PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
By Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare
Based on Homer's Iliad, Translated by Robert Fagles
Directed by M. Craig Getting
November 10 - December 11, 2016

Featuring virtuosic performances and original live music, this Obie Award-winning adaptation condenses Homer's epic masterpiece into an evening of theater at its best: intimate, incisive, and urgent. The war in Troy is over – and the Poet saw it all. Back from the frontlines, he spins a tale of unquenchable rage, disputatious gods, and grieving widows. Telling the story of the war, like the war itself, both seduces and ravages the Poet; it emboldens, burdens, and threatens to overwhelm him. An Iliad weaves humanity's unshakable attraction to warfare with the music of the muses, capturing the contradictory conditions of glory and violence with spellbinding modernity.

Charles McMahon as The Poet (Wednesday and Saturday matinees)  •  Peter DeLaurier as The Poet (all other performances)  •  Liz Filios as The Muse

Meghan Jones, Scenic Designer & Production Manager  •  Natalia de la Torre, Costume Designer  •  Shannon Zura, Lighting Designer  •  Michael Hahn & Liz Filios, Sound Designers & Composers  •  Avista Custom Theatrical Services, Props Master  •  Rebecca Smith, Stage Manager

"An Iliad is an electrifying evening in the theater, and a salve for anyone experiencing anxiety in recent weeks. It's a tour de force performance from [Peter] DeLaurier, long one of Philadelphia's finest actors, in an ideal role to showcase his skill, his intelligence, and his humanity. This is don't-miss theater." –DC Metro Theater Arts

"Stunning production of the audacious An Iliad... Scholarly in its everyday retelling of great poetry and theatrically gripping." –WHYY NewsWorks
"An Iliad is an ideal play for today. Relevant... intimate and personal... powerful." –Broad Street Review

"An Iliad is a moving and persuasive anti-war play. There is no denying the enormous effort this performance requires and DeLaurier's Homer holds us rapt in his story until he releases us at the end. An epic is a long narrative poem that recounts heroic deeds and events that are significant to a nation or a culture. Performing this play is itself the heroic deed, with plenty of significance to our nation and culture." –The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Powerful, compelling... A heart-breaking adaptation of the western world's very oldest war story." –Threat Quality Press

"Moving and memorable. As the Poet, veteran actor Peter DeLaurier turns in a breathtaking performance, both nuanced and impassioned. Liz Filios, the Muse, perfectly accents and accompanies it." –Hellenic News of America

"Much of An Iliad's success can be attributed to Peter DeLaurier's engaging performance." –Phindie

"Do not miss this phenomenal production." –Beyond My Backyard

"Timely and timeless. This production stares into the darkest and mostly unspoken traits of mankind in a way that is both raw and thrilling." –PA Theatre Guide