Arkansas Classical Theatre Brings Two Sides of the Trojan War to TheatreSquared
Two characters walk onto a stage this summer. One has seen the war. One has survived the waiting. Their grief comes from the same battlefield, even if no one ever bothered to ask the second person how she felt about any of it. Arkansas Classical Theatre is bringing both of them to life.
THE DEETS
📅 Thursday, July 16, 2026– Friday, July 24, 2026
🕐 1:00 PM and 7:30 PM (performances alternate between An Iliad and Penelope throughout the run)
📍 TheatreSquared Spring Theatre, Fayetteville, AR
🎟️ Tickets and full schedule at arkansasclassicaltheatre.com
🔗 More info
Two Tales, One Epic
Arkansas Classical Theatre is presenting two one-person shows in repertory this July: An Iliad by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, and Penelope by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, and Eva Steinmetz. Seeing both gives you the chance to feel how differently the same ancient story lands depending on whose voice is carrying it.
An Iliad features ACT co-founder Steven Marzolf as a lone storyteller who arrives to recount the Trojan War. The piece is by turns funny, heartbreaking, and unsettling, circling back to the question of why humanity keeps repeating the same cycles of violence. Penelope puts the camera on the woman left behind. Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, it’s an intimate folk-pop musical featuring ACT co-founder Betsy Jilka. It follows Penelope as she waits for a husband who went looking for immortality on distant shores.
ACT says the season was months in the making, something the company was quietly building before going public with the announcement. Together, the two productions don’t just retell Homer. They put ancient stories in conversation with each other.
Picking Your Perspective
Repertory programming means the two shows trade off rather than running back-to-back in the same order. The night you choose determines which story you’ll catch, so if you want both, plan your visit around the full schedule.
These two productions mark the official launch of ACT’s 2026 summer season.
