THE ILIAD: BOOK ONEAquila Theatre Company

2Welcome!The State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ welcomes you

to the school-day performance of The Iliad: Book One. Theancient Greek war story has been adapted for the stageby Aquila Theatre using Stanley Lombardo’s Englishtranslation of the original Greek text.

These Keynotes provide information and activities tohelp you watch the play with a well-informed eye and ear.We hope that the materials in this guide will add to yourunderstanding and enjoyment of the performance andhelp you make connections to your own personalexperience.

CONTENTSWelcome/Acknowledgements ......................................................2

A Tale of War ........................................................................................3

The Story ................................................................................................4

Character Profiles ................................................................................5

The Trojan War ....................................................................................6

The Greek Gods ..................................................................................7

A Matter of Honor ..............................................................................8

Production Notes ................................................................................9

Are You Ready for the Performance?........................................10

Keynotes are produced by the Education Departmentof the State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ.Wesley Brustad, PresidentLian Farrer, Vice President for Education

Keynotes for The Iliad written and designed by LianFarrer. Edited by Katie Pyott and Jennifer Cunha.© 2008 State Theatre

The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for theperforming arts and entertainment.

Keynotes are made possible bya generous grant from Bank ofAmerica Charitable Foundation.

The State Theatre’s education program is funded in part by Bank of America Charitable Foundation,Bristol-Myers Squibb, Brother International Corporation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey,Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, J.Seward Johnson, Sr. 1963 Charitable Trust, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, McCraneFoundation, MetLife Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, National Starch and ChemicalFoundation, Inc., PNC Foundation, Provident Bank Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,Verizon, and Wachovia Foundation. Their support is gratefully acknowledged.

Aquila Theatre’s production of The Iliad: Book One has been made possible in part by a major grantfrom the National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life.

Aquila Theatre’s production of The Iliad: Book One has also received an Access to Artistic Excellenceaward from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Funding has been made possible in part bythe New Jersey State Council on theArts/Department of State, a partner agencyof the National Endowment for the Arts.

Continental Airlinesis the official airlineof the StateTheatre.

The Heldrichis the officialhotel of theState Theatre.

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Generations of troops, fromfifth-century BC Athenianinfantrymen to the soldier-poets ofthe First World War and beyond,have found striking parallelsbetween the poetry of The Iliadand their own responses towaging war. Aquila Theatre Company highlights the idea that war is auniversal and timeless experience by placing their production of TheIliad: Book I in a World War II setting. Their inspiration was the coverphotograph (right) on Stanley Lombardo’s translation of The Iliad.Titled “Into the Jaws of Death,” this black-and-white photograph wastaken by a member of the U.S. Coast Guard from a landing craft onD-Day as the Americans landed on the beaches of Normandy, France.

In the performance, the Greek soldiers—Achilles, Agamemnon,Odysseus, and their companions—wear the uniforms of Allied soldiersin World War II. The audience hears the sounds of modern warfare:booming guns, exploding bombs, hissing smoke. The words of the play,taken directly from Lombardo’s translation of Homer, remain true to theoriginal text, and refer to the life and beliefs of the ancient Greeks.

How would astaging of TheIliad look if itwere set duringthe Civil War? TheAmeri can Revolu -tion? TheHundred Years’War? Choose awar from anytime and place.Find out whatkinds of uniformsand weaponswere used duringthis war and seeif you can finddescriptions ofthe battles. Basedon your research,sketch designs forscenery andcostumes of yourspecialproduction of TheIliad.

A Tale of War

BATTLE OF AGINCOURT:Henry V, by William Shakespeare (play)

FRENCH REVOLUTION:“Liberty Leading the People,” by Eugene

Delacroix (painting)

CRIMEAN WAR:“The Charge of the Light Brigade,” by Alfred

Lord Tennyson (poem)

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR:The war photographs of Matthew Brady

The Red Badge of Courage, by StephenCrane (novel)

Glory, directed by Edward Zwick (film)

WORLD WAR I:A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway

(novel)

“Anthem for Doomed Youth,” by WilfredOwen (poem)

All Quiet on the Western Front , by ErichMaria Remarque (novel)

Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir (film)

WORLD WAR II:Catch-22, by Joseph Heller (novel)

The Thin Red Line, directed by TerrenceMalick (film)

Saving Private Ryan,directed by StevenSpielberg (film)

The Caine Mutiny, byHerman Wouk (novel)

VIETNAM WAR:The Killing Fields, directed by Roland Joffé

(film)The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

(novel)

Platoon, directed by Oliver Stone (film)

IRAQ WAR:Generation Kill, by Evan Wright (memoir)

More War Stories to Explore

Want tohear howThe Iliadmight havesounded tothe originalaudience?

Listen to Stanley Lombardoread the text in Ancient Greek.

www.wiredforbooks.org/iliad

They say Achilles in the darkness stirred...And Priam and his fifty sonsWake all amazed, and hear the guns,And shake for Troy again.

—Rupert Brooke, sailing for theBattle of Gallipoli, 1915

The StoryThe Iliad stretches back nearly three thousand

years to tell the story of the Greek invasion ofTroy. When Paris, a prince of Troy, steals thebeautiful Helen from her husband, King Menelausof Sparta, a thousand Greek ships set sail topunish the Trojans. The Greek army, under thecommand of King Agamemnon, lays siege to thecity of Troy for ten years. As the story unfolds,Agamemnon comes into conflict with Achilles, thebravest of all the Greek warriors; their conflict is thecentral theme of The Iliad.

Before the action of The Iliad begins, the Greek forces had raidedseveral cities near Troy and taken many prizes of war. The choicestprize by far was a beautiful young girl named Chryseis, daughter ofChryses, an elderly and respected priest of the god Apollo. The girlwas awarded to Agamemnon.

The story opens in the Greek camp on the Trojan shore. WhenAgamemnon refuses to release Chryseis, her father Chryses calls uponApollo to send a terrible plague to kill the Greek forces. The prophetCalchas warns that the only way to appease Apollo and end the plagueis to give Chryseis back to Chryses. Agamemnon agrees to surrenderChryseis only if he can take Briseis, a girl that Achilles won and nowloves. This enrages Achilles, who is restrained from killing Agamemnon—his commander-in-chief—by the goddess Athena. Achilles calls to hismother, the sea goddess Thetis; on her advice decides to withdraw fromthe battle.

Thetis ascends Mt. Olympus to ask Zeus, the king of the gods, to turnthe war against the Greeks in order to punish Agamemnon. Zeus’ wife,Hera, catches her husband with Thetis and begins to scold him. Zeuslashes out in anger, until Hephaestus, the lame god of the forge, lightensthe gloomy atmosphere on Mt. Olympus with his comical behavior.

Keeping his promise to Thetis, Zeus works out a plan to des troy theGreek army. He sends afalse dream in the form ofNestor, Aga mem non’smost trusted advisor, totell Agamemnon tolaunch an all-out attackon Troy that verymorning. WithoutAchilles, though, the warwill go very badly for theGreeks.

Homer’spoem, TheIliad, is laidout in 24books, orchapters.AquilaTheatre’sproductionfocuses onbook one, withportions ofbooks two andnine alsoincluded.

Who WroteThe Iliad?Since The Iliad wascreated beforewritten language was

in use, no one can really besaid to have “written” it. Longafter the events of the actualTrojan War, different versionsof the story were created byoral poets, who recited TheIliad aloud in public. Althoughthe poets used a formalstructure that dictated therhythm and number ofsyllables in each line, theywere free to change details ofthe story as they performed itto suit the interests of theaudience.

There is a lot of debateabout the origins of The Iliadwe read today. A poet knownas Homer is said to haveauthored it—but no one canprove that such a person evereven existed. It is generallybelieved that The Iliad wascomposed sometime between750 and 725 B.C.

Modern translations ofThe Iliad are based onmedieval and Renaissancemanuscripts, which werethemselves copies of ancientmanuscripts that were lostcountless years ago.

Have you everfelt that you werebeing treatedunfairly bysomeone in aposition ofauthority, such asa parent, teacher,or coach? Whatkinds of feelingsdid you havetowards thatperson? How didyou handle thesituation?

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The soothsayer Calchas addresses the Greek army.

From the Director:

For our play, we decided to use book

one and part of book two, as it seemed

the most logical place to begin our story.

We hoped that the production would be

exciting and accessible enough so the

audience would be left wanting more. Our

hope is that you will leave the theater

and go read the entire poem!

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AchillesAchilles is the Greeks’ greatest warrior. When he was an infant, his

mother dipped him in the River Styx to make him immortal,but since she held him by the heel, this one spot

was left unprotected. The prophets warned thatthe Greeks could not conquer Troy withoutAchilles. The prophecy also re vealed, however,

that if he fought against Troy he would be killed.Throughout The Iliad, Achilles bemoans the fate that

the gods have ordained for him: to die young, but to die a hero.

AgamemnonLeader of the Greek forces at Troy, King

Agamemnon of Mycenae lived a life full ofconflict. He married his wife, Clytemnestra afterkilling her first husband. Later, when the Greekarmy tried to set sail for Troy, Agamemnon wasforced to sacrifice his daughter, Iphegenia, toappease the goddess Artemis. During the TrojanWar, he insulted the Greeks’ best warrior, Achilles.Agamemnon’s offenses caught up with him when hereturned home from the Trojan War; he wasmurdered in his bath by Clytemnestra and her lover,Aegisthus.

HephaestusThrown by angry JoveSheer o’er the crystal battlements; from mornTo noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve,A summer’s day, and with the setting of the sunDropt from the zenith like a falling star,On Lemnos, the Aegean isle.

—John Milton

Hephaestus, the god of fire, blacksmithing, and volcanoes, wasborn ugly and lame. His mother, Hera, was

so disgusted by the sight of him that shethrew him off of Mount Olympus. (Later,

Zeus gave him the same punishment fortaking Hera’s side in a quarrel.) A greatcraftsman, Hephae stus made wonderful

objects from metal, such as the thunder -bolts for Zeus, weapons and armor forthe gods and heroes (including Achilles),and arrows for Eros, the god of love.

Agamemnon andBriseis

Do you think theconcept of whatmakes a greatleader or herohas changed overthe past 3,000years?

Write down someof the specialtraits or qualitiesthat you associatewith the maincharacters fromThe Iliad. Then listsome of thepeople youregard as yourpersonal heroesand note theirspecial qualities.In comparing thetwo sets ofheroes, whatconclusionsmight you makeabout thetwocultures?

Character ProfilesWho’s Who inthe PlayACHILLES (a-KILL-eez) - The son

of the mortal King Peleus andthe sea goddess Thetis. Themightiest of the Greeks whofought in the Trojan War.

AGAMEMNON (a-guh-MEM-non) - King of Mycenae andcommander-in-chief of theGreek coalition that attackedTroy.

ATHENA (uh-THEE-nuh) - TheGreek goddess of wisdom, war,the arts, and justice. In TheIliad, she is on the side of theGreeks.

BRISEIS (bry-SEE-us) - A youngwoman from a city near Troy.

CALCHAS (KAL-kas) - A Greeksoothsayer, or prophet.

CHRYSEIS (kry-SEE-iss) - Thedaughter of Chryses.

CHRYSES (KRY-seez) - A priestof Ap ol lo from Chryse, a citynear Troy.

HEPHAESTUS (heh-FESS-tus) -The god of blacksmiths andfire. Son of Zeus and Hera, hewas born lame.

HERA (HEE-ra) - Queen of theGreek gods, wife of Zeus, andgoddess of marriage and birth.In The Iliad, she takes the sideof the Greeks.

NESTOR (NESS-tor) - The oldestof the Greek heroes battlingTroy, valued for his wisdomand bravery.

ODYSSEUS (oh-DISS-yuss) - Kingof Ithaca and a commander inthe war against Troy.

THETIS (THEE-tiss) - A seagoddess, mother of Achilles.

ZEUS (ZYOOS)- King of theGreek gods. In The Iliad, heusually takes a neutral position,unless influenced by specialrequests for help.

Hephaestus gives Thetis armor for her son, Achilles.

The Trojan War

I. The Golden AppleAccording to Greek legend, the Trojan War started

with an apple! When Eris, the goddess of discord, was notinvited to a wedding on Mt. Olympus, she decided to getrevenge by tossing a golden apple inscribed "for the mostbeautiful" among the wedding guests. The goddesses Hera,Athena, and Aphrodite began to argue over which one of them

deserved the apple—and with it, the title of most beautiful.

II. The Judgment of ParisThe decision was left to Paris, son of King Priam of Troy,

who awarded the apple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Asa reward, Aphrodite gave Paris the love of the beautiful Helen,

the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Helen left her husbandand ran off with Paris to Troy.

III. The Oath of TyndareusBefore Helen married Menelaus, many suitors came from all over

Greece hoping to win her. To ensure that the losers would not try totake revenge, Helen's stepfather, King Tyndareus, made all of thesuitors take an oath that they would defend the winning bridegroomin the future. So when Paris took Helen from her husband Menelaus,the former suitors were obliged to help get her back. Commandedby Menelaus’ brother Agamemnon, the army included many famousGreek heroes, most notably Achilles, Patroclus, the two Ajaxes,Nestor, and Odysseus.

IV. The Greek Army Sails to Troy; War BeginsThe Greek forces gathered at the Bay of Aulis and sailed to Troy

in a thousand ships. They sent ambassadors to the Trojan leadersdemanding the return of Helen, but the Trojans refused. Outraged,the Greek armies landed on Trojan soil and began a ten-year siegeof the walled city. The first nine years of the conflict were fairlyuneventful, but in the tenth year the mighty Achilles, the Greeks’best warrior, withdrew from the battle over a dispute withAgamemnon, his commander. This is where the story of Homer’sIliad begins.

Was There a Real Trojan War?

Until the 19th century it wasgenerally believed that Troy andthe Trojan War were imaginary.Then, in 1871, an Americannamed Heinrich Schliemannbegan excavating an ancient cityin Turkey, which he identifiedthrough clues he found in TheIliad. To the world’s amazement,this retired businessman haddiscovered the lost city of Troy.

Nine cities have been found atthe site, one on top of the other.The seventh city was destroyedaround 1250 B.C. and appears tobe the Troy of legend. You canstill see the ruins of its towers andits walls, which were 16 feet thick.

What really started the TrojanWar? One theory suggest that theGreeks may have been fighting togain control of the Dardanelles, awater passage between theMediterranean and Black seas,near Troy. Or perhaps the wartruly was fought over a womannamed Helen. The truth is lost inthe past.

TheTrojanWar

1193

Homer’sIliad?

c.750

HeinrichSchliemann

excavates Troy

1870

A.D.B.C.

An Iliad Timeline

Can you think ofany other storiesin which a lot oftroubles areassociated withan apple?

What else wasgoing on in theworld at the timeof the TrojanWar? When TheIliad was written?

Phrases we use today that are

derived from the Trojan War:

• Trojan horse

• Achilles heel

• The face that launched a

thousand ships

• Beware of Greeks bearing

gifts.

The peoplewho foughtagainst Troycame from apart of theworld todayknown asGreece. At thetime of theeventsdepicted inThe Iliad(around 1200B.C.), Greecedid not yetexist as acountry. Theregion wasbroken up intocity-kingdoms,each with itsown ruler.

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Helen of Troy

8

Honor through the Ages"If you must choose between twopaths, either of which will bring deathand defeat, then choose the pathwherein you die fighting for honor andjustice."

—Ban Gu (32–92 A.D.)

"A woman of honor should not expectof others things she would not doherself."

—Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615)

Mine honor is my life; both grow inone;

Take honor from me, and my life isdone:

—Shakespeare (1564-1616),King Richard II

"Our own heart, and not other men'sopinion, form our true honor."—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

“The louder he talked of his honor, thefaster we counted our spoons.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

"It is the dissimilarities and inequalitiesamong men which give rise to thenotion of honor; as such differencesbecome less, it grows feeble; and whenthey disappear, it will vanish too."

—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59)

"All honor's wounds are self-inflicted."—Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)

"It is better to deserve honors and nothave them than to have them and notdeserve them."

—Mark Twain (1835-1910)

"When there is a lack of honor ingovernment, the morals of the wholepeople are poisoned."

—Herbert Hoover (1874-1964)

A Matter of Honor

Gaining, maintaining, and defending one’s honor is at thecenter of a lot of what goes on in The Iliad. The reason that theGreeks have launched their attackon Troy in the first place is toavenge the insult done to theirKing, Menelaus, when his wifeHelen was stolen by the Trojanprince, Paris. In the world of theseGreek heroes, nothing is moreimportant than honor—not evenlife itself. For Achilles, the promise of attaining great honormakes up for the fact that he is destined to die young.

In ancient times, the main way for a hero to gain honor wasby displaying courage and skill on the battlefield. As a lasting

symbol of his victory, the hero triedto capture war prizes, such as thearmor of his vanquished enemy,valuables, and captives. Theargument between Achilles andAgamemnon over the captive girlBriseis is largely about honor andconstitutes the main conflict in theplay.

“Mother, since you bore me for a short life only,Olympian Zeus was supposed to grant me honor.Well, he hasn’t given me any at all. AgamemnonHas taken away my prize and dishonored me.”

—Achilles

During theperformance,listen for thewords “honor,”“dishonor,” and“unhonored.”Which charactersspend the mosttime talkingabout honor?What do they sayabout it?

Based on herbeauty, wealth,and position, afemale in theancient worldbestowed honorand status on theman whopossessed her. Doyou see anyevidence in ourown time ofwomen still beingregarded as“prizes”? Givespecific examples.

The girl Briseis is a point of contention betweenAchilles and Agamemnon.

The Greek word timê(pronounced tee-MAY)means “respect” or“honor.” A person’s timê isdetermined by his rankand position and by hisaccomplishments inbattle, athleticcompetition, or politics.

Which of the quotes onthe right sounds mostlike it could have comefrom The Iliad? Whichone most closelymirrors your ownbeliefs? Looking at allthe quotes, can youdiscern any changesover time in the waypeople defined honor?

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By Homer’s lifetime (8th century B.C.), the Greeks had a fully-developed belief system, with mythological gods who were said tolive on Mt. Olympus, an actual mountain in Greece. The Greeksbelieved that the gods controlled all aspects of human existence,including emotions, actions, and the forces of nature. Generally,the gods treated people kindly, but they would punish any mortalwho offended them. Humans sought the favor and forgiveness ofthe gods by offering prayers and gifts, often in the form of animalsacrifices.

Though the gods were immortal, they looked and acted verymuch like humans. In addition to displaying human weaknessessuch as jealousy, anger, and vanity, the Greek gods frequentlyinvolved themselves in the affairs of humans. Their actions startedthe Trojan War, and throughout The Iliad they play a very activepart, each god helping out whichever side he or she happened tofavor.

At theperformance,pay attention tohow often themortal characterslook to the gods:asking them forhelp, blamingthem when thingsgo wrong, ormaking sacrificesto appease them.Based on yourobservations,what conclusionscan you drawabout the ancientGreeks’ attitudesconcerning: • fate?• self-reliance?• justice?

“Rage: SingGoddess,Achilles’ rage.”

These wordsbegin The Iliad,and angercontinues to bean importantthemethroughout thestory. If you weredirecting TheIliad, what aresome of thethings you coulddo to emphasizethe idea of rage?What kinds ofideas would yousuggest to thedesigners and theactors?

The Muses In Greek mythology, the muses

were nine goddesses who gaveinspiration to artists, poets,philosophers, and musicians. AquilaTheatre Company’s production ofThe Iliadinvokes themuse torelate thistale ofhuman conflict and present Homer’swork as it was originally intended—as a live performance. The Greeklyrics heard in this production, whichhave been set to music by a moderncomposer, are the first seven lines ofthe Ancient Greek text that make upthe invocation to the Muse:

Rage: Sing, Goddess, Achilles’ rage,Black and murderous, that cost the

GreeksIncalculable pain, pitched countless

soulsOf heroes into Hades’ dark,And left their bodies to rot as feastsFor dogs and birds, as Zeus’ will was

done.Begin with the clash between

Agamemnon—The Greek warlord—and godlike

Achilles.

INVOCATION - aprayer or appealto a higher power

The Greek Gods

From the Director:

One of the surprising elements of

this production of The Iliad is just

how human the gods appear. The

humor that pervades the section on

Olympus provides the audience with

the chance to enjoy the domestic

rivalry of the gods. The inclusion of

humor into an otherwise serious tale

shows just how skillful Homer was.

A muse with acithara (anancient harp)

9Production Notes

The Casting Some of the actors in The Iliad play more than one role,

taking on two, three, or more parts and also acting asnarrator. In some cases, women even play men! In thisway, every cast member is onstage contributing to theperformance at almost every moment of the play.

It is very important that the actors make eachperson they play very different from the others, or elsethe audience might get confused about whichcharacter was speaking. Because of the fast pace ofthe performance, the actors do not have enoughtime to make major changes in wardrobe andmakeup as they switch from one role to another.They rely on changes in voice, posture, and smallcostume pieces to achieve their transformations.

When you are watching the performance, try toobserve the ways in which the actors playingmultiple roles create distinctly different characters.

The Visual DesignThe visual elements of this production evoke a black-and-

white movie from the 1940s. The set is minimal, inviting audiencemembers to use their imaginations. Four large metal trunks areused in a variety of ways throughout the performance to createdifferent settings: storm-tossed ships, Mt. Olympus, the altar of atemple, and the beach outside of Troy.

The costumes are from the World War II era—the early1940s. Instead of wearing the short tunic and carrying the swordand spear of the ancient Greek warrior, the soldiers wear battlefatigues and metal helmets, and use machine guns and gas masks.

Lighting plays an important role in creating the mood andsuggesting the different settings. Combined with other effects,such as slow-motion movement and smoke, the lightingbrings together all of the other aspects of the visual design.

The Sound DesignMusic and sound effects are used in the play to create

a soundscape—an atmosphere in sound. Some of the soundsused in The Iliad include:• machine-gun fire and the roar of fighter planes• music for the dancing and singing in the temple of Apollo• music that helps make the transition between scenes• music that underscores and heightens a dramatic moment

Aquila is a New York-basedtheater company that performs

all over the world. They areknown for innovativeproductions of classicaldrama. Their mission is to

bring the greatest works ofdrama to the greatest numberof people in as manycommunities as possible. Aquila(pronounced uh-KWILL-uh) isthe Latin word for eagle.

CAST

Chryses/Nestor/Zeus ..Richard WillisAthena ......................Vaishnavi SharmaHera..............................Michele VazquezAgamemnon ..................Brian SillimanCalchas/Thetis ............Natasha PiletichAchilles ..............................James KnightHephaestus ........................John Buxton

Director ............................Peter MeineckProduction Design ......Peter MeineckMovement ..................Desiree SanchezCompany Stage Manager ....................Stephenie MoserRehearsal StageManager ..........................Andrea WalesTechnical Director ..............Kevin ShawProduction Manager ............................Nate Terracio

How would TheIliad look if itwere set duringthe Ameri canCivil War? TheHundred Years’War? Choose awar from anytime and place.Find out whatkinds of uniformsand weaponswere used andlook fordescriptions ofthe battles. Basedon your research,sketch designs forscenery andcostumes foryour specialproduction of TheIliad.

What role doesmusic play indrama? Workingin a small group,choreograph abrief (1 minute)battle scene fromThe Iliad. Afteryou’ve rehearsedyour scene sothat it looks reallygood, make avideo recordingof it. Then selectat least threecontrastingpieces of music—make sure eachpiece is verydifferent from theothers in style,tempo,instruments, etc.Play your videofor the rest of theclass using adifferentsoundtrack eachtime. Did themusic affect howyour battle sceneplayed to theaudience?

The music Aquila has chosen tounderscore their production of The Iliad isby classical composer Krzysztof Penderecki(KSISH-toff pen-der-RET-skee), who wasborn in Poland in 1933. You’ll hear excerptsfrom these works:• Symphony No. 3 • Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima for

52 string instruments • Fluorescences for orchestra • De Natura Sonoris No. 2• The Dream of Jacob

Are You Ready for the Performance? 10

Learn Your Part.One essential collaborator needed to create a live

performance is the audience. The weeks and months ofthought and preparation that go into a play are directedtoward creating a performance that will inspire and entertainyou and the other people who are watching and listening.Your role in this artistic collaboration is very important to thesuccess of the performance. Make sure you know your part:

• When you arrive at the theater, followan usher to your seat.

• Before the show begins, makesure to turn off and put away allelectronic devices, including cellphones, portable games andmusic, cameras, and recordingequipment. Keep them off forthe entire performance.

• Once the house lights (thelights in the part of the theaterwhere the audience is sitting)go down, focus all your attentionon the stage. Watch and listencarefully to the performance.

• Attending a play in thetheater is not the same aswatching television athome. At the theater,talking, eating, and movingaround disturbs the performers andother members of the audience. Andplease—no texting or checkingmessages during the show!

• If something in the play is meant tobe funny, go ahead and laugh. Andof course—feel free to applaud atthe end of the performance if youliked what you saw.

• After the performers arefinished taking their bows, stayin your seat until your groupgets the signal to leave thetheater.

Do Your Homework.BOOKS

Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma andthe Undoing of Character, by JonathanShay. Simon & Schuster, 1995. Apsychiatrist relates the experiences ofVietnam veterans with post-traumaticstress syndrome to Homer's portrait ofAchilles in The Iliad.

Images of the Greek Theatre, by RichardGreen and Eric Handley. University ofTexas Press, 1995

Who's Who in Classical Mythology, byMichael Grant and John Hazel.Routledge, 2001

WEBSITES

Aquila Theatre Companywww.aquilatheatre.com

Encyclopedia Mythica Online encyclopedia of mythology,folklore, and religion www.pantheon.org/mythica

The Perseus Digital LibraryPrimary and secondary sourcematerial relating to ancient Greeceand Romewww.perseus.tufts.edu

The Theoi Project Information, images, charts, and moreexploring Greek mythology and thegods in classical literature and artwww.theoi.com

The UnMuseum’s Treasure of TroyAn account of how archaeologistHeinrich Schliemann used clues in thetext of The Iliad to find the site of theancient city of Troywww.unmuseum.org/troy.htm

VIDEO

In Search of the Trojan War (1985)A documentary about the search forthe legendary city of Troy

Troy (2004)Brad Pitt is Achilles and Brian Cox isAgamemnon in this R-ratedHollywood version of The Iliad

Quiet, please!

No photos.

Turn it off.

While you’reinside the StateTheatre, take amoment to lookaround you. Thebuilding is apiece of livinghistory, reflectingthe social andcultural changesthat have takenplace in ourcommunity overthe past 87 years.Built in 1921 as ahome for silentmovies andvaudeville (a typeof live varietyshow), it was lateradapted for first-run sound films.Since 1988, theState Theatre hasbeen a showcasefor live theater:music, dance,drama, comedy,musicals, kidsshows, and more.