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The Suppliants Project: UCSD

Translated and Directed by Bryan Doerries

Venue

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.

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Tue, Feb 28.2023

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The Suppliants Project presents dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of scenes from Aeschylus’ play The Suppliants—an ancient tragedy about fifty refugees who seek asylum in the ancient city of Argos, and the struggle within that city about whether to receive them—as a catalyst for powerful, candid discussions about immigration, domestic and gender-based violence, human trafficking, and the refugee crisis.

Featuring performances by Alfred Molina (Spider-Man), Keith David (Nope), Tate Donovan (The O.C.), and a chorus of San Diego community members, including: Sarab Aziz (an immigrant originally from Damascus, Syria, who migrated to the US in 1999), Césaire (Ze) Jose Carroll-Dominguez (an interdisciplinary artist based in the US/MX Border region), Marysol Gomez ​​(We are walking revolutions), Marzia Khalil (Visiting Research Assistant at The Bowman Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and formerly an Assistant Professor at Balkh University, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, who migrated to the US in March 2022, as a Scholar-at-Risk), Liam McKee (PhD student in UCSD's History program, originally from Ireland), Amira Noeuv (graduate student in Ethnic Studies at UC San Diego, whose research centers on transgenerational trauma, healing, and critical refugee studies), Shane Prince (Spanish teacher from Trinidad and Tobago), and Hela Khalil (first-year undergraduate at UCSD).

This event is sponsored by Revelle College, the Humanities Program at Revelle College, The Center for Hellenic Studies, Chicanx and Latinx Studies, and the UC San Diego Parents Fund.

Additional support from The Institute of Arts and Humanities, Office of the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Vice Chancellor’s Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Society for Classical Studies, Gerry and Jeannie Ranglas Chair in Ancient Greek History, Making of the Modern World, Eleanor Roosevelt College, Classical Studies Program, History, Latin American Studies, The Ancient Jewish Civilizations Chair, and Middle East Studies.

Support for our digital programming is provided, in part, by the Mellon Foundation.

The Suppliants Project will take place at the University of California San Diego and on Zoom Webinar. This hybrid event 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 performer 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, co-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

  • The Suppliants by Aeschylus

    In Aeschylus’ ancient play The Suppliants, fifty women who are fleeing forced marriages travel from Egypt to Argos in order to ask King Pelasgus for asylum. At first, Pelasgus refuses to help them, but the Argive people rally behind the women and convince their king to allow the refugees to remain under the city’s protection. When a large group of Egyptian men arrive in Argos, demanding their women back, King Pelasgus threatens them and summons his army to drive them away. The play ends with the women retreating to safety and finding asylum within the walls of Argos.

Cast Members

  • Alfred Molina Headshot

    Alfred Molina

  • Keith David Headshot

    Keith David

  • Tate Donovan Headshot

    Tate Donovan

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