AN ILIAD Returns to The Guthrie Theater Tonight

The Guthrie Theater today announced a return engagement for An Iliad, the single-actor storytelling adaptation of Homer's Greek classic about the siege of Troy. The play features Stephen Yoakam (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) as The Poet and is 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 this summer's acclaimed production of Clybourne Park) and Denis O'Hare from a translation of Homer by Robert Fagles.

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 since been praised by critics across the country. Twin Cities critics called the Guthrie production a "tour de force," "a powerful, resonant tale of war," and "a visually arresting, sumptuously performed piece of theater that is intellectually and emotionally engaging, one that finds the connection between the classic and the contemporary."

The artistic team includes Michael Hoover (Set Designer), Christine A. Richardson (Costume Designer), Tom Mays (Lighting Designer), Greg Brosofske(Composer/Sound Designer), Carla Steen (Dramaturg), and Tree O'Halloran (Stage Manager).

An Iliad begins preview performances tonight, October 1, opens October 4 and continues through October 20 in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater. Singletickets start at $24 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

Photo by Aaron Fenster