Open to Public
Tape: NYC Mayor's Office To End Domestic and Gender Based Violence
Thu, Oct 21.2021
Virtual Event
Tape sparks discussions about consent, power dynamics, and sexual assault. This event is a collaboration with the NYC Mayor's Office To End Domestic and Gender Based Violence in honor of Go Purple Day.
About the play
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Tape by Stephen Belber
Two best friends from high school—Jon and Vince—reunite ten years later at a motel in Michigan. Over the course of an evening, Vince pressures Jon to admit that he date-raped Amy Randall, a girl they both dated in high school, only then to reveal that he has recorded their entire conversation. Vince then uses the tape to force Jon to personally apologize to Amy that evening, after inviting her to join them for dinner. Differing memories of the event collide, and the complexities and social pressures of the relationships are revisited, in a final confrontation in which Jon, Amy, and Vince argue over the truth of what happened that night.
Cast Members
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Tracie Thoms
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David Denman
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Nyasha Hatendi
Event Partner
Explore Projects
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Domestic ViolencePatient and Impatient GriseldaTheater of War Productions and Margaret Atwood return to the Toronto International Festival of Authors with an exciting new collaboration exploring power and control, domestic violence, and family dynamics by way of two versions of the same story, one written by Giovanni Boccaccio in 1348 during the bubonic plague and the other by Atwood in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Bocaccio’s version, a woman named Griselda remains in an abusive and controlling relationship, showing great patience and forbearance in the face of her husband’s sadism and cruelty. In Atwood’s version, Griselda takes matters in her own hands and, with the help of her sister, turns the tables on her husband.
This free, public event featured a live, dramatic reading of the “Patient Griselda” story from Boccaccio's Decameron by Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Fleishman is in Trouble), Maev Beaty (Beau is Afraid, Mouthpiece), and Araya Mengesha (Tiny Pretty Things, Nobody). Then, in response, Margaret Atwood performed “Impatient Grisleda,” a story that is narrated to a group of humans in quarantine by an alien that looks like an octopus. The readings of both texts was followed by immediate responses by community panelists and culminated in a guided audience discussion, facilitated by Bryan Doerries (Artistic Director, Theater of War Productions).
Co-presented by Theater of War Productions and Toronto International Festival of Authors.
This hybrid presentation took place in person at the Toronto Harbourfront Centre Theatre and on Zoom Webinar on September 30, 2023.
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Domestic ViolenceMedeaMedea 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.
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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.