AN ILIAD starring David Wenham to play Melbourne in 2027

Sydney Theatre Company’s 2026 hit An Iliad starring David Wenham will play Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse for a strictly limited season from 18 March 2027.

This gripping, new production of Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s adaptation of Homer’s Ancient Greek saga mesmerised Sydney audiences with an astounding, five-star, sold-out run of this “masterclass in storytelling” (Limelight).

Led by one of Australia’s most innovative directors, Damien Ryan (Sport for Jove), and accompanied live on stage by polymath musician Helen Svoboda, this is Melbourne’s chance to experience “the dark magic of masterful oral storytelling” (The Guardian) and Wenham’s “stupendous tour de force” (The Australian) performance.

First told almost 3,000 years ago, The Iliad remains one of the foundational works of Western literature, shaping generations of writers, artists and storytellers with its epic account of war, heroism, grief and the human cost of conflict. At its heart, Homer’s poem is not simply a story of gods and warriors, but an enduring examination of what happens to people when violence becomes an inescapable part of their world. Its themes continue to resonate across centuries, making The Iliad a work that feels remarkably contemporary – and providing the powerful foundation for this modern theatrical retelling.

Wenham stars as The Poet: a wry, world-weary storyteller who is tasked with recounting one of Western Literature’s greatest tales – that of the Trojan War – over and over again, through the ages. Finally, after millennia of walking through battlefields, trenches and cities torn to the ground, he attempts to quit telling this story.

An Iliad plays Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne from Thursday 18 March – Sunday 11 April.

Tickets on sale at artscentremelbourne.com.au from 10am Monday 24 August

Header photo by Daniel Boud