Denis O'Hare won the Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for his performance as “Mason Marzac” in the hit Broadway play Take Me Out. Other Broadway productions include Assassins (Tony nomination), Sweet Charity and Inherit the Wind, among others. An Iliad is his first collaboration and his debut as a writer for theatre. He has written two screenplays, as well as short stories and poetry. While at Northwestern University pursuing an acting degree, he followed the poetry writing program for two years and studied poetry under Alan Shapiro, Mary Kinzie and Reginald Gibbons. He has appeared on Broadway and Off-Broadway numerous times, as well as in many regional thatres, including the McCarter Theatre. He has appeared in many films, including Milk, Michael Clayton, Charlie Wilson’s War, A Mighty Heart, Duplicity, An Englishman in New York, 21 Grams, Garden State and Eagle. His television work includes roles on Brothers and Sisters, CSI Miami, all of the Law & Order franchises and recently he completed Season 3 of True Blood as the Vampire King “Russell Edgington.”

Lisa Peterson has directed ten productions at La Jolla Playhouse, including the world premieres of Surf Report and Be Aggressive, both written by Annie Weisman, Mother Courage and her Children, The Country, Wonderland, Valley Song, The Triumph of Love, The Good Person of Setzuan, Arms and the Man and Marisol. Her New York credits include Shipwrecked, The Model Apartment (Primary Stages); End Days (EST); The Poor Itch, Tongue of a Bird, The square (Public Theater); The Fourth Sister, The Batting Cage (Vineyard); Birdy, Chemistry of Change (WPP/Playwrights Horizons); Collected Stories (MTC); Tight Embrace (Intar); Sueno (MCC); Bexley Oh, Slavs!, Traps, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (Obie Award), The Waves (NYTW); and The Scarlet letter (CSC). Her regional work includes: Mark Taper Forum (Resident Director 1995-2005), Seattle Rep, Berkley Rep, Intiman, South Coast Rep, CalShakes, OSF, Guthrie Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Arena Stage, McCarter, Center Stage, Yale Rep, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, The Huntington, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Philadelphia Theater Co., Sundance Theater Lab, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Midwest Playlabs, NY Stage & Film, Executive board of SDC.