Benson, who earned acclaim for staging the New York debut of Sarah Kane's bold work Blasted, directs Charles Connaghan's new translation of the Sophocles drama, which will run through March 13.
Brent Harris (The Lion King) is cast in the title role with Thomas Derrah as Agamemnon, Kaaron Riscoe as Athena, James Joseph O'Neil (Present Laughter) as Menelaus, Linda Powell (On Golden Pond) as Tecmessa, Nathan Darrow as Teucer, Ron Cephas Jones as Odysseus, Remo Airaldi as Chorus Leader and Nick Crandall as the Messenger.
Here is a first look at the production:
According to A.R.T., "The legendary Greek warrior is second only to Achilles in greatness and though they are victorious as the city of Troy falls to the Greeks, Ajax struggles under the weight of psychological and physical injuries, trying to maintain his dignity, identity, and honor. His inability to cope with the trauma of war, the shifting moral landscapes as the rules change from war to peacetime, raises timeless questions about what happens when a warrior has to return to civilian life following deployment and how society acknowledges its responsibility for the well-being of its soldiers. The production further examines society’s role in accepting returning heroes into a peacetime community."
For tickets visit AmericanRepertoryTheater. A.R.T. is located at 64 Brattle Street in Cambridge, MA.