An Iliad at The Guthrie May, 2013

April 22, 2013

Press Release #1522                                                                                                          

For more information contact:                                                                                        

Seena Hodges 612.225.6142

seenah@guthrietheater.org

Quinton Skinner 612.225.6140                                                                                       

quintons@guthrietheater.org

REHEARSALS CONTINUE FOR GRIPPING STORYTELLING EXPERIENCE FEATURING POWERHOUSE STEPHEN YOAKAM IN

AN ILIAD

Adaptation by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare delivers searing tale of war from antiquity delivered with timeless, gripping impact.

Click HERE for photos

An Iliad previews begin May 4, opening night Wednesday May 8; Playing through May 26

in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Rehearsals continue at the Guthrie for An Iliad, the single-actor storytelling adaptation of Homer’s Greek classic about the siege of Troy, featuring Stephen Yoakam as The Poet and directed by Benjamin McGovern (The Edge of Our Bodies, Circle Mirror Transformation). An Iliad is written by Lisa Peterson (director of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Guthrie in 2012, as well as the upcoming production of Clybourne Park opening in June) and Denis O’Hare from a translation of Homer by Robert Fagles.

“I’ve never wanted to do a solo show before, but this one wouldn’t leave me alone,” says Yoakam, who has appeared in more than 75 Guthrie productions including a lauded turn as Bertolt Brecht in 2012’s Tales from Hollywood and as Creon in 2011’s The Burial at Thebes.  “The Iliad is maybe the greatest anti-war story. It’s all about war and rage, but also as much how glorious things are in the absence of violence and death. It’s just a great story, and the story is all about us.”

Yoakam’s Poet has told the story of the Greek siege of Troy for centuries, conjuring the heroes and battles for different cultures and eras. Now in the shadow of war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, he unleashes the story's power for a modern audience. An Iliad premiered in 2010 and has been praised by critics across the country, including The New York Times this spring: "Mr. O'Hare and Ms. Peterson have telescoped the mighty expanses of Homer's great poem into an evening that scales the conflict of the Trojan War down to an intimate solo show illuminating both the heroism and the horror of warfare."

The artistic team includes Michael Hoover (Set Designer), Christine A. Richardson (Costume Designer), Tom Mays (Lighting Designer), Greg Brosofske (Sound/Music Composition), Carla Steen (Dramaturg), and Meaghan Rosenberger (Stage Manager).

An Iliad begins preview performances on May 4, opens May 8 and continues through May 26, 2013 in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater. Single tickets start at $29 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org