About Homer A Greek poet who may have lived between 1,100 and 700 BC, Homer is credited with writing The Iliad and The Odyssey, two poems that scholars consider the beginning of Western literature; they have exerted enormous influence on the history of fiction and literature in general. Some scholars believe that “Homer” was not an actual person, but a name given to a whole series of storytellers and writers who worked in the same style. Their accumulated oral histories became the famous epics that we read today.

About The Iliad The 15,000 lines of this poem, divided into 24 chapters, tell of battles and events during the 10-year siege of Troy (or “Ilium”) by a coalition of Greek states. Although it covers only a few weeks in the last year of the war, the Iliad mentions many other legends about the siege. The story begins near the end of the Trojan War. The Greeks are sick with a plague sent by the god Apollo because Agamemnon, the Greek king, will not return a woman he has captured. Achilles, the Greek hero, persuades Agamemnon to return the girl to her father, but Agamemnon takes one of Achilles’ captives as compensation. Angered, Achilles declares that neither he nor his men will fight. The war continues in bloody fashion without him; the various Olympian gods intervening on both sides. Desperate, Agamemnon begs Achilles to return. Achilles’ best friend Patroclus asks Achilles to be allowed to fight. Achilles relents, and lends Patroclus his armor. At first the Trojans are routed, thinking they are being attacked by the great Achilles. But the gods interfere again and the Trojan hero, Hector kills Patroclus. Achilles goes mad with grief when he hears of Patroclus’ death and drives his chariot into battle. Achilles, burning with insane rage, slaughters many Trojans, filling the river with the dead. The gods fight among themselves. Achilles confronts Hector and kills him. then dishonors his body by dragging it around the walls of Troy. Priam, Hector’s father, enters the Greek camp unnoticed and begs to have his son's body. Achilles is moved to tears, and the two lament their losses in the war.

About Dis/Troy This adaptation was written by Yokanaan Kearns in 2004 for Honolulu Theatre for Youth. The play focuses on the core events of The Iliad, contrasting the serious impact of the war on the humans with the silly bickering of the gods. Four actors play all the parts: Greeks, Trojans and Olympic gods.

Characters Agamemnon Greek king focused on taking the walls of Troy. Achilles The greatest Greek warrior. Patroclus Achilles’ best friend. Hera Queen of the Gods, wife to Zeus, cheers for the Greeks. Aphrodite Goddess of Love, cheers for Troy. Ares God of war, terrified of his parents; in love with Aphrodite. Zeus King of the Gods, tries to be impartial amidst his bickering family and court on Mount Olympus. Priam King of Troy and father of Hector. Hector The greatest warrior in Troy. Andromache Hector’s wife and mother of his child.

The Cast and Production Staff of Dis/Troy

Kevin Michael Chu ……….Achilles & Aphrodite Matthew David Gellin ……….Agamemnon, Zeus & Hector

Colin Gold ……….Patroclus, Hera & Priam Marie Pope ……….Ares & Andromache

Playwright…………………...Yokanaan Kearns Director……………………Mark Lutwak Set Designer……………..….Christopher Boone Costume Designer…………Kathe James Choreographer………..…Karie-Lee Sutherland Fight Choreographer……...…Jonn Baca Props Designer………………..….Jen Lampson Sound Designer…….…Sebastian Botzow Stage Manager………………..Grace Briner Rockstroh Technical Director……..Veronica Bishop

Achilles Aphrodite

Zeus Ares

Theatre Roles Before seeing the show, you may wish to review with your class the different roles that people have in creating a play. They are probably familiar with what actors do, but have not considered the other tasks. Have students share as much as they know.

The playwright writes all the language spoken by the actors; he may also indicate in the script some of the behavior and activities performed in the play. Yokanaan Kearns spent over a year working on the script for Dis/Troy. After he wrote the first draft of the play, the director had actors read the script to him. Based on what he heard, and on his discussions with the director, the playwright rewrote the play. He repeated this several times before he and the director were satisfied with the final script.

The various designers are responsible for different elements of the production. Sets (short for “settings”) are all the larger visual elements that define and determine the location, including backdrops, curtains or furniture. Props (short for “properties”) are any smaller objects handled by the actors. Costumes involve anything worn by actors. Sound includes all music and sound effects. Some things may fall into more than one category; can your students think of any?

The director helps assemble and coordinate the production, working with the playwright (if he is present), the actors and the designers. He helps make many choices, ranging from interpretation of the script to where and how actors move on the set to how the designs integrate with one another.

The stage manager helps the director in rehearsals and then takes over running the show once it has gone into performance.

The technical director coordinates the physical aspects of the productions, and works with the set, costume and properties staff to make sure everything is built correctly in a timely fashion.

Costumes Below are the original sketches for some of the characters. What does each costume tell you about the character? Why do you think the actual costumes sometimes differ from the sketches?

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Discussion Story & Characters

» Compare and contrast Achilles and Hector. What do they have in common? How do they differ?

» What flaws do each of the characters exhibit?

» What are the role of women in Dis/Troy?

» What is the importance of dreams in the story?

» Why does Patroclus volunteer to go fight Hector in place of Achilles?

» Why does Achilles choose to fight Hector?

» Describe the relationship between Aphrodite, Ares and Hera.

» How does Priam convince Achilles to return Hector’s body to him?

Themes » What messages do you think Homer was trying to share with The Iliad?

» What role does anger play in the story? Revenge? Honor?

» Which issues in this play are still relevant today? How do you relate to this story?

Production » How does the playwright use humor and other styles to tell this story?

» How did the props and set pieces help tell the story? What did the sound & music do?

» All of the actors played multiple roles. How did this affect the story? What challenges do you think it

presented to the actors?

Writing Activities » Write a letter to one of the characters. Give them your personal advice on what to do or not do. » Choose one character. Write a diary for each event in the play. » How would you modernize this play? If you wanted to set the play in 2010, how would you change the story? the characters? the setting?

Questions for the actors? Comments about the performance?

E-mail us at distroy@cincyplay.com! We especially look forward to personal reviews.

Resources Books

The Iliad

Translated by Robert Fagels, Penguins Classics, (paperback) 1998.

Adapted by Roy Thomas and Migel Angel Sepulveda, Marvel Illustrated, (hardcover) 2008.

Translated by W.H. D. Rouse, Signet Classics (paperback) 2007.

Translated by Samuel Butler, Dover Thrift Edition (paperback) 1999.

The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer’s Iliad and the Trojan War by Caroline

Alexander, Viking Adult (hardcover) 2009.

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad. by Rosemary Sutcliff, (paperback) 2005.

DVDs

Troy with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom. (DVD) 2004.

Helen of Troy with Sienna Guillory and Matthew Marsdon (DVD) 2003.

National Geographic-Beyond the Movie-Troy Tim Baney, director (DVD) 2003.

Live Theatre

A live theatrical performance is very different from a movie or television show. A live presentation has

not been pre-recorded, with the mistakes edited out. This makes it riskier for the performer and more

exciting for the audience. It also means that the audience has a real contribution to make to the overall

experience. Each audience member affects those around them as well as the performer. The more the

audience “gives” to the performer, the more the performer can give to the audience. Remind students: » Use the restroom before the show begins so you don’t miss the best parts of the show » Turn off your cell phone so you and the performers can stay focused. » Listen! Theatre is about words.