Homer’s Iliad to become an epic online performance
By Tim Masters
Arts and entertainment correspondent
5 June 2015
From the section Entertainment & Arts
Lia Williams (left), Ben Whishaw (centre) and Kate Fleetwood (right) star in the Almeida season of ancient Greek plays
One of the ancient world’s longest poems, The Iliad, is set for a marathon performance this summer as part of a festival celebrating ancient Greek culture.
Theatre director Rupert Goold plans to bring Homer’s epic to life with the help of 50 star names from the worlds of the arts, academia and politics.
The event will begin at the British Museum in London on 14 August and continue into the night at the Almeida Theatre.
Every word of the 15,000 line poem, about the fall of Troy, will be spoken.
The whole thing will also be streamed online – for 15 hours. “It’s all or nothing,” Goold told the BBC.
“Some years ago I did a stage adaptation of Paradise Lost, so I have previous form when it comes to verse narrative.”
Devotees of ancient literature might be surprised to learn that Goold’s idea for the performance sprang from something far more contemporary.
“I was inspired by Dermot O’Leary’s 24-hour dance-a-thon [for Comic Relief] and how addictive it was to tune in and out of,” he said.
“I think it’s unlikely that many people will sit through 15 hours of it – but I like the idea that you could stream it round the world and look at all these amazing actors, newsreaders and historians who are reporting …read more
Source:: BBC Entertainment
