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A Noise Within, California’s acclaimed classic repertory theatre company, is back! As companies across the country begin to welcome audiences back into their theatres, ANW kicks off their 2021-2022 season with a production of “AN ILIAD” starring, in alternating performances, ANW favorites Deborah Strang and Geoff Elliott.
“We have not presented a play in 18 months, and it has been heartbreaking. We miss our community,” says Co-Producing Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. “In challenging times the theatre is a place where we are able to come together and exchange ideas and experience our common humanity. While connecting via Zoom has provided some level of comfort, our art form relies on the connection and immediacy of being in the same space in dialogue with the art. Words cannot describe what it means to be back!”
Echoing Rodriguez-Elliott’s sentiments, Managing Director Michael Bateman explains, “Coming back to live performance is challenging but such a joyful proposition at the same time. We’ve been practicing Covid-safe protocols since filming our productions in the spring, and we’re looking forward to inviting audiences back into this space we’ve created. We have trained Covid Safety Officers and staff; a vaccination-only, masked entry policy; excellent ventilation; and a thorough safety plan. We want to be a model for what a safe return looks like, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from patrons who are eager to return to ANW, knowing how seriously we take their safety.”
Produced and offered as a film last spring, “An Iliad” by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, based on Homer’s “The Iliad”, translated by Robert Fagles, returns as a live production on stage. The lone witness of an ancient and ravaged Trojan battlefield weaves a tale of tragedy and triumph, with an enduring love for every victim of war. The Poet, an eternal being tasked with a passionate examination of deadly conflict, grapples with grief and dualities of victory and loss, power and fragility, heroism and hubris in an unforgettable modern take on Homer’s classic.
Before being admitted into the theatre, all audience members must provide proof of full vaccination, meaning it has been at least two weeks since the ticket holder’s final vaccine shot. (tickets may be exchanged to a later date or fully refunded to anyone who has already bought tickets or a subscription and who will not be vaccinated by the time of their event.) Masks are required regardless of vaccination status. Social distanced seating is available. ANW will not be offering concessions for their first two productions of the season until they better understand the potential risks patrons may encounter. This includes the elimination of food and drink in the Founders Balcony. Outside food and drink are not permitted in the theatre, but water bottles are allowed and encouraged. Learn more about ANW’s Covid safety policy at anoisewithin.org/covidsafety/
Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes without intermission. A Noise Within is located at 3352 East Foothill Blvd in Pasadena, Calif. For tickets and information visit anoisewithin.org, or call the box office at 626-356-3121.
