Monthly Theater Series Explores The Effects Of Trauma Through Readings Of Ancient Greek Plays

By: Feb. 01, 2018
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On Thursday, February 15, Theater of War Productions and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC will present "Hercules in Manhattan" - the second installment of Theater of War's monthly series combining performances of ancient Greek plays with deep conversations about public health and social issues such as gun violence, war, mental health, incarceration, substance abuse, and the failure of the legal system.

"Hercules in Manhattan" will feature a dramatic theatrical reading of Euripides' Madness of Hercules, an ancient Greek tragedy about a gruesome act of violence committed by an angry man with an invincible weapon, by acclaimed actors Frankie Faison ("The Wire") Chinasa Ogbuagu ("Time After Time"), Ato Essandoh ("Chicago Med") and Brooklyn City Council Member Jumaane Williams. A conversation between members of the law enforcement community, victims and perpetrators of gun violence and the general public about gun violence will follow the performance.

Theater of War Productions is a social-impact company that uses a combination of theater and guided public dialogue to help communities address pressing public health and social issues. It is led by artistic director Bryan Doerries, who is now in his second year as New York City Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Department of Veterans' Services. During this two-year residency, he will bring more than 60 such productions to diverse communities across all five boroughs.

Future installments will include dramatic readings of Sophocles' Ajax (March 14), prompting conversation about challenges for military families; Euripides' Bacchae (April 11), prompting conversation about the opioid crisis; Aeschylus' Eumenides (May 3), prompting conversation about injustice in the American legal system; and Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (June 13), prompting conversation about mass incarceration. The full series schedule can be found here

The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space is the street-level broadcast studio and performance venue of WNYC and WQXR that produces special live editions of WNYC programs and WQXR concerts and festivals, as well as original programming, including theater events, arts and culture conversation series, political debates and audio theater. It serves as a place for experimentation, cultural discovery and dialogue. For more information, visit www.thegreenespace.org



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