In honor of the three-year anniversary of our first online event, we are proud to release the recording of The Oedipus Project! Watch the full recording through the link in our bio. The premiere took place on Zoom at 7pm EDT on May 7, 2020 and featured Oscar Isaac, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Frankie Faison, David Strathairn, Marjolaine Goldsmith, Glenn Davis, and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams performing Sophocles' Oedipus the King from their homes as a catalyst for a powerful, facilitated conversation about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon diverse communities throughout the United States and the world. Sophocles’ play is a timeless story of arrogant leadership, ignored prophecy, and a pestilence that ravages the city of Thebes. At the time it was first performed, in 429 BC, the Athenian audience would have been reeling in the wake of a plague and its economic, political, and social aftermath. Seen through this lens, Oedipus the King seems as relevant now as it was in its own time.

The premiere of The Oedipus Project was attended by more than 15,000 people from more than 40 countries, who—at the height of the global lockdown—were hungry for community and connection. In the three years that have followed, Theater of War Productions has presented more than 100 virtual events, reaching more than 300,000 people from more than 100 countries, spanning all seven continents. This paradigm-shifting use of technology, strategized by Marjolaine Goldsmith, in service of direct, unmediated dialogue—across borders and boundaries—has been nothing short of revolutionary for the company and its ability to touch people all over the world, lift them out of isolation, and bring them into healing dialogue.

Watch the Oedipus Project: Climate Crisis trailer.

The Oedipus Project presents acclaimed actors reading scenes from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King on Zoom as a catalyst for powerful, constructive, global conversations about climate change, ecological disaster, and environmental justice. Sophocles’ ancient play, first performed in 429 BC, just after a plague that killed nearly one-third of the Athenian population, is a story of arrogant leadership, ignored prophecy, intergenerational curses, willful blindness, and a pestilence and ecological collapse that ravages the archaic city of Thebes. Seen through this lens, Oedipus the King appears to have been a powerful tool for helping Athenians communalize trauma and loss, while interrogating their own complicit role in the suffering, not just of those around them but of generations to come.

This event was presented as part of the Nobel Prize Summit: Our Planet, Our Future, hosted by the Nobel Foundation and organized by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in partnership with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research/Stockholm Resilience Centre/Beijer Institute. Thousands of audience members tuned in from 82 countries to participate in a global discussion.

This event featured performances by Bill Murray (Lost in Translation), Corey Hawkins (Straigt Outta Compton), Frances McDormand (Nomadland), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), Frankie Faison (The Wire), David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), Marjolaine Goldsmith (Company Manager of Theater of War Productions), and Jumaane Williams (New York City Public Advocate), and a Chorus of Nobel Prize-winning scientists, including Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Harold Varmus.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Oscar Isaac, Frances McDormand, and David Strathairn in The Oedipus Project premiere on 5/7/20. Read the profile in The New Yorker by Elif Batuman on Theater of War Productions and The Oedipus Project Premiere.

Watch the trailer for The Oedipus Project at the Nobel Prize Summit: Our Planet, Our Future.

Watch the trailer for The Oedipus Project at the Nobel Prize Summit: Our Planet, Our Future.

Read the article on CNN.com

Marjolaine Goldsmith, playing the Priest, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams playing the Chorus, Oscar Isaac playing Oedipus, and John Turturro playing Creon. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and theater director Bryan Doerries reflect on The Oedipus Project and the arts in the current COVID-19 climate. Read the article in The Brooklyn Rail.

Bryan Doerries facilitates the discussions with panelists:

Paulette Soltani, Political Director, VOCAL-NY is recognized for her work across New York City in affordable housing and homelessness. She has been an outspoken critic of the way homeless individuals are treated - or not - and most recently how vulnerable they are during this pandemic. VOCAL-NY is a statewide membership organization that focuses on low-income people affected by various social ills.

Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian-American Federation. The organization was established in 1989 and represents a network of community service agencies including health and human services, education and economic development. Jo-Ann has been outspoken about discrimination faced by the Asian American community in the face of COVID 19. As you know the Asian American community (here in NY) have some of the lowest infection and death rates from the disease. Jo-Ann has been appointed to the State task force on re-opening New York.

Dr. Robert Gore, has been treating COVID-19 patients as an emergency room attending physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County and SUNY Downstate Medical Center (where he is also a faculty member). He is the founder of the Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) which earned him recognition as a CNN Hero, entry into the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program, and other awards. He founded the SUNY Downstate Medical Center Minority Medical Student Emergency Medicine (MMSEM) Summer Fellowship - a mentoring program for underrepresented minorities in medicine. He has also worked in disaster zones in Haiti. Dr Gore was raised in Brooklyn, he and his wife reside in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of the borough.

Anthony Almojera, Vice President of the EMS Officers Union. 42 years old and Born and raised in Brooklyn New York. Have lived Montana and California in early 20s and traveled to 90 countries. Majored in theatre and political science in Brooklyn college. A NYC paramedic working with FDNY EMS since 2004 and currently a lieutenant with EMS and work out of EMS station 40 in sunset park Brooklyn.

Audience members Frernanda, Hui Li.

Frances McDormand plays Jocasta

Jeffrey Wright plays Tiresias

Frankie Faison plays the Shepherd

David Strathairn plays Messenger 1

Glenn Davis plays Messenger 2

Oscar Isaac plays Oedipus

Behind-the-scenes of Oscar Isaac's desk set up during The Oeidpus Project Premiere. Photo by Elvira Lind.

Behind-the-scenes photo of Oscar Isaac playing Oedipus during The Oedipus Project Premiere. Photo by Elvira Lind.

Oscar Isaac make up test for The Oedipus Project Premiere. Photo by Elvira Lind. Makeup by Oscar’s uncle Guillermo.

Nyasha Hatendi plays the Chorus, Damian Lewis plays Oedipus, and Marjolaine Goldsmith plays Tiresias in The Oeidpus Project for an international audience spanning 46 countries.

Nyasha Hatendi plays the Chorus, Damian Lewis plays Oedipus, Nick Holder plays the Messenger, and Brían F. O'Byrne plays the Shepherd in The Oeidpus Project for an international audience spanning 46 countries.

Nyasha Hatendi plays the Chorus, Damian Lewis plays Oedipus, Jason Isaacs plays Creon, and Lesley Sharp plays Jocasta in The Oeidpus Project for an international audience spanning 46 countries.

Nyasha Hatendi plays the Chorus, Damian Lewis plays Oedipus, Nick Holder plays the Messenger, Brían F. O'Byrne plays the Shepherd and Cathryn Hunter plays The Priest, in The Oeidpus Project for an international audience spanning 46 countries.

An evening of readings and a dialogue among distinguished poets and young poets of tomorrow— a chorus of diverse voices exploring the transformative power of words at the intersection of disability and climate justice.

Presented by Theater of War Productions, Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach at the Burton Blatt Institute, Nine Mile Art Corp, Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature, and The International Writing Program.

Supported by the Academy of American Poets with funds from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Co-facilitated by Bryan Doerries and Diane R. Wiener.

Featuring poems and performances by: Ona Gritz, Stephen Kuusisto, Ekiwah Adler-Belendez, Taylor Brorby, Camisha Jones, Maddy Dietz (Class of 2020 National Student Poet), Christian Butterfield (Class of 2019 National Student Poet), Alondra Uribe (Class of 2019 National Student Poet), David James "DJ" Savarese, and Christopher Costello.

This special collaboration between Theater of War Productions and the PBS series Poetry in America presented readings by the actors Bill Murray (Lost in Translation) and Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) of Robert Hayden's 1960s sonnet “Those Winter Sundays,” as a catalyst for a powerful, guided discussion about the everyday struggle of surviving, thriving, and connecting during this incredibly difficult winter. The event also featured a recorded reading of Hayden's poem by President Joe Biden, helping frame crucial dialogue between diverse communities about economic hardship, family dynamics, parenting, domestic violence, racism, and American identity during this divided and fractured time. Using the poem to build bridges and create a vocabulary for talking about the challenges before us and within our homes, Those Winter Sundays aims to foster compassion, understanding, healing, and resilience.

Facilitated by Bryan Doerries and Elisa New.

Featuring the following panelists:
Karen Bailey, Teacher, Flint, MI
Anthony Almojera, EMS Officer FDNY
Manasi Garg, National Student Poet, Saratoga, CA
Al-Tabar Hudgins, RISE Project Uptown Coordinator, NYC
Nathalie Arzu, RISE Project Uptown Program Manger

Poetry For the Pandemic: November 12, 2020

Bill Murray reads:

When Poetry Visits: Ars Poetica by Laura Rothenberg

Tracie Thoms reads:

The 19th Amendment and my Mama by Mahogany L. Browne
&

America will Be by Johsua Bennett After Langston Hughes

Bill Murray reads:

Transubstantiation by Molly McCully Brown

Isabella Ramirez and Juan Felipe Herrera, US Poet Laureate 2015–2017 Read the article in The Emory Wheel.

Isabella Ramirez reads:

Let me Tell You What a Poem Brings by Juan Felipe Herrera for Charles Fishman

&

Exiles by Juan Felipe Herrera

Juan Felipe Herrera reads:

Mama by Isabella Ramirez

Anthony Wiles and Joshua Bennet read each other's poems.

Joshua Bennett reads:

we went Home to Crystal by Anthony Wiles

Anthony John Wiles, Jr reads:

Mike Brown is a Type of Christ by Joshua Bennett

Manasi Garg and Mahogany L. Browne read each other's poems.

Manasi Garg reads:

litany by Mahogany L. Browne

Mahogany L. Browne reads:

Conversations at the Kitchen Table by Manasi Garg

Patricia Smith and Maddy Dietz read each other's poems.

Patricia Smith reads:

BRACKEN by Madelyn Dietz

Madelyn Dietz reads:

10-Year-Old Shot Three Times, but She’s Fine by Patricia Smith

Molly McCully Brown and Ethan Wang read each other's poems.

Ethan Wang reads:

What There is To Give by Molly McCully Brown

Molly McCully Brown reads:

walk through the suburbs by Ethan Wang

An intergenerational discussion about poetry during the pandemic.

This special event was presented on August 9, 2020 as part of "The Virtual Experience" 6th Annual Michael Brown Memorial Weekend in honor of the life of Michael Brown Jr., and foreground the perspectives of families who have lost their loved ones to police brutality and community violence. We were honored to have Gwen Carr (Eric Garner’s mother), Valerie Bell (Sean Bell’s mother), Marion Gray-Hopkins (Gary Hopkins Jr’s mother), and Uncle Bobby X (Oscar Grant’s uncle) kick off the discussion with their gut responses to the performance, and Cori Bush introduce the event.

This event featured performances by Oscar Isaac, Tracie Thoms, Ato Blankson-Wood, Willie Woodmore, Marjolaine Goldsmith, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, De-Rance Blaylock, Duane Martin Foster, Marcelle Davies Lashley, John Leggette, and Gheremi Clay, and the Antigone in Ferguson Choir.

In this time of violence, outrage, division, and grief, Theater of War Productions is honored to share this virtual offering, performed by the Antigone in Ferguson Choir, directed by composer Phil Woodmore @phil_woodmore, and led by the amazing De-Rance Blaylock @deepopstar, graduate of Normandy High School and teacher of Michael Brown. The singers and musicians featured in this video include educators, students, activists, social workers, members of the faith community, and police officers from St. Louis and New York City who have made the commitment to sing together in order to start powerful, uncomfortable, transformative discussions about race and gender-based violence.

The song, “I’m Covered,” written by Phil Woodmore for the project Antigone in Ferguson, is a healing hymn that comes at the end of the play as a collective response to the violence, outrage, division, and grief that precedes it. "Every night that we sing 'I’m Covered' at the end of the play,” said Ms. Blaylock, “it’s my way of covering my student Michael Brown.” We hope that in watching this video, you feel covered, if not by a higher power, then by the humanity, spirit, and hope at the center of the song.

We offer “I’m Covered” for interpretation and discussion, with the hope that it will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

In solidarity,

Theater of War Productions

Special thanks to our partners the Brooklyn Public Library @bplpresentsand the Stavros Niarchos Foundation @snforg.

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.

Read the article.

Read the article

Read the article.

Michael Brown Sr. served on the panel during the discussion of Antigone in Ferguson. Read the article.

Read the article.

Listen to the radio piece.

Antigone in Ferguson presented at the Onassis Foundation's Festival Antigone Now

On August 9 2020, we had the privilege of presenting Antigone in Ferguson as part of the 6th Annual Michael Brown Memorial Weekend in honor of the life of Michael Brown Jr., hosted by Chosen for Change with opening remarks by Cori Bush, and panelists: Gwen Carr, Valerie Bell, Uncle Bobby X, and Marion Gray-Hopkins, thousands of audience members tuned in from 48 countries.

On August 9 2020, we had the privilege of presenting Antigone in Ferguson as part of the 6th Annual Michael Brown Memorial Weekend in honor of the life of Michael Brown Jr., hosted by Chosen for Change with opening remarks by Cori Bush, and panelists: Gwen Carr, Valerie Bell, Uncle Bobby X, and Marion Gray-Hopkins, thousands of audience members tuned in from 48 countries.

The music composed and conducted by Phil Woodmore, is sung by 5 soloists and a choir composed of Activists, teachers, law enforcement officers, members of the faith community, and students, from St. Louis and New York City. Our sound technician Matt Craig, found a way to feature the music and vocalists on zoom so we could have a live performance of the music in the live event!

Throughout 2020, under a grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, we have presented Theater of War Frontline to the following frontline communities: The Johns Hopkins Hospital, NYC Uniformed EMS Officers Union, American College of Emergency Physicians, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, Mount Sinai Health System, Doctors Without Borders, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, Lenox Hill Hospital, NYU Langone Health, and Montefiore Medical Center.

Frances McDormand, Frankie Faison, and Marjolaine Goldsmith in Theater of War Frontline: Mount Sinai on November 19, 2020. Read the article in The Washington Post.

Read the feature about Theater of War Frontline in Forbes. Amy Ryan, Anthony Almojera, and Chad Coleman in Theater of War Frontline EMS on July 30 2020.

Read the feature in The Lancet

Frances McDormand plays Hercules in The Women of Trachis presented to the Baltimore and Johns Hopkins medical community in June 2020 with The Berman Institute of Bioethics in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Frankie Faison plays the Chorus in Philoctetes and The Women of Trachis, presented to the Baltimore and Johns Hopkins medical community in June 2020 with The Berman Institute of Bioethics in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

David Strathairn plays Philoctetes presented to the Baltimore and Johns Hopkins medical community in June 2020 with The Berman Institute of Bioethics in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jesse Eisenberg plays Hyllus in The Women of Trachis presented to the Baltimore and Johns Hopkins medical community in June 2020 with The Berman Institute of Bioethics in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Panel in Theater of War Frontline with Johns Hopkins Bermen Institute of Bioethics. This panel includes a nurse, a respiratory therapist, a medical student, and an ER doctor.

Theater of War for Medical Communities was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle

Presenting Sophocles' Women of Trachis during Theater of War Frontline at Lincoln Medical Center.

Presenting Sophocles' Philoctetes during Theater of War for Frontline Medical Providers at Lincoln Medical Center.

Frances McDormand, Nyasha Hatendi, and Frankie Faison in Theater of War Frontline: Doctors Without Borders/MSF.

Read the article on Boston.com

Read the article on bostonherald.com

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

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.

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Juliana Francis Kelly, Andrea Patterson, Obi Abili, Linda Powell, James Earl Jones, and his son, Flynn Jones.

photo by Beowulf Sheehan

photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Obi Abili plays the fool, Marjolaine Goldsmith plays Cordelia.

photo by Gregg Richards

photo by Gregg Richards

photo by Gregg Richards

photo by Gregg Richards

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

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".

Watch the Nurse Antigone Trailer with clips from the launch performance of the twelve-part series. Featuring performances by Tracie Thoms, Margaret Atwood, Bill Camp, and Taylor Schilling, and remarks by nurses Ruth Kinsella, Kara Curry, Charlaine Lasse, and Craig Manbauman.

“Confronting Grief, With Margaret Atwood, in ’The Nurse Antigone’” by Alisha Haridasani Gupta

A dramatic reading by Theater of War Productions will include the author and practicing nurses who have held the front line of the pandemic.

“Front-line nurses star in online staging of play ‘Antigone’” by Mark Kennedy

Taylor Schilling plays Ismene and Tracie Thoms plays Antigone in The Nurse Antigone Launch.

The Inaugural Nurse Chorus: Charlaine Lasse (Registered Nurse, IV Therapy, Neonatal Intensive Care), Amy Smith (Nurse Practitioner, Northwell Health, Hofstra University), Aliki Argiropoulos (Nurse Clinician II, Blood and Marrow Transplant, Oncology Critical Care, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital).

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams plays The Messenger in The Nurse Antigone Launch.

Ato Blankson Wood plays Haemon in The Nurse Antigone Launch

Tracie Thoms plays Antigone in The Nurse Antigone Launch.

Taylor Schilling plays Eurydice in The Nurse Antigone Launch.

Panelists in the Nurse Antigone Launch, discussion co-facilitated by Cynda Rushton and Bryan Doerries.

Margaret Atwood plays Tiresias in The Nurse Antigone Launch.

Bill Camp plays Creon in The Nurse Antigone Launch.

Watch the full recording of The Susie King Taylor Project premiere, which starred Tracie Thoms and was broadcast globally with The Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee as the central ground site. This premiere was co-presented as part of The Nurse Antigone initiative by Theater of War Productions, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, the Resilient Nurses Initiative - Maryland, and DAV (Disabled American Veterans).

Watch the full recording Theater of War: Philoctetes featuring Willem Dafoe, Jason Isaacs, Nyasha Hatendi and a chorus of Veterans. This event was co-presented by Bravehound, a Scottish charity that supports former servicemen, women and their families by providing service dogs and training to Veterans.

Watch the Theater of War Trailer

Zach Grenier, Glenn Davis, and Marjolaine Goldsmith are introduced by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. See article.

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.

Read the full article.

Read the full article.

Reg E. Cathey, Kathryn Erbe, and Michael Stuhlbarg perform Sophocles' Philoctetes, followed by a conversation with the audience, Bryan Doerries and Maurice Decaul.

Listen to the radio piece.

Read the article.

Harpers Magazine profiles Theater of War. Read the article.

Read the article.

Theater of War Productions collaborated with Columbia University in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Core Curriculum. We presented Ajax to an audience comprised of Columbia Students and New York City Veterans struggling with homelessness and addiction to contextualize and interrogate the text that has been taught for 100 years. Read about the performance in the Columbia Spectator

Read the full article.

Watch the full recording of The Suppliants Project: Ukraine featuring performances by Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, David Strathairn, and our chorus of Ukrainians! This special event had an international audience from 62 countries.

Amanpour and Company featured an interview with Bryan Doerries, David Strathairn, and Lyudmila Yaninka on CNN. They spoke with host Sara Snider about The Suppliants Project: Ukraine and the impact of this special collaboration. Learn about Lyudmila’s humanitarian aid work, and hear 12-year-old actor Kira Meshcherska speak from Kyiv about her experiences during the war. Watch the interview.

The premiere began with a procession of the chorus and Danaus, played by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the band, inclusive of drummers, turtle, and conch players.

The premiere began with a procession of the chorus and Danaus, played by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the band, inclusive of drummers, turtle, and conch players.

The premiere began with a procession of the chorus and Danaus, played by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the band, inclusive of drummers, turtle, and conch players.

The premiere began with a procession of the chorus and Danaus, played by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the band, inclusive of drummers, turtle, and conch players.

The premiere began with a procession of the chorus and Danaus, played by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the band, inclusive of drummers, turtle, and conch players.

The premiere began with a procession of the chorus and Danaus, played by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the band, inclusive of drummers, turtle, and conch players.

Souraya Ghalayini serves on the panel along side Liliana Alvarez, Sam Montione, and Jacqueline Miszuk at the premiere of The Suppliants Project.

Liliana Alvarez serves on the panel of The Suppliants Project.

Obi Abili performs in The Suppliants Project premiere

Theater of War Productions is honored to share this virtual offering, performed by the Antigone in Ferguson Choir, directed by composer Dr. Philip Woodmore, and led by John Leggette. The singers and musicians featured in this video include educators, students, activists, social workers, members of the faith community, and police officers from St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; and New York City who have made the commitment to sing together in order to start powerful, uncomfortable, transformative discussions about systemic oppression.

The song, “Be Steadfast,” written by Dr. Philip Woodmore for the project The Drum Major Instinct, is a powerful call to action at the end of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon that serves as a collective response to King’s interrogation of racism, capitalism, militarism, white supremacy, and injustice. Dr. Edwina Moss, personal secretary and friend to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., responded to our project at a performance in Baltimore, Maryland in 2018, saying, "Be uncomfortable. It's all right to be uncomfortable. But if we're on this planet, and if we don't open the conversation, we will perish on this planet.”

We offer “Be Steadfast” for interpretation and discussion, with the hope that it will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable

Listen to the full piece.

The Huffington Post reports on the Premiere of The Drum Major Instinct. Read the article.

Council-member Jumaane Williams performs in the premiere of The Drum Major Instinct at BRIC. Read the article.

Watch the full event from October 15th.