Theater of War

I saw Theater of War (TOW) perform AJAX, a play by Sophocles, and then moderate a discussion at Columbia University‘s Miller Theater a couple of weeks ago. TOW is an innovative, participatory event, which is intended to increase awareness of post-deployment psychological health issues, disseminate information regarding available resources, and foster greater family and troop resilience. It was amazing because they used the reading of this play to ENGAGE audience members (both civilian and military) in direct, frank discussion both personal and political about war, love, madness, humanity, rage, compassion, and much more. It was beautiful to see art, and in this case a play written over 2,000 years ago that used to be performed in front of 17,000 Greek soldiers, opening people’s hearts, minds, and mouths in such a transformative, thought-provoking way.

Check out their site and upcoming performances here: http://www.philoctetesproject.org/about.html