A Hart High School theater arts teacher, who is also an actor, will be starring in an upcoming play at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.

Brent Christensen will be starring in a new production, “Oedipus Machina,” opening at the Odyssey on May 30 and will run through July 26.

Christensen has worked in the William S. Hart District for over 20 years, however he is transitioning into doing more film and television work as he eyes retirement from teaching.

Christensen will be making his first appearance at the Odyssey in “Oedipus Machina.” He last auditioned at the theater 27 years ago for a play he has forgotten the name of.

“Oedipus Machina,” inspired by playwright Ellen Mc Laughlin’s adaptation of the Sophocles text, puts a unique stamp on the ancient, archetypal story, setting the action in some ancient and mysterious civilization.

A plague grips the city of Thebes. Desperate to save his people, King Oedipus sends a messenger to the oracle at Delphi and discovers that the city’s salvation lies in finding and punishing the murderer of the former king, Laius, who was brutally slain by a stranger at a crossroads years ago. When Oedipus orders a manhunt, he unknowingly sets the wheels of his own destruction in motion.

“The story is ancient, archetypal — it could happen anywhere,” said Ron Sossi, director of “Oedipus Machina,” in a news release. “We’ve renamed it “Oedipus Machina” because the central image will be a machine that represents the intrepid and relentless movement of fate.”

Tickets are $34. Performances of “Oedipus Machina” take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., May 30 through July 26 (dark July 4).

Additional weeknight performances are scheduled on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on June 17 and July 8; and on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on June 25, July 2, July 16 and July 23.

The third Friday of every month is wine night at the Odyssey, enjoy complimentary wine and snacks and mingle with the cast after the show.

There will be four “Tix for $10” performances on Friday, June 5, Friday, June 19 (wine night), Thursday, July 2, and Wednesday, July 8.

The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, call (310) 477-2055 or go to www.OdysseyTheatre.com.

Before moving to Canyon Country, Christensen lived to San Francisco where he did his first television role in “Partners in Crime” with Loni Anderson and Lynda Carter and his first film role in “Howard the Duck,” where his scenes were cut.
Christensen returned to the film and TV business as a character actor in 2013 ,and has appeared in numerous shorts and features since his return.

Recent appearances include “Porters of Hell’s Gate’s Othello,” Repertory East Playhouse productions of “The Great Gatsby,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and a few “Sherlock Holmes” plays.

He has been a guest player at College of the Canyons in “Death of a Salesman,” “Mother Courage,” “Noises Off,” and “Equus.”
He’s performed for twelve years with the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival and played Shylock, Falstaff, Duncan, and many others.