Classic Verse Clashes with Contemporary Culture in the Sacramento Premiere of AN ILIAD by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson

SacImpulse Theatre presents the Sacramento Premiere of AN ILIAD, by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare (FX's American Horror Story), based on Homer's The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles. The production will run October 24 through November 2, 2014 at The Wilkerson Theatre, 1723 25th Street in Downtown Sacramento.

A poet sings the story of the more or less mythical Trojan War and it's cast of characters: Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon, Hecuba, and Helen. Our narrator is doomed to sing his story of war through the ages - "Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time." Yet it seems his poem still has much to say about war, even as it is fought today. It tells us about the profound gulf between civilian existence and life on the front line; about atrocities and indiscriminate slaughter; about the love between soldiers who fight together. Most of all, it tells us about the frightful losses of war: of a soldier losing his closest companion, of a father losing his son.

AN ILIAD demonstrates SacImpulse Theatre's ongoing commitment to contemporary translations and adaptations of classic works. Homer's Iliad as retold by one actor who shares the stage with a lone musician, has received acclaim across the country. "AN ILIAD is pure theater: shocking, glorious, primal and deeply satisfying." -Time Out NY.

"Explosive, altogether breathtaking...Brilliantly meshes past and present calamity, with touches of the most caustic dark humor suddenly shifting into unimaginable pathos." -Chicago Sun-Times.

AN ILIAD will be created and performed by Jerry Lee*, who most recently appeared in the Off-Broadway bound production of Life Could Be a Dream, at Center REP. Mr. Lee is the Producing Artistic Director of SacImpulse Theatre (Orlando, The Turn of the Screw, Ryan Landry's The Plexiglas Menagerie). Regional credits include: Sacramento Theatre Company (Closer Than Ever, It's a Wonderful Life, A Little Princess (World Premiere), The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!), California Musical Theatre (Forbidden Broadway), PCPA Theaterfest (Songs for a New World, The Weir), New Helvetia Theatre ([title of show]), Diablo Theatre Company (Shrek), and Contra Costa Musical Theatre (LES MISERABLES).

AN ILIAD will run October 24, 25, 26, 30, November 1, and 2. Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm. Playing at The Wilkerson Theatre, 1723 25th St., Downtown Sacramento. Tickets prices are $21 general admission, $12 students (with ID). Tickets are available at www.sacimpulse.com. AN ILIAD is recommended for teenagers and adults.

SacImpulse is a Sacramento-based production company grounded in spoken language, humor and the intimate relationship between actors and audience. SacImpulse specializes in re-imagined treatments of classic literature, with the goal of entertaining, fascinating, and stimulating the imagination of its audience.

* Member, Actors' Equity Association