June 14th: Hear the Iliad Told Aloud, from Memory (Homer Would Approve!)

Let me be frank: If you start feeling restless when a Youtube video lasts longer than 30 seconds, you might not be up for a day-long telling of Homer’s Iliad.  On the other hand, the Iliad might surprise you.  You might even surprise yourself, discovering a talent for letting a spoken story unfold in your mind over several hours (with lots of breaks, of course!).  I know that when the Ottawa Storytellers used the same approach to tell the Odyssey a couple of years ago, many who were not expecting to stay for the whole thing ended up coming back after every break, caught up in the ancient epic.  Of the brave audience who began the journey with us at 10:00 a.m., I think only one dropped out before the end.  We’re hoping for similar success with the Iliad.
(Picture source: Wikipedia)

 One of the oldest (and most influential) surviving works of Western literature, the Iliad tells the story of the critical days near the end of the Trojan War. As Greeks and Trojans battle on the plains of Troy, heroes on both sides strive for honour with bloody deeds.  The Greeks face defeat when Achilles, their greatest warrior, withdraws from the conflict.  Meanwhile, the all-too-human gods of Olympus meddle continually, but even the gods are ultimately powerless to alter destiny. 

It is a story that has gripped audiences for almost three thousand years.  Rooted in the oral tradition, it is a tale that has soaked into the very roots of Western literature.  Alien and familiar by turns, the epic sets forth the terrible cost of war for those who fight and for those who wait at home.  Join 18 storytellers on the plains of Ilium (i.e. at the 4th Stage of the National Arts Centre) as  Ottawa StoryTellers and two women productions evoke the events of the Iliad in all their complexity, in a twelve-hour telling of this epic tale.  Not something that happens every year, believe me; don’t miss it, if you’re interested!

Tickets for the full day (10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m) are $60; tickets for the evening only (4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)  are $40.  See http://nac-cna.ca/en/community/event/8611
Student discounts are available. Please note there is a surcharge if you buy online through Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.ca/artist/991709?lang=en-ca&brand=nac).