Getty Villa Presents MEMNON Read By The Classical Theatre Of Harlem

Getty Villa presents Memnon Read by The Classical Theatre of Harlem, an online live play-reading taking place via Zoom on Monday, October 24, 2022, at 5:00 pm PT. Founded in 1999, The Classical Theatre of Harlem creates theater anchored in the context of the African Diaspora.

Memnon tells the story of the besieged city of Troy which, in its darkest hour, calls on a powerful Ethiopian king to help repel the Greeks. This Homeric episode, once a staple of the ancient Greek and Roman epic tradition, had been forgotten-until now, with this new virtual rendition.

Memnon is directed by Carl Cofield, Associate Artistic Director of The Classical Theatre of Harlem. Cofield has directed several other CTH productions, including Twelfth Night (New York Times Critic's Pick), The Bacchae (New York Times Critic's Pick), Antigone, Macbeth, The Tempest, and Dutchman. He also serves as the Chair of the Graduate Acting Program at NYU.

"One of my favorite things to do in the theater is investigate classical stories and mythology in our current time. Memnon has somehow flown under the radar, and it's a crime that this story has been buried for so long. It is an ancient artifact, a treasure, that we have been sitting on this whole time," says Cofield. "It fits right into our global reckoning of where we are right now in relation to art, race, and equity, and must be a part of the conversation about how myths shape our collective narratives. Theatrical interpretations of classic, real-world stories is one of the foremost examples of edu-tainment, and I look forward to uncovering and adding the story of Memnon to the mythology canon-the pantheon of epic stories-where it deserves to be."

The cast includes Donathan Walters (CTH's Twelfth Night), Britney Nicole Simpson (Off-Broadway's Ink'd Well, and Penelope or How the Odyssey Was Really Written), Tim Nicolai (Broadway's The Glass Menagerie), Carson Elrod (Broadway's Peter and The Starcatcher, Reckless, and Noises Off), and Joel de la Fuente ("Hold These Truths," "The Man in the High Castle," "Hemlock Grove," and "Devils"), with stage production by Colt Luedtke (Broadway's Funny Girl).

Memnon is part of the Getty Villa Museum's theater program, presenting reinterpretations of Greek and Roman classical plays through play-readings, theater labs, premiere presentations, and the annual outdoor theater production.

Free advance registration is required to obtain a password for viewing. Register at Memnon Virtual Reading.