Cleveland Play House Engages The Imagination Through Storytelling In Epic Adventure AN ILIAD

Cleveland Play House (CPH) engages the audience's imagination as the epic adventure of An Iliad brings life to 54 characters through a single poet and her muse, a cellist. Performances take place in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square from January 12th through February 10th, 2019. Featuring a heroic sound, with original composition by cellist Eva Rose Scholz-Carlson, actress Tarah Flanagan performs as The Poet in this adaptation of Homer's work, written by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare.

One actor. One musician. The Trojan War. With vivid storytelling and live cello, two women transform a bare stage into a raging battlefield where gods, heroes, and empires clash in a quest for vengeance and glory. This searing adaptation of Homer's timeless epic catapults an ancient tale of fate and fury into the present day.

"This production is theatre in its purest form," says Artistic Director Laura Kepley. "By removing the expected trappings of a theatrical experience, the human connection between the performer and the audience becomes paramount. The performer is talking to the audience directly, calling on us to conjure the gods, battlefields, and warriors in this ancient tale. This spare aesthetic unleashes our imagination and prioritizes immediate and direct communication. At every step, she makes the story personal and contemporary, closing the historical distance between the Trojan War and now. Through this raw and tender exchange, we are reminded of our shared bonds of glory and grief."

"We are bringing to life everything that exists in a time of war, including the emotions that come with it," says Co-Director/Poet actor Tarah Flanagan. "This is the next installment in an ancient tradition of storytelling, we are reframing it for the people in the room. It turns out this is a story about us."

AN ILIAD Cast

TARAH FLANAGAN (Co-Director, The Poet) New York Theatre: The Mint Theatre, Looking Glass Theatre, Hang a Tale productions at the Pearl Theatre (The Little Prince), and the Sheen Center (An Iliad). Regional Theatre: Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Fest., Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Crossroads Theatre, Eugene O'Neil Theatre, Fulton Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Public Theatre of Maine, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, Studio Arena Theatre, and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (title role in St. Joan). She has been a proud company member of the Great River Shakespeare Festival since 2007 where she serves as an Artistic Associate. Film/TV: Mother's Book, directed by Keith Joseph Atkins; PBS series, Futurestates; As the World Turns; and Darwin: the Series, directed by Carrie Preston. Directing/Choreography: Daisy 3 Pictures (Associate Producer, Choreographer): Darwin the Series, Actor's Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Program: Solo Mio projects, Great River Shakespeare Festival: (co-Director) An Iliad (Movement Choreographer) As You Like It, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Rozencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. Shakespeare for Young Actors at GRSF (Program Director): As You Like It, Romeo & Juilet, The Tempest, Macbeth, Comedy of Errors, and Hamlet

Training: PCPA Theaterfest, Conservatory at Webster University (BFA), the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (MFA). Tarah is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association.

EVA ROSE SCHOLZ-CARLSON (Composer, The Muse) originally composed and performed music for Great River Shakespeare Festival's production of An Iliad and has since performed it for productions at Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts, the Sheen Center in New York, University of Utah, and University of California, Irvine. At Great River Shakespeare Festival, she has played cello in Shakespeare in Love and As You Like It, and acted in Twelfth Night as well as Shakespeare for Young Actor's productions including Hamlet, Macbeth, and The Comedy of Errors under the direction of Tarah Flanagan. Eva is currently a senior in the International Baccalaureate program at Southwest High School in Minneapolis where she composed and performed music for Romeo and Juliet, played in the pit orchestra for Sweet Charity, and acted in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Antigone. A cellist since age 4, Eva toured Europe last summer with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony and lives with her family in Minneapolis.

AN ILIAD Creative Team

TARAH FLANAGAN (Co-Director, The Poet) - biography listed in cast.

ANDREW CARLSON (Co-Director) is a faculty member in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin where he teaches courses in dramaturgy, Shakespeare, acting, and performance studies. He serves as the co-head of the undergraduate studies B.A. in Theatre and Dance program. As a dramaturg and actor, he has worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Guthrie Theatre, First Folio Theatre, ZACH Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, American Records, and Children's Theatre of Madison. He is an artistic associate with The Great River Shakespeare Festival where he has worked as an actor and educator for ten seasons, playing roles such as Hamlet (Hamlet), Edmund (King Lear), Jim O'Connor (The Glass Menagerie), Hotspur (Henry IV, Part I), and the Poet (An Iliad). Andrew is also the managing director of the Oscar G. Brockett Center for Theatre History and Criticism at The University of Texas at Austin. With the Brockett Center, he has worked on a variety of initiatives such as The American Theatre Archive Project and American Theatre Magazine's historical almanac column. He is a co-author of the 11th edition of The Essential Theatre textbook and has published essays in Theatre History Studies, American Theatre Magazine, and the Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy. An award-winning educator, Carlson received the 2016 Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Texas.

The Design Team for Sweat includes: IAN STILLMAN (Scenic Designer), TARAH FLANAGAN (Costume Designer) MICHAEL BOLL (Lighting Designer), JAMES C. SWONGER (Sound Designer). The Production Stage Manager for this production is MARYANN MORRIS.

An Iliad will be performed in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square January 12th - February 10th, 2019. Tickets range in price from $25-$97 each, $12 rush tickets for currently enrolled students under age 25 with valid student ID, and Young Professional discounts available with YP-CPH Membership. To order single tickets please call 216-241-6000 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com. Groups of 10+ save up to 50% off single ticket prices; call 216-400-7027.

Subscriptions: Subscribers save up to 25%. Flexible season packages available. To purchase subscriptions or get more information, call 216-400-7096 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com

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