At Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) the Drama department decided to introduce “The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza,” a funny retelling of certain stories and myths students may have once heard. The play was hosted from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. from April 17 – April 19, 2024 at Spirito Hall. 

This was a newly performed play at Foothill Tech. The idea was given to the head of the Drama department, Jennifer Kindred, by a former student.

Kindred said, “The play was given to us by Hadyn Hughes who graduated last year … She brought me the script and said Foothill would love this … so we got our cast together and then we just started working.”

The auditions were hosted at the end of January and the beginning of February. As for the venue itself, the backdrop for the performance was a Greek-like building that was made by volunteers who wanted to help the drama department, and there was a small snack bar in the back for any guests to purchase food while they enjoyed the production.

During the beginning of the play, the audience was introduced to Sarah and Megan, who were doing a presentation on Greek mythology and acting as guides throughout the show. 

They started off with Chronos’s story of how he was the titan king, married his wife and ate his children every few years. This was his downfall because during Rhea’s and Chronos’s “couples therapy” Rhea reveals a child that she didn’t let him eat, Zeus. Zeus goes on to kill Chronos. 

Then they move on to the god Prometheus and how he led himself to his timely demise by making “Man” and then setting him free with fire. “Man” refuses to listen any longer, and Zeus then proceeds to punish Prometheus. 

 The story continues by following “Man” and how he was missing something, so Zeus sends him a woman named Pandora. Pandora was made to live for “Man” and to follow his orders. 

Later on, Zeus delivered a box he warned them not to open, but nonetheless, Pandora opened the box and all the world’s evils were unleashed, and everyone blamed it on the women. 

Sarah, one of the narrators, then has a vision of a “hallmark” version of this scenario in which the “Man” and Pandora had an amazing relationship until Zeus gives them the box and the “Man” refuses to leave it. Pandora destroys it, leading to evil being brought up in the world, but then she is killed and “Man” is devastated.

This kicked off the story of Hercules,  and how he kept hurting people with his brute strength, but then his mother tells him who his father is, Zeus. This leads to Hercules doing nothing and expecting everything. He proceeds to try and get a job but fails until he expresses his feelings upon himself, which leads to Zeus giving him the power of immortality.

They started the second part of the play explaining stories of the myths that were used to make the children stop asking questions or for the women to do what they were told. 

They begin with the first story, Linus and his special student Hercules who was very strong but was very bad at music and because of this, Hercules kills Linus. 

Then they introduce Daedalus, a famous inventor, his wife Sue and their son, Icarus. The king, of their land orders Daedalus to make a cage for the son he created, the Minotaur. Daedalus created a maze for the Minotaur and got stuck in for two years, and when he arrived back home, his wife had left him so he took their son and made him wax wings. Icarus flew too close to the sun, so his wings melted and he perished. 

They continue with the story of the Trojan War and how its audience was mainly for 8-year-old boys. During the war, Achilles, immortal to harm, killed everyone around him. But Achilles had one weakness: his Achilles heal. So, the Trojans came and struck him on his Achilles heel, and he met his inevitable demise.

The scene changes to a beauty contest between Aphrodite, Hera and Athena, where they pick a common shepherd to judge them. They have a talent portion, and then they tell the shepherd what will happen if he picks them.

He ends up choosing Aphrodite and in exchange, Aphrodite gives the shepherd the power to make someone fall in love with him. 

Paris, the shepherd, picks the king’s wife, Helen, to fall in love with. Since Helen was already married to the king, when the king, Menelaus, learned this news he was not happy and commenced the Trojan War. 

Sarah and Megan decided it would be best to scale the war with rubber ducks, representing the lives lost as they stomped on them and they squeaked. 

Suddenly, Odysseus came up with a plan to hide inside a fake hippo to give to the Trojans. They weren’t fooled, so the second time around, the Greeks hid in a horse, they said they were surrendering and while the Trojans were celebrating, the Greeks attacked. 

Then Paris and the king ended the Trojan War by fighting each other and during that time, the king’s assistant expresses his love for him and he ends the Trojan war, and with it the play.

The night of the play was action filled and lighthearted with many proud parents and interested students in the audience. The drama team brought the Foothill Tech community a night to laugh and learn, and the viewers left the performance filled with the spirit of Greek mythology at its finest.