Get to know the topics we address and the communities we’ve reached over the years.
Rooted in discussions about the invisible and visible wounds of war, the company’s hallmark project is designed to increase awareness of psychological health issues, disseminate information on available resources, and foster greater community cohesion.
Theater of War Highlights
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford presents Theater of War to Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders
National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, DC / 2017
Zach Grenier, Glenn Davis, and Marjolaine Goldsmith are introduced by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. See article.
Reading of Scenes from Sophocles’ AJAX
National Geographic Society, Washington, DC / 2016
Jeffrey Wright, Marjolaine Goldsmith, Reg E. Cathey, and David Strathairn present Theater of War on the fifteenth anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks. This performance was featured in The New Yorker.
Theater of War on PBS Newshour
2011
Like War Itself, Effects of War Are Hell. Ask the Greeks.
The New York Times / 2008
Theater of War, the origin story by Bryan Doerries
Chautauqua Institution / 2016
In Ancient Dramas, Vital Words For Today's Warriors
NPR / 2008
The Anguish of War for Today’s Soldiers, Explored by Sophocles
The New York Times / 2009
You Are Not Alone Across Time Using Sophocles to treat PTSD
Harpers Magazine / 2014
Harpers Magazine profiles Theater of War. Read the article.
Sophocles and awe: the director hitting war vets with Greek tragedy
The Guardian / 2015
The Tecmessa Project presents readings of Sophocles’s Ajax, an ancient play about the visible and invisible wounds of war, as the catalyst for discussions focusing on the unique challenges faced by military family members, including couples, children, caregivers, and communities. This project is designed to promote understanding, compassion, and positive action.
Highlights
The Tecmessa Project
The Greene Space WNYC & WQXR / 2018
Addressing the impact of domestic violence on individuals, families, and communities, the Domestic Violence Project premiered in Maine in April 2013 and will be touring all five boroughs of New York City under the current PAIR residency.
Highlights
A Streetcar Named Desire: Let’s Talk About Domestic Violence
Bangor Maine / 2013
The Domestic Violence Project was featured on bangordailynews.com
Medea timelessly depicts how scorned passion can lead to revenge and, sometimes, unthinkable violence. This project, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in June 2016, delves into under-discussed mental health issues that affect women and their families.
Highlights
'Medea' tackles relationships, mental health
Staten Island Live / 2018
Medea in Staten Island was featured on silive.com
Commissioned by BRIC, The Drum Major Instinct engages audiences in dialogue about racism, inequality, and social justice. The performance features a dramatization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final sermon, embodied by prominent actors and supported by a large gospel choir, composed of singers, activists, police officers, and musicians from St. Louis, MO, and Brooklyn, NY.
The Drum Major Instinct Highlights
Audience member speaks at The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
John Leggette sings in The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
Samira Wiley performs the Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
Audience members listen during The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2014
De-Andrea Blaylock-Johnson co-facilitates The Drum Major Instinct discussion
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
The crowd at the The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
De-Rance Blaylock sings in The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
Production born of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words seeks to spark conversation about racism
St. Louis Public Radio / 2017
Samira Wiley Reenacts MLK Speech, Defends Art As A Form Of Resistance
BRIC / 2017
The Huffington Post reports on the Premiere of The Drum Major Instinct. Read the article.
A Timely Performance of MLK’s Final Sermon Takes Viewers to Church
BRIC / 2017
Council-member Jumaane Williams performs in the premiere of The Drum Major Instinct at BRIC. Read the article.
Frederick Douglass is a project that presents dramatic readings of Douglass' speeches by professional actors as a catalyst for powerful dialogue about racism, inequality, civil rights, education, and the legal system with the objective of fostering compassion, understanding, and positive action.
The Suppliants Project is an innovative new project, developed by Theater of War Productions, that will present dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of scenes from Aeschylus’ play The Suppliants—an ancient tragedy about fifty female refugees who seek asylum in the ancient city of Argos, and the struggle within that city about whether to receive them—as a catalyst for powerful, candid discussions about human trafficking, immigration, and current refugee crisis.
The Suppliants Project Heighlights
The Suppliants Project Premiere
Valencia College, Orlando, FL / 2019
Souraya Ghalayini serves on the panel along side Liliana Alvarez, Sam Montione, and Jacqueline Miszuk at the premiere of The Suppliants Project.
The Suppliants Project Premiere
Valencia College, Orlando, FL / 2019
Liliana Alvarez serves on the panel of The Suppliants Project.
The Suppliants Project Premiere
Valencia College, Orlando, FL / 2019
Obi Abili performs in The Suppliants Project premiere
Antigone in Ferguson is a groundbreaking project that fuses dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of Sophocles’ Antigone with live choral music performed by a diverse choir, including police officers, activists, youth, teachers, and concerned citizens from St. Louis, Missouri and New York City, culminating in powerful, healing discussions about race and social justice. Antigone in Ferguson was conceived in the wake of Michael Brown’s death in 2014, through a collaboration between Theater of War Productions and community members from Ferguson, MO, and premiered at Normandy High School, Michael Brown’s alma mater, in September of 2016.
Antigone in Ferguson Highlights
House Seats: Antigone in Ferguson
All Arts / 2019
Experience a powerful fusion of Sophocles’ classic tragedy, Antigone, with live music from a contemporary gospel choir and highly personal community discussion. This multifaceted production explores themes of tragedy, trauma and social justice, and shows us that a 2500-year-old play is still relevant today. The all-star ensemble of actors includes Samira Wiley, Chris Noth and Tamara Tunie. Watch the video.
Duane Foster sings in Antigone in Fergsuon
Wellspring Church, St. Louis, MO / 2016
Crowd on the basketball court
Howard Playground, Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY / 2017
Paul Giamatti playing Creon
Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD / 2017
Mrs. Norma Leggette speaks in the audience during Antigone in Ferguson discussion
Wellspring Church, St. Louis, MO / 2016
Meet the Antigone in Ferguson Choir: Duane Foster
2018
Meet the Antigone in Ferguson Choir: Marcelle Davies-Lashley
Brooklyn, NY / 2018
Meet the Antigone in Ferguson Choir: De Andrea Blaylock-Johnson
Ferguson, MO / 2018
Antigone in Ferguson, Meet the Choir: De-Rance Blaylock
Normandy High School, St. Louis, MO / 2018
Antigone in Ferguson, Meet the Choir: Willie Wooodmore
St. Peters, MO / 2018
Meet the Antigone in Ferguson Choir: Lt. Latricia Allen
St. Louis, MO / 2018
What About Justice?: Paul Giamatti and Sonja Sohn star in 'Antigone in Ferguson' at Coppin
City Paper / 2017
Read the article
Michael Brown and the Raw Power of ‘Antigone in Ferguson’
The Daily Beast / 2018
A Chorus Remembers Michael Brown in ‘Antigone in Ferguson’
The New York Times / 2018
Michael Brown Sr. served on the panel during the discussion of Antigone in Ferguson. Read the article.
Missouri Theater Embraces Ferguson Echoes In 'Antigone' Production
NPR / 2016
Antigone in Ferguson - Onassis Festival NY - Antigone Now
Onassis Foundation USA / 2016
Antigone in Ferguson presented at the Onassis Foundation's Festival Antigone Now
Antigone in Ferguson presented at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Nostos Festival
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Athens, Greece / 2017
Designed to raise awareness about opiate addiction and alcohol abuse, the project is intended to promote dialogue about helping those who are struggling with addiction.
Addiction Performance Project Highlights
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Short Documentary
Washington, DC / 2011
Actors perform for medical students and faculty
University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ / 2011
Bryan Doerries, Anthony Edwards, Mare Winningham, and Marjolaine Goldsmith perform scenes from Long Day's Journey into Night
Fort Rucker, AL / 2016
The Dionysus Project is an innovative public health project that presents readings of scenes from Euripides' Bacchae, an ancient Greek play about the destructive power of intoxication, as a catalyst for town hall discussions about the impact of substance abuse and addiction upon individuals, families, and communities. The project uses an ancient Greek tragedy, written nearly 2500 years ago, to engage audiences in crucial discussions about the timelessness of the human struggle with substance abuse and addiction, as well as resources and solutions that communities can utilize today.
The Dionysus Project Highlights
The Dionysus Project Trailer
Full performance video
The Greene Space WNYC & WQXR / 2018
This project presents a one-man Irish play about a 24-year-old whose life is coming apart, due to drinking, in order to provoke discussions about alcoholism and addiction within diverse communities.
Rum and Vodka Highlights
Performance aboard Navy aircraft carrier
USS George Washington / 2016
Performance for Marine Helicopter One (HMX-1)
Marine Corps Headquarters, Quantico, VA / 2018
Drawing from an ancient Greek tragedy about a vicious act of violence committed by an angry man with an invincible weapon, this project aims to generate powerful dialogue between concerned citizens, members of the law enforcement community, victims and perpetrators of gun violence, and the general public.
Hercules Highlights
Hercules Trailer
Damien Scott from the Red Hook Community Justice Center speaks at Hercules in Red Hook
Columbia Street, Red Hook Houses West / 2018
The crowd at the premiere of Hercules in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2016
In Brooklyn, Hercules’ Battles Inspire Talk on Gun Violence
The New York Times / 2016
Audience member speaks at Hercules in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2016
Dominic Dupont facilitates discusison at Hercules in Red Hook
Columbia Street, Red Hook Houses West / 2016
Ashanti, who originated the role of the Chorus, in Hercules in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2016
Audience Member speaks at Hercules in Red Hook
Columbia Street, Red Hook Houses West / 2018
Jeffery Wright, who originated the role of Hercules, speaks at Hercules in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2016
NYPD Inspector Rafael Mascol, Commander of the 73rd Precinct, who played Hercules and Paul Giamatti, who played Theseus
Van Dyke Houses, Brownsville, Brooklyn / 2017
Tiffany Murray of Save our Streets, Crown Heights, facilitates Hercules in Brownsville discussion
Van Dyke Houses, Brownsville, Brooklyn / 2017
Hercules in Manhattan
The Greene Space WNYC & WQXR / 2018
Actors perform anti-violence play, open dialogue about social climate
Louis H. Pink Houses / 2017
News 12 reports on Hercules in East New York at the Pink Houses. Watch the news segment.
Anti-violence summit talks racial, political divisions on Staten Island
SILive.com / 2018
SILIVE reports on Hercules in Staten Island. Read the article.
Paul Giamatti joins NYC table read for dialogue on gun violence
Van Dyke Houses, Brownsville Brooklyn / 2017
NY1 reports on Hercules in Brownsville
Paul Giamatti, Chinasa Ogbuagu, Jumaane Williams to Perform in Anti-Gun Violence Play
Van Dyke Houses, Brownsville Brooklyn / 2017
BK reader reports on Hercules in Brownsville. Read the article.
Theater Of War Drives Discussion About Violence
Arverne Queens / 2017
The Rockaway Wave reports on Hercules in Arverne. Read the article.
‘Hercules in the Bayview’ prompts tearful, earnest discussion
Hercules in the Bayview / 2017
The San Francisco Chronicle reports on Hercules in The Bayview. Read the article.
Tape has been developed as a sexual assault awareness and prevention training program that uses dramatic readings of Stephen Belber’s 1999 play to ignite powerful discussions about consent, sexual assault, rape, and power dynamics.
Tape Highlights
The Perception of Tape
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait / 2014
Maj. Gen. Darrell K. Williams thanks soldiers, civilians and actors for participating in Tape
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait / 2014
Prometheus in Prison is an innovative public health project that presents readings of Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, an ancient Greek play about god who is imprisoned for stealing fire and giving it to humans, as a catalyst for powerful discussions about the challenges faced by individuals, families, and communities whose lives have been touched by the criminal justice system. For the past decade years, this groundbreaking project has been used to open up healing dialogue in a variety of settings, including prisons, detention centers, and public venues throughout the country and the world.
Prometheus in Prison Highlights
Prometheus in Prison Trailer
Prometheus in Prison: Live from The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR
The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR / 2018
End of Life presents readings of ancient Greek plays in public settings and medical communities as a catalyst for facilitated discussions about challenges faced by patients, families, and health professionals today around end of life care. This unique, participatory event is intended to promote powerful, open discussion among diverse communities - public and professional - fostering compassion, cooperation, and understanding about living with chronic suffering and the mortality we all share.
End of Life Highlights
Charles S. Dutton as Hercules in Women of Trachis
Harvard Medical School / 2010
Screams from Greek stage aim for doctors’ hearts Drama animates issues in Harvard ethics course
Harvard Medical School / 2010
Read the article on Boston.com
Theater of the mind, heart and spirit
Harvard Medical School / 2010
End of Life - Women of Trachis Reading │ IOM Committee on Approaching Death
Chautauqua Institution CHQ Health Care Forum / 2013
The King Lear Project presents streamlined readings of scenes from Shakespeare’s King Lear to engage diverse audiences—including older adults, caregivers, and family members—in open, healing, constructive, discussions about the challenges of aging, dementia, and caring for friends and loved ones.
King Lear Highlights
James Earl Jones
The Bronx Museum of the Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Grandparents around the world presents king lear project
Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
It was a star-studded performance at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Legendary Actor James Earl Jones partnered with Grandparents Around the World and Theater of War to bring Shakespeare's King Lear to the Bronx with a team of famed actors -- as a way to build bridges through communication among the various age groups reflected in communities.
Linda Powell, James Earl Jones, and his son, Flynn Jones
The Bronx Museum of the Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
James Earl Jones as King Lear
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
photo by Beowulf Sheehan
The King Lear Project Cast
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
Juliana Francis Kelly, Andrea Patterson, Obi Abili, Linda Powell, James Earl Jones, and his son, Flynn Jones.
photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Peter Francis James as Albany, and Juliana Francis Kelly as Goneril
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
photo by Beowulf Sheehan
The King Lear Project presented to Grandparents Around The World
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Andrea Patterson plays Regan and Juliana Francis Kelly plays Goneril
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Obi Abili plays the Fool
The Bronx Museum of the Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Peter Francis James plays Albany
The Bronx Museum of the Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Juliana Francis Kelly plays Goneril
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
James Earl Jones plays King Lear
The Bronx Museum of The Arts / 2019
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Marjolaine Goldsmith as Cordelia
Edie Windsor SAGE Center / 2019
Cynthia Nixon as King Lear, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams as the Fool
Edie Windsor SAGE Center / 2019
Harris Yulin as Lear
Carroll Gardens Branch - Brooklyn Public Library / 2019
Obi Abili plays the fool, Marjolaine Goldsmith plays Cordelia.
photo by Gregg Richards
Obi Abili plays the fool
Carroll Gardens Branch - Brooklyn Public Library / 2019
photo by Gregg Richards
The Audience at the King Lear Project
Carroll Gardens Branch - Brooklyn Public Library / 2019
photo by Gregg Richards
Juliana Francis Kelly as Goneril
Carroll Gardens Branch - Brooklyn Public Library / 2019
photo by Gregg Richards
Tesa Arozqueta, Director of Outreach
Carroll Gardens Branch - Brooklyn Public Library / 2019
Tesa Arozqueta, Director of Outreach for the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence speaks from the audience of the King Lear Project.
photo by Gregg Richards
Painting by Wyckoff Senior Center
Wyckoff Senior Center / 2019
We were so honored that in advance of our performance of The King Lear Project, the Wyckoff Senior Center Art Class collectively worked on a painting inspired by the play. To open the event, the Wyckoff choir performed "Lean on Me".
Theater of War: Ajax, has been presented to professional medical communitiesto spark candid dialogue and reflection about the unique challenges andstressors faced by medical students and professionals, as well as the lasting impact of physician suicides upon individuals, institutions, and
communities.
Highlights
A conversation about death, begun 2,500 years ago in Greece
UCSF / 2018
Theater of War for Medical Communities was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle
Developed with New York University’s Forum on Law, Culture, & Society, and designed as a professional development program for legal professionals, as well as for the general public, Theater of Law drives conversations about moral justice in the court system. The project is aimed at engaging audiences who have in some way been disenfranchised by the law in constructive, powerful dialogue.
Theater of Law Highlights
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance responds to Theater of Law
New York County Criminal Court / 2017
Manhattan’s District Attorney vs. Aeschylus
Manhattan court room / 2017
Ato Essandoh as Orestes
The Greene Space at WNYC/WQXR / 2018
Reg E. Cathey plays Apollo in Theater of Law
Schulte, Roth and Zabel / 2017
Ana Reeder as The Furies
Schulte, Roth and Zabel / 2017
Audience member responds to Theater of Law
New York County Criminal Court / 2017
Bryan Doerries facilitates Theater of Law discussion
New York County Criminal Court / 2017
Schulte Roth & Zabel Presents a New Co-Production Between Theater of War Productions and the Forum on Law, Culture & Society The Premiere of: Theater of Law
2017
Acts of Violence presents scenes from Seneca's Thyestes, a Roman tragedy that was written during the gruesome reign of Nero, as a catalyst for town hall discussions about the impact of political violence upon individuals, families, caregivers, health and human rights advocates, communities, and nations.
Developed in collaboration with PopTech, The Book of Job was created to promote healing dialogue within the community of Joplin, which was devastated by a tornado in May 2011. The project has since been presented all over the country and the world, from New York City (Hurricane Sandy), to Pascagoula, MS (10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina), to Japan (Fukushima)
Book of Job Highlights
A short documentary on the Book of Job in Joplin, MO
Joplin, MO / 2012
Book of Job was first presented in Joplin, MO in 2012, on the anniversary of the the tornado that devastated the Joplin community.
Telling Story of Job at Sandy-Ravaged Synagogue in Rockaways
Queens, NY / 2013
Theater of War Productions presented Book of Job in West End Temple in the Rockaways, marking the first time congregants stepped foot in the sanctuary after it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. See article in The Forward.
Actors bring Book of Job to life for Joplin audiences
The Joplin Globe / 2012
The Book of Job as Community Theater Readings after Superstorm Sandy and other disasters
Public Seminar / 2014
You Are Not Alone Across Time: Using Sophocles to treat PTSD
Harpers Magazine / 2014
The Tohoku Project: Sumidagawa presents powerful dramatic readings by professional actors of Sumidagawa, a Noh play from the early 15th Century that timelessly depicts the unique challenges faced by parents in the wake of unimaginable disaster. Each reading is followed by the responses of community panelists, culminating in a lively, facilitated audience discussion. This interactive event promotes healthy, constructive dialogue about the lasting impact of the Tohoku disaster upon individuals, families, and communities—fostering compassion, understanding, awareness, and positive action.
Theater of War Productions and the Museum of Jewish Heritage, in partnership with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, will present readings of scenes Peter Weiss' play The Investigation, a piece of documentary theater adapted from the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials of 1963-1965. Premiering in November, the project will center on guided discussions about mass murder and its lasting impact upon individuals, families, communities, and countries throughout the world. Performed by a diverse cast, including international performers from communities affected by genocide, The Investigation will seek to generate powerful dialogue across cultures and communities about the human capacity for evil, as well as the systems and hierarchies that create the conditions for unthinkable violence.
Upcoming Events
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Thursday, Dec 05, 2019
Hercules in The Bronx
Hercules
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
USA
Hercules is a free, interactive performance featuring readings of scenes from an ancient play about an unspeakable act of violence. Each performance is followed by community panelist remarks and an audience discussion about the impact of violence upon individuals, families, and communities.
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Friday, Dec 06, 2019
King Lear Project at Times Plaza
King Lear Project
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
USA
The King Lear Project presents streamlined readings of scenes from Shakespeare’s King Lear to engage diverse audiences—including older adults, caregivers, and family members—in open, healing, constructive, discussions about the challenges of aging, dementia, and caring for friends and loved ones.
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Wednesday, Dec 18, 2019
Theater of War at United States Central Command
Theater of War
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
United States
Theater of War presents readings of Sophocles’ Ajax and Philoctetes to military and civilian communities around the world. These ancient plays timelessly depict the visible and invisible wounds of war. Each performance is followed by a powerful audience discussion led by community panelists.
Theater of War Statistics
