Heracles/Hylas
Heracles is the most mighty and famous of all the heroes and the only one to become a god. Known for his spectacular feats of courage and brute strength, Heracles is equally remembered for his sexual prowess. He was married four times, bore dozens of children, and took countless lovers – male and female. Hylas was his young and beautiful lover and is remembered more as the popular subject of western art than Greek mythology. Little is known about Hylas and he is mentioned only briefly in Argonautica. In the epic poem, Hylas left the Argo in search of water and was ravished by nymphs. Hylas disappears without a trace and Heracles searches for him, only to have the Argos to sail away without him.
In Alan Olejniczak’s ten-minute dark comedy, Heracles is past his prime and on his last adventure with his trophy boyfriend – a mid-life crisis, perhaps. The hero encounters three naiads that are equally covetous of Hylas’ beauty and pull the young man to the bottom of the spring. Can Heracles save his lover in time?
HERACLES AND HYLAS by Alan Olejniczak
Directed by Steven Westdahl
Staged Reading on November 11, 2015
Layne Austin (Naiad)
Sam Bertken (Narrator)
Thomas Cokenias (Herakles)
Heather Kellogg (Naiad)
Katharine Otis (Naiad)
Alan Olejniczak is a San Francisco playwright, Theater Bay Area ISC Board Member, and a company member of We Players. This is the first year he is participating in the San Francisco Olympians Festival. Last year, Alan premiered Last Laughs with Theater West and Present Tense in a co-production with Playwright Center of San Francisco. His on-stage experience has been in singing in professional opera choruses.
The bodacious image of Heracles & Hylas was illustrated by Cody A. Rishell.