An Iliad

by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare

based on Homer’s e Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles directed by Betty Hart

THE MANY FACES OF THE POET

“A lone figure emerges on a simple stage...”

And the play begins. One-person shows are an acting feat all on their own, however An Iliad requires the performer to learn and speak Greek, tackle the epic style of gods and warriors, as well as command the audience with their presence and charisma. CRT’s production features the formidable talent of Lavour Addison. Here, we look at the many identities of The Poet. In the quotes below, An Iliad playwrights Lisa Petersen and Denis O’Hare discuss how the role came to be, and how they envisioned this very important role. Who would you cast as your Poet?

(left) Denis O'Hare in the original production. (right) Rachel Christopher at Long Wharf Theatre. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

“We began to imagine a character called The Poet: an ancient teller of tales who might still exist in the universe, doomed to tell the story of the Trojan War until the day when human nature changes, when our addiction to rage comes to an end, when the telling of a war story becomes unnecessary. A day that has yet to come, of course.”

Mary Tuomanen at Arden Theatre Co. Photo by Wide Eyed Studios

“We imagine that on this particular night, our Poet finds himself transported to an empty stage, in front of a particular audience…”

Kyle Hatley at Kansas City Rep. Photo by Don Ipock

Imagine a year of isolation where you were required to travel the earth alone. Because of the circumstances of the world, your journey was a solo one with occasional moments of visiting with other humans. You might think I’m talking about the past year where we were isolated due to Covid-19, but I’m not. I’m talking about the plight of the Poet in Betty Hart An Iliad. Our Poet is a journeyman whose life is traveling the world sharing the story & the lessons of the Trojan War. Our Poet’s task is to tell the story. The hope is that there will come a time when the story no longer needs to be told, but until then, like Sisyphus, who was forever required to push the rock up the hill, the Poet must tell the story over and over again until humanity finally hears. Why should you want to hear a story of isolation, a tale of woe, here in the beautiful community of Creede, against the backdrop of the gorgeous mountain chain that surrounds us here? Because those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Are we, like the Poet, doomed to experience the worst of humanity over and over again, because we won’t learn? Our Poet asks us “can we ever choose the path of peace or must we descend into madness once more?” This is timely, for as I write this, Israel and Palestine have had bombs flying over each other’s countries for eight consecutive days, with over two hundred people dead. That heartbreaking number will probably rise by the time you read this. As our Poet shares the tale of the Trojan War, there is a heart that is breaking, not just for the Trojan War, but for our current world. What might happen if we decided that war would no longer be tolerated? That war was no longer an option? What if collectively, as a city, state, nation, or world, we decided that the children of tomorrow would read about war and see it as a fairy tale because war, like dragons, no longer visit the earth? There is hope in those questions. There is hope that one day we will choose to look at our metaphorical neighbor as ourself, that we would choose the path of love and peace and empathy—not just for ourselves, but for the world community at large. Is it possible? I don’t know. But there is a gleam in the Poet’s eye, and I invite you to watch closely and see if you can see it, that says “perhaps”. Perhaps, there will be a day where each and every one of us decides that love is stronger than hate, and that we will have the courage to rewrite our future by saying a final farewell to war.

Lavour Addison stars in CRT's production

No Intermission

CREATIVE TEAM

Director Betty Hart Scenic Design Amanda Relaford Costume Design Elly Hunt Lighting Design Kaye Swindell Sound Design Jake Harbour Music & Composition Johnathan Taylor Fight Direction Lavour Addison & John DiAntonio Dramaturg Courtney Cauthon Greek Pronunciation Liliana Talwatte EDI Facilitation Alyssa Peters

MANAGEMENT

Stage Manager JuanCarlos Contreras*

CAST

Poet Lavour Addison*

Content Advisory: This production contains some strong language and descriptions of war and violence.

An Iliad was originally developed as part of the New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects Program, Off-Broadway premiere produced by New York Theatre Workshop (Jim Nicola, Artistic Director; William Russo, Managing Director) in 2012.

An Iliad was originally produced by Seattle Repertory Theatre (Jerry Manning Producing Artistic Director; Benjamin Moore, Managing Director). It was subsequently produced by McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ (Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy J. Shields, Managing Director, Mara Isaacs, Producing Director).

An Iliad was developed in part with the assistance of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program.

An Iliad is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

“There is no reason that The Poet could not be female, or any race, or differently abled, or over 70 or under 30. We think of Homer as a kind of coat that anyone with the passion and the talent (and the ability to memorize) the story could wear.”