ABOUT
Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson are founding members of Homer's Coat - a creative collective that explores the idea of foundational literature. An actor and a director respectively, they both devise, write, direct and often perform the pieces they make together. The creative process differs according to subject matter but the lens through which they view the theatrical medium makes for unique, energetic, imaginative performative experiences. Together they created the stage piece, "An Iliad" in 2012, utilizing extensive research, recorded improvisation, video transcriptions, original music, and deep collaboration with a remarkable design team. AN ILIAD is a solo performance examining rage and war and the idea of a perfect society using Homer's Iliad as the source material. This was their first collaboration, and it continues to be performed across the United States and all over the world, shifting and morphing to reflect the time and the place where it's being performed. AN ILIAD has received multiple awards including an OBIE Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, and the Jeff Award for Solo Perfomance, among many others.
Their second collaboration focused on questions of faith and power, using the creation of the Christian Bible and the crisis of a contemporary Biblical scholar to ask: how did this book come into being, and why did it become so powerful? Called THE GOOD BOOK, it was a commission from the Court Theatre in Chicago, and premiered there in 2015. In 2019 they reinvented it in a new producion for Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it was critically acclaimed.
Their new project, THE SONG OF ROME, is an exploration of republics and how they end, the way that national myths are created, the responsibility of the artist in societal change, and the question of what makes a "classic". Using dance, video, text and imagination, two actors play multiple characters, using Virgil's creation of the Aeneid at the end of the Roman Republic as a provoking event.
Company
Denis O’Hare - NYC 2023
Denis O'Hare
Denis O'Hare is the co-author with Lisa Peterson of the award winning Solo Performance Play, "An Iliad" (Obie, Lucille Lortel awards). Mr. O'Hare has appeared numerous times on Broadway in such pieces as "Inherit The Wind", "Sweet Charity" (Drama Desk Award), "Assassins" (Tony Nom.), "Take Me Out" (Tony, Drama Desk awards), "Major Barbara" and "Cabaret". He has also worked extensively Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in "The Devils" and "Vienna Lusthaus", at the New York Shakespeare Festival in "Into The Woods", "Helen", "Take Me Out" (Obie, Lucille Lortel Awards) at CSC in "The Spanish Play" and "Uncle Vanya" as well as at other theatres.
His regional work includes Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, Remains Theatre and the McCarter Theatre. A prolific film and T.V. actor, Denis appeared in 2 seasons of "True Blood" as King Russell Edgington, on the premiere season of "American Horror Story" and as Judge Abernathy on "The Good Wife". Film work includes C.O.G., The Eagle, Changeling, Milk, Michael Clayton, A Mighty Heart, Duplicity, The Proposal, Charlie Wilson's War, and Garden State among others.
He is currently writing a new a new stage piece with Ms. Peterson entitled, "The Good Book" for The Court Theatre in Chicago. Mr. O'Hare is married to Hugo Redwood with whom he has a son. They live in Brooklyn, NY.
lisa peterson
Lisa is the co-writer of AN ILIAD, the OBIE and Lortel Award-winning Solo Performance that she created with Denis O’Hare, based on Homer’s epic poem. In addition to many classic plays, Lisa has directed the premieres of new works by Donald Margulies, Tony Kushner, Beth Henley, Naomi Wallace, Caryl Churchill, Janusz Glowacki, Marlane Meyer, Culture Clash, Jose Rivera and many others at theaters including NYTW (OBIE for directing LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE), Public, Vineyard, MTC, Primary Stages, Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, Guthrie, ATL, Berkeley Rep, McCarter, Arena Stage, Geffen, Hartford Stage, Seattle Rep and many more.
The Company of An Iliad on Tour. L to R: Brian Ellingsen, Chris L, Denis O’Hare, Martha Donaldson, Lisa Peterson, Davison Scandrett, Rachel Hauck