Live from Mount Olympus, the hit scripted podcast series that keeps Greek mythology relevant to today’s youth, is back with Season 5, adapting the story of Pandora.
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About Season 5 of Live From Mount Olympus:
- Season 5 of Live from Mount Olympus premiered on October 15th and consists of three episodes, with the first two now available and the finale launching on Tuesday, October 29th.
- This season focuses on Pandora, reimagining her myth and giving her control of her own narrative. This retelling includes surprises and elements that are often left out of traditional versions.
- Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winner André De Shields returns as Hermes, while Pandora is voiced by Broadway star Nedra Marie Taylor. The cast also includes:
- Xavier Pacheco as Epimetheus
- Ato Blankson-Wood as Prometheus
- Gregg Mozgala as Hephaestus
- Jill Frutkin as Aphrodite
- Ian Lassiter as Zeus
- Libby King as Athena
- The podcast blends powerful performances, immersive sound design, and original illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Jason Adam Katzenstein. Music for the season is composed by Magdalini Giannikou.
- Live from Mount Olympus has been downloaded over 1.5 million times and continues to bring ancient Greek myths to life for a modern audience, particularly tweens.
- The richly-imagined audio drama is created and produced by Peabody Award-winning showrunner Julie Burstein, co-produced by the Brooklyn-based theater ensemble The TEAM, and directed by Tony Award-winner Rachel Chavkin (Lempicka, Hadestown) and Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Table 17, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical). Karen Brooks Hopkins, president emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, is executive producer.
- John Melillo is the audio producer, and Yonatan Rekem is the audio editor.
- inquirED, a national education curriculum company, will introduce lesson plans based on previous seasons of the podcast, such as Persephone, in their 5th-grade social studies curriculum.
- ACS Athens has incorporated the podcast into its 6th-grade ELA curriculum.
- Visit the podcast’s official website for more information on where and how to listen.
What They’re Saying:
- Julie Burstein, Creator and Showrunner: “As we explored the ancient texts and looked at the ancient art, it was a revelation to learn that Pandora’s origin story is carved into the base of Athena’s sculpture in the Parthenon – and it is quite different from the stories Hesiod tells. This season is all about how stories change depending on who tells them, and, as Pandora herself says, ‘No one else gets to tell the story that defines you. You get to sing your own story.’ What a pleasure to give Pandora back her voice for this new season of Live from Mount Olympus!”
- Karen Brooks Hopkins, Executive Producer: “The Greek myths offer an endless number of incredible stories about fabulous gods and mortals and their complex adventures that both entertain and educate young people and their families. Pandora is one of the most legendary female characters in history and we have decided to give her a chance to tell her own version of this famous tale! Our audience will experience this story through a contemporary lens- which is the defining voice of each season of Live From Mt Olympus”