From Pelion to the Gulf: Author Ted Pitsios Brings His ‘Modern Odyssey’ to the SBCT Stage Oct. 25
Greek-American author Ted Pitsios presents “Modern Odyssey: From Greek Isles to Gulf Coast” at South Baldwin Community Theatre in Gulf Shores Oct. 25, with actors bringing his novels’ characters to the stage.
GULF SHORES, Ala. — Ted Pitsios left a mountain village in Greece for the sea, and the sea eventually carried him to the Gulf Coast. On Sunday, Oct. 25, the Greek-American author will tell that story, and the stories of the characters it inspired, on the stage of South Baldwin Community Theatre.
“Modern Odyssey: From Greek Isles to Gulf Coast” begins at 2:30 p.m. and is billed as more than an ordinary book reading. Actors from the theatre will bring characters from all three of Pitsios’ books to life on stage, followed by a reception with the author featuring Greek delicacies from Georgia Roussos Catering. Proceeds from book sales benefit the theatre’s expansion project.
From Tsagarada to the merchant fleet
Pitsios was born in Tsagarada, a village on the forested slopes of Mount Pelion in central Greece, overlooking the Aegean Sea. After graduating from the Maritime Academy, he sailed for years as a merchant marine engineer before setting out to build his own American Dream. According to his publisher, he later lived in Nassau, Bahamas, and West Palm Beach, Fla., before settling on the Gulf Coast. He now divides his time between Greece and Orange Beach.
That path, from Greek village to ship’s engine room to a new life in America, runs through his fiction. His three novels, “The Bellmaker’s House,” “Searching for Ithaka” and “Walking in the Light,” form a trilogy that the event’s organizers describe as a forthright story about searching for belonging across multiple worlds, offering new insight into the immigrant experience.
“Walking in the Light,” released in 2021, follows Kostas, a Greek merchant seaman who deserts his ship in America and, spurred by a challenge from his brother, tries to make his way among the undocumented immigrants of his era while staying a step ahead of immigration authorities.
Why ‘Odyssey’ fits
The event’s title borrows from Homer’s “Odyssey,” the ancient Greek epic of Odysseus’ long voyage home to the island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. The second book’s title, “Searching for Ithaka,” draws on the same tradition and evokes the famous poem “Ithaka” by the Greek poet C.P. Cavafy, which treats the journey itself as the reward. For an author who spent years at sea before finding a home far from where he started, the comparison is a natural one.
Event details
- What: “Modern Odyssey: From Greek Isles to Gulf Coast,” a stage presentation and author reception with Ted Pitsios
- When: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2:30 p.m., followed by the reception
- Where: South Baldwin Community Theatre, 2022 W. Second St., Gulf Shores
- Tickets: $20, including one paperback book, admission to the stage presentation and the reception
- Additional books: $15 each
- Food: Greek delicacies by Georgia Roussos Catering
- Benefits: Book proceeds support the theatre’s expansion project
Copies of all three books will be available for purchase at the event.
About South Baldwin Community Theatre
South Baldwin Community Theatre has been part of Gulf Shores’ cultural life since 1972, when it was founded by Father Anthony Zoghby, Nancy Holk Totman and Herb Anderson. The nonprofit theatre, at 2022 W. Second St., relies on volunteers from all walks of life who pool their talents to stage plays, musicals and other productions for audiences along the Alabama Gulf Coast, with a stated goal of making the dramatic arts alive to everyone.
Presentations like this one, which pair a local author with the theatre’s actors, give the company a chance to stretch beyond its regular season while raising money for its future. Proceeds from book sales will go to the theatre’s expansion project.
A Greek thread on the Gulf Coast
Greek immigrants and their descendants have been part of the Gulf Coast for more than a century, and their churches, festivals and restaurants remain prominent in Mobile and Baldwin counties. The region’s Greek community will be on display elsewhere this month too: Mobile’s Greek Festival runs Oct. 15-17.
For audiences, Pitsios’ presentation offers a more personal window into that heritage: one man’s voyage from a Pelion village to the Alabama shore, told on stage by the theatre’s actors and followed by conversation and Greek food with the author himself.
Tickets and additional information are available through South Baldwin Community Theatre.
