Open to Public
The Tiresias 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.
Sat, Oct 28.2023
Virtual Event
The Tiresias ProjectIn this offering to the Ancestral Institute, Theater of War Productions will present Ato Blankson-Wood (When They See Us, Detroit, Hamlet) and Jumaane Williams (NYC Public Advocate) performing a live scene from Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old play Oedipus the King to help frame a powerful discussion about timeless themes, such as arrogant leadership, ignored prophecy, intergenerational trauma, and the human capacity for denial. The scene will feature the blind-seer Tiresias, an ancient Greek shaman who gained the gift of prophecy after transitioning gender. In the scene, Tiresias faces off with an arrogant king (Oedipus), who publicly dismisses his gifts and ignores his prophecy about the source of a plague that is ravaging the archaic city of Thebes. Following the scene, a group of Ancestral Institute members will offer their immediate gut responses to the scene, and the session will culminate in a guided audience discussion about how the myth of Tiresias resonates across culture and time.
About the play
-
Oedipus the King by Sophocles
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King tells the story of an overconfident ruler during the time of a great plague, who refuses to listen to trusted advisors, ignores prophecy, and—after launching an investigation—discovers that he is the source of the contagion that is ravaging his people and his land. Upon uncovering the truth about himself and his role in the disaster, the king loses nearly everything—his crown, his wife, his power, his country, his honor—and wanders off into exile, a fate worse than death in ancient Greece. Oedipus the King is a timeless story about leadership, accountability, and the challenges faced by citizens and elected officials during pandemics and plagues.
Cast Members
-
Ato Blankson Wood
-
Jumaane Williams
Explore Projects
-
Caregiving & DeathThe Susie King Taylor ProjectA dramatic reading of Susie King Taylor's memoir to help frame powerful, guided discussions about challenges faced by Nurses and Veterans.
-
Pandemic & Climate CrisisThe Oedipus ProjectThe Oedipus Project presents acclaimed actors reading scenes from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King as a catalyst for powerful, constructive, global conversations about the climate crisis, ecological disaster, environmental justice, and healing online conversations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon diverse communities throughout the world. Sophocles’ ancient play, first performed in 429 BC, just after the first wave of a plague that killed nearly one-third of the Athenian population, is a story of arrogant leadership, ignored prophecy, intergenerational curses, and a pestilence and ecological collapse that ravages the archaic city of Thebes. Seen through this lens, Oedipus the King appears to have been a powerful tool for helping Athenians communalize trauma and loss, while interrogating their own complicit role in the suffering, not just of those around them but of generations to come.
-
Addiction & Substance AbuseThe Dionysus ProjectThe Dionysus Project is an innovative public health project that presents readings of scenes from Euripides' Bacchae, an ancient Greek play about the destructive power of intoxication, as a catalyst for town hall discussions about the impact of substance abuse and addiction upon individuals, families, and communities. The project uses an ancient Greek tragedy, written nearly 2500 years ago, to engage audiences in crucial discussions about the timelessness of the human struggle with substance abuse and addiction, as well as resources and solutions that communities can utilize today.