she opened the box, all sorts of evils flew out including Sadness, Sickness, and Misfortunes. The only thing that remained in the box was Hope, an act that leaves Green’s classes guessing. Prometheus will be played by junior Matthew Ostertag and Pandora will be played by senior Jaydin Cooper.

Jason: The One with the Boat

A personal favorite story of Green’s begins with the story of Jason who was the leader of the Argo as well as the leader of the quest to find the golden fleece. Jason was meant to succeed his father on the throne of Iolcus but his half-uncle Pelias usurped the throne. Fearing for his life, Pelias sent Jason off on the impossible task of finding the golden fleece. Jason had a ship built and created a crew of the greatest heroes of his time. After a grueling quest fighting against giants and monsters and finishing the tasks given to him on Clochis, he manages to return to Iolcus with the golden fleece. Medea was a sorceress that was forced to help Jason on his quest. Hera had Cupid shoot Medea with an arrow causing her to fall madly in love with Jason. She goes to such extreme measures to help Jason that she kills her brother and betrays her father. After the quest, Jason dumps her and falls in love with a princess. In a grim turn of events, she ends up sending her sons to kill the princess and afterwards kills her children. Jason will be played by Ostertag and Medea will be played by junior Sophia Kunert.

Hercules: The Man with Twelve Jobs

Hercules, the son of Zeus, is known to some as the world’s greatest hero. Hercules had godlike strength but he was mortal. 

“[Hercules] is a very interesting story because he is a hero…[but] he killed his wife and his children. But, that was because Hera hates his guts and she sent madness upon him,” said Green. 

To purify himself of this sin, Hercules was tasked with performing twelve labors: killing the Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra and the Stymphalian Birds, capturing the Ceryneian Hind, the Erymanthian Boar, and the Cretan Bull, cleaning the stables of Augeas in one day, stealing the Mares of Diomedes, the girdle of the queen of the Amazons the cattle of the monster Geryon, and Hesperides Apples, as well as capturing Cerberus. He managed to complete all twelve tasks and went down in history as one of the greatest Greek heroes. Hercules will be played by junior Hayden Renaud and Hera will be played by junior June Robinson.

Icarus: The One Who Flew Too High

Icarus was the son of Daedalus, who was a master craftsman. Daedalus built The Labyrinth, a maze-like prison for the Minotaur. When Theseus came to kill the Minotaur Daedalus helped him. He also aided Theseus and Ariadne in their escape. Minos was furious that Daedalus had helped Theseus. In his fury, Minos imprisoned both Daedalus and Icarus in the very Labyrinth Daedalus had built. Daedalus, being a master craftsman, created two sets of wings. One for his son and the other for himself. The wings were feathers held together out of wax. During their  escape, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too low or the feathers would get wet and and fall off but also not fly too high or the wax would melt in the sun. Icarus did not heed his father’s advice, and flew too high. The wax melted, and he plummeted into the sea. Icarus is a symbol of overconfidence and not listening to others’ advice. Daedalus will be played by junior Miriam Leigh and Icarus will be played by freshman Haiden Cramer.

Orpheus: The One Who Couldn’t Wait

In Greek Mythology, Orpheus was a musician, poet, and prophet; he also accompanies Jason in his golden fleece quest. Orpheus fell in love with a nymph named Eurydice. When they got married, Hymen, the god of marriage, prophesied that Eurydice will die and Orpheus will be left alone. Just as prophesied, Eurydice is bitten by a snake and dies. Orpheus is heartbroken, so he goes to the Underworld in hopes to bring her back. Hades and Persephone, the king and queen of the Underworld, tell him if he leaves the Underworld with his beloved and doesn’t turn around until she is once again in the mortal world, then Eurydice will once again be with him. However, he sees the light of the mortal world and is so eager to see his wife that he turns around. When he finally saw Eurydice again, she was falling back to the Underworld. Eurydice will be played by Kytelin Johns.

So, how well do you know your Greek mythology? Green does highlight that “when it comes to Greek mythology, there are sometimes different versions,” and McNeven calls the play “a not-so-historical retelling of some of the great stories of Greek mythology.” RHS, grab your togas and revel in a night of mashup mythology.