Open to Public / New York City Public Artist In Residence
Hercules in East New York
About the play
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Madness of Hercules by Euripides
When the Greek hero Hercules returns to Thebes and finds his home occupied by a local tyrant, he goes on a rampage with his invincible bow, killing the men who have invaded his house and taken his family hostage. But in the heat of the battle, Hercules enters into a berserk rage and kills everyone in sight, including his wife and two young children, with his powerful weapon, mistaking them for enemies. When he comes back to his senses and takes in the horror of what he has done, Hercules contemplates suicide, but his close friend and fellow war veteran Theseus, stays by his side and offers unconditional support, encouraging him to share the burden of what he has done with his community. At its core, Euripides’ Madness of Hercules asks profound questions about how we should respond to unthinkable violence—as citizens, family members, friends, and neighbors—and how we can all work together to stop violence from occurring in our communities, before it’s too late.
Cast Members
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Chinasa Ogbuagu
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Glenn Davis
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Chris Henry Coffey
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Frankie Faison
Explore Projects
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Caregiving & DeathThe Nurse AntigoneA groundbreaking project by and for nurses, The Nurse Antigone presents dramatic readings of Sophocles’ Antigone on Zoom—featuring professional actors and a chorus of frontline nurses—to help frame powerful, guided discussions about the unique challenges faced by nurses before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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War & Mental HealthTheater of War: Hector, Andromache, and the Death of AstyanaxTheater of War: Hector, Andromache, and the Death of Astyanax presents live, dramatic readings of selections from Homer’s Iliad, Book VI and scenes from The Trojan Women by Euripides—featuring acclaimed actors and a Chorus of students, from a variety of backgrounds, whose lives have been impacted by war—to help frame powerful, healing dialogue about the human cost of war, centered on the suffering of children and civilians. The project uses ancient texts that explore and depict the dehumanization of war to create a vocabulary for openly discussing challenging and divisive subjects, with the aim of generating compassion, empathy, moral repair, understanding, and positive action.
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War & Mental HealthThe Tecmessa ProjectThe 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.