Open to Public
The Neoptolemus Project
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.
Thu, May 12.2022
Virtual Event
The Neoptolemus Project presents acclaimed actors performing scenes from Sophocles’ Philoctetes—an ancient play about a young man who is sent to betray a decorated warrior who has been abandoned on a desolate island—as a catalyst for guided audience discussions about mental health, coming of age, and the challenges of caregiving for those our society has marginalized. Using Sophocles’ play to create a vocabulary for discussing difficult subjects, the project aims to generate compassion, understanding, awareness, and connection among diverse audiences. This special event will highlight the voices of youth and Youth Peer Advocates, who by virtue of their life experiences are credible messengers of hope, resilience, recovery, and wellness.
Co-presented by Theater of War Productions, Youth MOVE National, YouthPower, Families Together, New York University Langone Health, IDEAS Center, Mental Health America, and Well Being Trust.
Support for our digital programming is provided, in part, by the Mellon Foundation.
Featuring performances by Lesley Sharp. (Orange is the New Black), Frankie Faison (The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain), David Zayas (Dexter) and Nyasha Hatendi (Alex Rider).
The Neoptolemus Project will take place on Zoom Webinar and can be accessed on personal devices. The event Zoom link will be distributed via email and available to registered attendees starting two days prior to the event.
This event will be captioned in English.
All of Theater of War Productions' events follow the same format:
- The performers will read the text.
- Community panelists will kick off the discussion with their gut responses to what resonated with them across time
- We will open the discussion to the audience, facilitated by Bryan Doerries. During the discussion, please raise your hand using the button at the bottom center of the screen. If called upon, please accept the invitation to be promoted to speak and you will be visible and heard by the entire audience for the duration of your comments. If you would prefer not to be seen, please disable your video.
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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Frankie Faison
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Taylor Schilling
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David Zayas
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Nyasha Hatendi
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Political ViolenceActs of ViolenceActs 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.
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HomelessnessThe Oedipus at Colonus ProjectThe Oedipus at Colonus Project presents readings of scenes from Sophocles’ final play, Oedipus at Colonus, as catalyst for powerful, community-driven conversations about homelessness, the immigration and refugee crisis, and the challenges of eldercare during and after the pandemic.
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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.