Ensemble Theatre Company Presents John Tufts Starring In AN ILIAD

This April, Ensemble Theatre Company will present five live-streamed performances of the critically acclaimed 90-minute one-act play An Iliad. Each live performance will be aired and may be watched on computers, smart TVs, iPads, and iPhones.

Translated by Robert Fagles from Homer's 3000-year-old epic poem "The Iliad," playwrights Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare deliver a contemporized and compelling narrative with the use of a single actor and musician. Crafted around the stories of Achilles and Hector, in language that is by turns poetic and conversational, An Iliad brilliantly refreshes this world classic. What emerges is a powerful and lively piece of theatrical storytelling that vividly drives home the timelessness of mankind's compulsion toward violence.

Taking on the herculean (no pun intended) role is John Tufts, who returns to ETC after appearing in The Invisible Handand the one-man show I Am My Own Wife, for which he won critical acclaim and an Independent Award for his performance. John's artistic home has been 12 seasons with the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival, playing everything from Chico Marx to Henry V. For this production, John will be joined by Santa Barbara Symphony Cellist Jonathan Flaksman.

The production, directed by ETC's artistic director Jonathan Fox, will take place on the stage of ETC's theatrical home, The New Vic. With minimal stage design but with creative videography, each of the five performances will be live (not recorded), and therefore each performance will be distinctive.

"After several months of planning, I'm so thrilled to be able to present An Iliad," said Mr. Fox. "Although Homer's epic poem is daunting, this wonderful adaptation is buoyant with humor and theatricality. I'm delighted to be working with John Tufts again and to present the virtuosic playing of cellist Jonathan Flaksman. It is truly a unique experience."

Performances run April 15-18. Check Tickets for the event are $30 per device and are available for purchase online at https://etcsb.org/whats-on/streaming-events/.

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