This is the fourteenth in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we profile Odesa Company.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Odesa Company was founded in November 2022 by Adam Smalley, Chris Smalley, and Scott Smalley. We long wished to run a theatre company, and our inaugural 2023 co-production of Dracula with London Community Players presented a great opportunity to do so.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
We’re a non-professional, volunteer-driven independent theatre company.
(Pictured: Scott and Chris Smalley, founders of Odesa Company)
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
For our 2025 season, we’ve booked the Auburn Stage at the Grand Theatre (Shakespeare’s Oz), as well as the Princess Ave. Playhouse in St. Thomas (Misery).
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
Absolutely!
MISSION STATEMENT At Odesa Company, we believe theatre should be daring, collaborative, and deeply human. We create bold, high-quality productions, interactive experiences, and educational initiatives that invite artists and audiences of all ages to engage and imagine. We support skills development that applies both on stage and in life, and we treat our people with respect, transparency, and care. We foster a culture of integrity and inclusion, grounded in the belief that diversity strengthens both our art and our society.
VISION STATEMENT Odesa Company exists to make theatre that connects people through storytelling, meaningful collaboration, and shared creative experiences. We aim to be a place where artists feel valued, audiences feel engaged, and everyone involved walks away inspired to come back and do it again. As we grow, we’re building a creative home where innovation, care, and community shape not just our shows, but the future of how theatre is made.
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid staff?
We have a Board of Directors that operates as volunteers; we are almost entirely volunteer-driven, including the ownership group and leadership team. Having said that, we have been actively exploring and executing on compensation opportunities for our team where possible, and it is our plan to get to a point in our development where honorariums, profit-sharing, and contract work are widespread and normalized within the organization.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
At this point in Odesa’s development, we’re committed to establishing our brand of theatre, which is characterized by shows that have a high attention to detail around performance and technical elements; some of our shows are fun, fantastical and don’t take themselves too seriously (StageQuest), while others pick away at the darker side of humanity and dig at the emotions of the audience (Dracula, The Elephant Man).
For our 2025 season, our July production of Shakespeare’s Oz joined StageQuest as one of our more fantastical adventures, while Misery, based on the novel by Stephen King and running from October 23-26, will join Dracula and The Elephant Man as one of our darker, more serious plays.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each. Misery, written by William Goldman and based on the novel by Stephen King, will be performed at the Princess Avenue. Playhouse in St. Thomas from October 23 – 26. Tickets are on sale now at www.odesa.company/tickets.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
We’ve only been in business for the last couple of years, and in that time, we’ve had the privilege of working with so many amazing people, with very few exceptions. Odesa Company positions itself as an option for artists to create exciting theatre, and we have a strong desire to be leaders in the community, with a commitment to creating positive experiences for our artists, patrons, and community partners.
For more information about Odesa Company and to purchase tickets, visit https://odesa.company/
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The Beat Magazine 2025 