Drama school offers a modern spin on an ancient play trilogy

The Yale School of Drama puts its own spin on Aeschylus’ 2,500-year-old trilogy of plays in its production of “The Oresteia.”

The trilogy of plays by Aeschylus is translated by Ted Hughes. Yagil Eliraz will direct the production, which runs Dec. 12-18 at the Iseman Theater, 1156 Chapel St.

“The Oresteia” chronicles a society’s struggle to break the cycle of sacrifice, revenge, bloodshed, and punishment that plagues it. Hughes’ translation imbues the play with a contemporary relevance as it examines the struggle through the most personal microscope — the family cell — and stretches its primal and painful conflicts to their extremity. The play raises the questions: What is justice? What is our individual and collectively responsibility to carry it out?

The cast includes Sebastian Arboleda, Andrew Burnap, Anna Crivelli, Ricardo Dávila, Edmund Donovan, Melanie Field, Jonathan Higginbotham, Annelise Lawson, Sydney Lemmon, Jonathan Majors, and Elizabeth Stahlmann. “The Oresteia” features original music by Matthew Suttor, scenic design by Fufan Zhang, costume design by An-lin Dauber, lighting design by Elizabeth Green, sound design by Pornchanok Kanchanabanca, projection design by Michael Commendatore, dramaturgy by Davina Moss, and stage management by Helen Muller.

Performances are at 8 p.m. each night. Tickets are $25; $15 for students, and can be purchased online, by calling 203-432-1234, or at the box office, 1120 Chapel St. (corner of Chapel and York streets).