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
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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
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Ato Blankson Wood
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Jumaane Williams
Explore Projects
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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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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.
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Refugees & ImmigrationThe Suppliants ProjectThe Suppliants Project tells the timeless story of fifty female refugees seeking asylum at a border from forced marriage and domestic violence. The play not only depicts the struggle of these women to cross into safety, but also the internal struggle within the city that ultimately receives them. Using a 2,500-year-old tragedy by Aeschylus as a catalyst for powerful gatherings and crucial conversations, The Suppliants Project engages diverse audiences in humanizing, constructive dialogue about the challenges and impact of war, migration, and seeking asylum.