Theater Of War Productions and The Greene Space At WNYC Explore Trauma Through Performance

Beginning in 2018, Theater of War Productions and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC will join forces to present six monthly programs that combine theatrical readings of ancient Greek plays and 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.

The series launches on Thursday, January 11 with "Theater of War" - a performance of Sophocles' Philoctetes featuring acclaimed actors David Strathairn, Amy Ryan, and Brooklyn City Council Member Jumaane Williams, followed by a conversation about veterans and homelessness in New York City.

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 at The Greene Space at WNYC will include dramatic readings of Euripides' Madness of Hercules (Feb. 15), prompting conversation about gun violence; 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

ABOUT THEATER OF WAR PRODUCTIONS

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 such as combat-related psychological injury, suicide, end-of-life care, police/community relations, prison reform, gun violence, political violence, natural and manmade disaster, domestic violence, substance abuse, and addiction. Theater of War Productions was co-founded in 2009 by Bryan Doerries and Phyllis Kaufman, who served as producing director from 2009 to 2016. Doerries currently serves as the company's artistic director. For more information, please visit: www.theaterofwar.com

ABOUT PUBLIC ARTIST IN RESIDENCE (PAIR)

Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) is a municipal residency program that embeds artists in city government to propose and implement creative solutions to pressing civic challenges. Launched by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in 2015, PAIR takes its inspiration and name from the pioneering work of artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, the first official artist-in-residence with the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), 1977-present.

PAIR is based on the premise that artists are creative problem-solvers. Moving beyond politics and public relations, artists are able to create long-term and lasting impact by working collaboratively in open-ended processes to build community bonds, open new channels for dialogue, and reimagine realities for those who experience and participate in the work. PAIR artists engage both agency staff and the constituency the agency seeks to serve.

This is the second PAIR collaboration between the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Veterans' Services. Other current PAIR partnerships include Tania Bruguera at the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, Mary Miss at the Department of Design and Construction, and The Lost NYC at the Administration for Children's Services.