Sydney Theatre Company’s 2026 hit An Iliad starring David Wenham will run at the Playhouse at Arts Centre Melbourne for a strictly limited season from 18 March 2027.
This gripping, new production of Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s adaptation of Homer’s Ancient Greek saga mesmerised Sydney audiences with an astounding, five-star, sold-out run of this “masterclass in storytelling” (Limelight).
Led by one of Australia’s most innovative directors, Damien Ryan (Sport for Jove), and accompanied live on stage by polymath musician Helen Svoboda, this is Melbourne’s chance to experience “the dark magic of masterful oral storytelling” (The Guardian) and Wenham’s “stupendous tour de force” (The Australian) performance.
“Such is Wenham’s control that he can transform from naturalistic storyteller one minute to a versifying, raging Achilles the next. He becomes the very embodiment of human contradiction – rage and empathy. It is a performance that would comfortably command a world stage.”
The Scoop
Wenham stars as The Poet: a wry, world-weary storyteller who is tasked with recounting one of Western Literature’s greatest tales – that of the Trojan War – over and over again, through the ages. Finally, after millennia of walking through battlefields, trenches and cities torn to the ground, he attempts to quit telling this story.
An Iliad is presented by Sydney Theatre Company and runs from 18 March – 11 April 2027 at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2027/theatre/an-iliad
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sydneytheatreco/ and https://www.instagram.com/artscentremelbourne/
Photo credits: Daniel Boud
Age suitability: This show is recommended for ages 14+.
Content warning: This show contains strong language, use of strobe lighting, theatrical haze, mature themes including violence, war and death, alcohol use.
AN ILIAD
By Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare Adapted from Homer’s Iliad Translated by Robert Fagles Directed by Damien Ryan Designer Charles Davis Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage Composer Helen Svoboda Sound Designer Brady Watkins Associate Director Ian Michael With David Wenham Musician Helen Svoboda
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