CHICAGO – Court Theatre, the professional theatre of the University of Chicago, reimagines classic theatre for modern audiences. For more than six decades, their full seasons and staged readings have examined the lasting power of classic theatre.

A nonprofit arts organization, the Court’s work is bolstered by the sale of tickets, subscriptions, and donations.

Originally scheduled for February 26-March 11, 2020, the Court’s production of An Iliad, a one-man, site-specific adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, performed at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute (OI), was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. A steaming version is now available for digital viewing from March 3-31

Combining promenade-style elements throughout the OI’s galleries, as well as a seated portion performed in the OI’s Persian Gallery, the production added environmental and thematic context to Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, based on the translation by Robert Fagles.

Directed by Court’s Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, Charles Newell, and starring Timothy Edward Kane as The Poet, An Iliad was heralded as “one of the most remarkable performances of the theatrical year” by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune, according to the Court’s website. 

Remounted three times across Court Theatre history, Newell’s production of An Iliad showcases the power of classic theatre to speak to our current moment. Actor Timothy Edward Kane’s dynamic performance draws the audience on a journey through ancient societies and cultural artifacts. The professionally-captured, multi-camera stream of the play allows viewers to experience this one-of-a-kind production at home. Rick and Brenda McCain of Chicago Now described An Iliad as “a superb collaboration of theater and history in a site-specific platform that is sure to bring chills to the historian that resides in all humanity.”

Streaming tickets are on sale now through the Court Theatre website: https://www.courttheatre.org.

A helpful Frequently Asked Questions page is also available online to guide theatre-lovers through the streaming process.

The Box Office is open Monday-Tuesday 12-5 PM, Wednesday-Sunday 12-9 PM central time, phone: 773-753-4472.