Open to Public
The Long-Term Care Trilogy: Theater of War: Philoctetes
Free Event
Please RSVP through the link provided. The event Zoom link will be distributed via email, and available to registered attendees starting 2 days prior to the event.
Wed, Oct 26.2022
Virtual Event
A series of free, interconnected, hybrid events, The Long-Term Care Trilogy will bring together actors, activists, authors, public figures, and caregivers to perform readings of plays by Sophocles and Shakespeare as a catalyst for engaging diverse audiences—both in-person and on Zoom—in crucial conversations about the challenges of caring for those our society has marginalized and left behind, especially elders. The Long-Term Care Trilogy will be broadcast live out of Tranzac, a community-oriented performance space in Toronto, in front of a small in-person audience. Using Zoom to join audiences—both physical and digital—in global dialogue, the project will also engage participants on their personal devices and gathering at “ground sites” linked to long-term care homes throughout Ontario.
Featuring performances by Margaret Atwood, David Strathairn, Adrienne Clarkson, Vanessa Sears, Jani Lauzon, Deena Aziz, Evan Buliung, R.H. Thomson, and a Chorus of Caregivers: Dee Hope, Michael Booth, and Carol Lemen.
Presented by Theater of War Productions, the Toronto International Festival of Authors, Family Councils Of Ontario, and Writers Collective of Canada with support from Canada Council for the Arts and TD Bank Ready Commitment.
Support for Theater of War Productions' digital programming is provided, in part, by the Mellon Foundation.
Translated, directed, and facilitated by Bryan Doerries. Produced by Marjolaine Goldsmith.
The Long-Term Care Trilogy will include:
October 26, 2022, 7:00pm - 9:30pm EDT
Theater of War: Philoctetes presents readings of Sophocles’ Philoctetes—an ancient Greek play about a warrior who abandoned by his friends on a desolate island on account of a chronic illness—as a catalyst for facilitated discussions about the challenges of witnessing suffering and healing wounds, both visible and invisible.
October 27, 2022, 7:00pm - 9:30pm EDT
The Oedipus at Colonus Project presents readings of scenes from Sophocles’ final play, Oedipus at Colonus, as a catalyst for powerful, community-driven conversations about the challenges of eldercare during and after the pandemic.
October 28, 2022, 7:00pm - 9:30pm EDT
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.
Each presentation will consist of three components:
- The Performance: A dramatic reading of scenes from plays by Sophocles or Shakespeare, performed by professional actors and community members. (45-70 minutes).
- The Panel: Comments from a panel of community members—caregivers, health care workers, family members, advocates, activists, patients, etc.—relating the ancient plays to their personal and professional experiences (15 minutes).
- Audience Discussion: A facilitated discussion about each play, its core themes, and how they relate to the challenges of caregiving and long-term care (60 minutes).
About the play
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Philoctetes by Sophocles
Sophocles’ Philoctetes tells the story of decorated warrior who is abandoned on a deserted island because of mysterious chronic illness that he contracts on the way to the Trojan War. Nine years later, the Greeks learn from an oracle that in order to win the war they must rescue him from the island. When they finally come for him, the wounded warrior must overcome nine long years of festering resentment and shame in order to accept help from the very men who betrayed him.
Cast Members
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David Strathairn
Philoctetes
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Araya Mengesha
Neoptolemus
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Dee Hope
Chorus of Caregivers
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Michael Booth
Chorus of Caregivers
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Carol Lemen
Chorus of Caregivers
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Evan Buliung
Odysseus
Long-Term Care Trilogy Partners
Explore Projects
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Caregiving & DeathEnd of LifeEnd 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.
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Racialized Police ViolenceAntigone in FergusonAntigone 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 activists, youth, teachers, police officers, and concerned citizens from St. Louis, Missouri and New York City, culminating in powerful, healing discussions about racialized violence, police brutality, systemic oppression, gender-based violence, health inequality, 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.
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