The Yale University Dramatic Association, Inc

"Tiger at the Gates," a prologue to Homer's "Iliad" from the perspective of the Trojans, was written in France in 1935, four years before the Nazi invasion of France, and the start of the explosive and devastating war that would claim millions of lives and shatter Europe for decades. The truly contemporary play universalizes a tragic story that seems to never stop repeating itself-the story of war. Yet amidst the playwright Jean Giraudoux's beautiful language and delicate treatment of history's most meaningful questions, is a sense of vivacity, humanity, and hilarity of everyday life that surges through the characters and is what makes the show so compelling. Far beyond a modern retelling of a timeless tale, Giraudoux's dark comedy turns "The Iliad" completely on its head, asking us to imagine the Trojan heroes as ordinary people-sarcastic, vulgar, conflicted-and begging us to imagine a world where, as the French title "La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu" suggests, the Trojan war will not take place.


Cast
Katharine Pitt - Helen
Zina Ellis - Andromache
Clio Contogenis - Cassandra
Rachel Barnas - Hecuba
Jennifer Mulrow - Polyxene/Laundress
Jamie Biondi - Hector
Peter Kaufman - Paris
Brian Hoefling -Demokos
Jesse Kirkland - Ulysses/Abneos/Old Man 2
Noah Bokat-Lindell - Ajax/Busiris/Old Man 1
Tommy Bazarian - Mathmatician/Topman
Elias Kleinbock - Priam
Ian Miller - Troilus/Messanger/Guard/Olpides

Production Staff
Suzanna Fritzberg- Stage Manager
Zeke Blackwell - Set Designer
Amelia Urry - Lighting Designer
Juliet DeButts - Sound Designer
Julia Cortopassi - Costume Designer
Jeffrey Zhu - Technical Director
Cory Combs - Technical Director
Stephen Marsh - Sound Engineer
Hillary Luong - Master Electrician
Laura Benoit - Props Master
Autumn VonPlinsky - Paint Charge
Katharine Pitt - Dramaturg
Margaret Ditre - Graphic Designer
Abigail Emerson - Assistant Director