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Written by Madeline Miller
Performed September 18th through 20th, 2014 in Newton North's Little Theater in conjunction with Theatre Ink This production marked the second half of NTC's collaboration with Theatre Ink and author Madeline Miller to bring The Song of Achilles to life. After agreeing to join Agamemnon and Menelaus on their quest to retrieve the infamous Helen, Achilles and his lover Patroclus are off to war. Tensions run high in the Greek camp when Agamemnon dishonors Achilles by taking his war prize, the captive woman Briseis. Achilles thus refuses to fight and forbids his men to aid the other Greeks. Patroclus, heartbroken by his lovers' callousness, demands the opportunity to go into battle in Achilles' armor. Achilles agrees, but Patroclus gets caught up in the heat of battle and is killed by Hector, the Trojan prince. Devastated, Achilles recovers Patroclus' body, murders Hector, and proceeds to desecrate the Trojan's body as revenge for Patroclus' death. Achilles only relinquishes the body after Priam, the king of the Trojans, personally begs for it back. Soon after, Achilles falls in battle and has a glorious monument constructed for his tomb. Achilles' son, the fiery Pyrrhus, arrives and finally manages to end the Trojan War. Patroclus, whose spirit languishes in between worlds because his name was not put on the grave he and Achilles share, begs Thetis to acknowledge his love for her son and to honor his spirit. In a moment of compassion, Thetis adds Patroclus' name to the tomb, and he and Achilles reunite in the afterlife.
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Special Thanks to:
Ruth Talvacchia Martha Heller Mike a-Haber Adam Brown Franny Bernstein |