About the Production:

An Iliad was the inaugural production of 'True North Theatre' which was founded to bring high-quality theater directly to audiences, especially to those with little access to the arts. Designed to travel to where the audience is, True North performances are intimate and immediate. All the lights are on, there are minimal sets, props, and costumes. The actor are on the same level as the audience, who are seated around the performance area. This low tech approach allows the company to bring the performance almost anywhere, and hone in to what’s essential in the story being told.  

Research, Inspiration, and Rehearsal

The visual language of the performance was inspired primarily by pottery from the era. Extant pieces from that time feature artwork largely inspired by stories of myth and legend. With an emphasis on the grace and power of the human form they use dynamic poses to establish both character and story. We lifted many of these poses directly to create simple physical manifestations of each of the characters the poet inhabits. This gave the audience, as well as the actor, a physical shorthand or leitmotif for each character. We also looked to Renaissance era sculpture and frieze work which, in its neoclassical bent, focuses on striking physical poses to express character. 

For the character of the poet, who, within the fiction of the play is both our contemporary and a direct observer of the events of the war, we thought deeply about who our audiences would be. The first tour would largely be performed at service organizations who interface with those experiencing homelessness, and the homeless population in America has an outsized representation of veterans, so we decided to subtly reflect that lived experience in our costume choices.

For the music, indicated by the script to be played throughout the performance, composer Colin Holter took inspiration from the lyres of antiquity and merged it with the contemporary, designing and building an electric lyre from extruded aluminum. The eclectic nature of the instrument allowed the compositions to incorporate looping, percussing the instrument, bowing, and other methods to increase the expressiveness of an instrument with only six notes. In addition, the physical presence of the muse gave the poet a scene partner for the performance.

The rehearsal process included utilizing the Suzuki Method of Actor Training to build the physical endurance required for the performance with the added benefit helping the performer memorize the text. 

We toured the production of An Ilad on three separate occasions in the Central Pennsylvania area. Tour preparation required relationship building, venue visits, and extensive communication with performance site managers.