An Iliad – Homer in the Wild

[caption id="attachment_54198" align="alignnone" width="800"] Patrick Vincent Curran as The Poet in "An Illiad."[/caption]

By Dawn Watson

Telling the story of the “Iliad” like never before, producer Brad Learmonth has set his sights on a more contemporary and unconventional version of Homers epic Trojan War drama. As reimagined by actors Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, this version of “An Iliad” takes the action out of the theater completely and blends the themes of the age-old drama with modern-day events.

The Sag Harbor resident, who is bringing the classic “Song of Lion” poem out in the wild and here to the village—in a junkyard no less—says he’s looking forward to be sharing this fresh take on the story’s age-old battles between King Agamemnon and Achilles. Updated and written specifically as a reaction to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Obie Award-winning play, staged in Sag Harbor by director James Blaszko and starring actor Patrick Vincent Curran as The Poet and percussionist Courtnee Roze as the Muses, begins to unfold when The Poet drives up to the junkyard behind the Reid Brothers Automotive Repair shop and steps out of his pickup truck.

Set around a campfire that will seat no more than 30 people, and surrounded by approximately 5 acres of junked out cars, rusted out shipping containers, and mountains of rubble and rocks—a perfect stand-in for the soon-to-be sacked city of Troy—then and there he will begin to retell the story he’s forced to deliver as long as there is war in the world.

“It’s an exciting and hopefully transformative night of theater in an usual location,” says Mr. Learmonth. “In the tale, The Poet is consigned to tell the story until it needs to be told no more. In the very beginning, he says ‘every time I sing this song, I hope it’s the last,’” but we know that the telling will never stop—it’s the purgatory of storytelling.”

“Right now, in particular, is the perfect time in our national dialogue to have talk about the wastes of war and how it has to be eradicated,” he continues. “To have real discussions about the costs of war.”

The “incredible undertaking” is a big but comfortable stretch for Mr. Curran, who portrays a dozen characters in the telling of the story, according to Mr. Learmonth. But the actor and writer is up to the task and has been an integral part of getting the show off the ground, he says of the emerging actor, who has written “Bastard on Wheels” and “Crazed” and acted on two episodes of television’s “Louie” and one on “Gotham.”

This particular rewriting of the classic Homeric tale attempts to “collide the past with the future, via collaborative storytelling,” reports the producer. The site-responsive piece, which also incorporates a drone in the action, forces the audience to engage in a way that they might not in an actual theater, he adds.

“When Homer and the itinerant bards were originally telling this story, they were doing it outside, most likely around campfires. We’re just taking this a step further,” he says.

Fresh off a single staging at a veteran’s cemetery in Jersey City last year, the East Coast run of the touring production in Sag Harbor, hosted by the Southampton Cultural Center, kicks off its “three village” tour, laughs Mr. Learmonth, who was the Director of Programming for the Harlem Stage for nearly 30 years. Here on the East End, the outdoor theater will take place over the duration of three nights—Thursday, August 4, through Saturday, August 6—before picking up and restaging behind a barn in Hopkinton, Massachusetts later in the month and an apple orchard in Connecticut in September.

“Some things just lend themselves to being outdoors,” he says. “And who wants to be in a theater in August?”

Starting the un-staged East Coast mini tour here in the Hamptons is the perfect beginning for the untraditional drama, says Mr. Learmonth, who adds that he’s grateful to the Cultural Center for lending its support in mounting the shows. The timing has also been fortuitous, he says, as his ideal dates landed right between the non-profit’s staging of two other productions. And the cost of putting on play outdoors is also right, reports the independent producer, who secured funds for the run of “An Iliad” via Kickstarter. Especially as his neighbor and friend for the past 15 years, Robert Reid, offered up his Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike-based business location quite reasonably.

“Just get the insurance rider and don’t kill anybody,” Mr. Learmonth says his fellow Sag Harbor resident told him about using his outdoor space for the setting of “An Iliad.”

As the time for the three production dates nears, everything is ready and the company members are ready to take their places, reports the producer. The only things that are left for him to do are achieve his goals for the show, which are threefold, he says.

First, he says he hopes that the audience is engaged and finds the storytelling compelling and entertaining. Second, that someone will see the production and want to help back a bigger run. And lastly, that Mother Nature complies.

“It’s not the actors, the cars, or even the drone that I’m worried about. Those things will all be fine,” says Mr. Learmonth. “It’s the weather. That’s the tricky part. You just pray. And try to not look at the forecast.”

“An Iliad” will stage outdoors at Reid Brothers Automotive on 1810 Sag Harbor Turnpike in Sag Harbor at 7:30 p.m. each night from Thursday, August 4, through Saturday, August 6, with a rain date of Sunday, August 7. Seating for the 90-minute production, which is held in conjunction with the Southampton Cultural Center, is limited to 30 people per night. The audience is encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets, and don’t forget the bug spray. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at scc-arts.org.