by Jessica Tharaud

Theatre Ink’s next production, “Song of Achilles,” goes up today and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. in the little theatre. Directed by Melissa Bernstein, a local theatre director, the four-act “Song of Achilles” will involve participants of all ages from the community.

Thursday’s show will include the first two acts of the show, while Friday’s show will include the last two acts of the show. Saturday’s show will be all four acts of the show.

Tickets are $5 for the Thursday and Friday shows and $10 for the Saturday show and are sold at all lunches and on Theatre Ink’s website. Saturday’s performance begins at 3 p.m. and includes a complimentary dinner.

The show is a staged reading of the first half of the novel, Song of Achilles, written by Madeline Miller, a local author. According to the audition packet, the novel tells of a love story between famed Greek hero Achilles and Patroclus, a young exiled prince.

Junior Natalie Tereshchenko, an actor in the production, said the reading includes “narration that is read straight from the book” in addition to “dialogue between characters.”

The reading follows Achilles and Patroclus from a young age as their boyhood friendship evolves into love, ending right before the Trojan War takes place.

Tereshchenko added that she enjoyed working “with people I never would have otherwise had the chance to work with.”

Bernstein had a similar opinion, saying that there was a “terrific coming together” of Theatre Ink and community actors.

Through the staged reading, the audience will see the critically acclaimed novel in a new way, watching as the “music, dancing, and even some fighting” play out, according to Tereshchenko.

Bernstein said that she loved the characters and the novel. Ultimately, Bernstein said that this production “brings these larger-than-life characters to the audience in an intimate way.”