Invitation Only
Theater of War: Ajax - UK
This event has ended.
View upcoming events.
Theater of War is a groundbreaking project that presents acclaimed actors and Veterans performing scenes from Sophocles’ Ajax—an ancient play about the suicide of a great, respected warrior—as a catalyst for guided audience discussions about the visible and invisible wounds of war. Using Sophocles’ play to forge a common vocabulary for open dialogue, these events are aimed at generating compassion and understanding between diverse audiences. Each performance is followed by community panelist remarks and a facilitated audience discussion.
Featuring performances by Damian Lewis (Billions), Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey), Nick Holder (Peaky Blinders), David Elliot (Kilo Two Bravo), Marjolaine Goldsmith (Dress), and Eduardo Jany (US Marine Corps Veteran, SVP of Global Safety and Security at News Corp), and a Chorus of UK Armed Forces Veterans.
Presented by Theater of War Productions and News UK.
Directed, translated, and facilitated by Bryan Doerries.
About the play
-
Ajax by Sophocles
Sophocles’ Ajax tells the story of a fierce warrior who is passed over for recognition by his command after losing his cousin Achilles in battle during the Trojan War. Feeling betrayed, Ajax attempts to murder his superior officers, fails, and—ultimately—takes his own life. The play tells the story of the events leading up to Ajax’ suicide, as well as the story of his wife and troops’ attempt to intervene before it's too late. The play also depicts the devastating impact of Ajax’ suicide upon his wife, son, brother, troops, and chain of command.
Cast Members
-
Damian Lewis
-
Lesley Sharp
-
Nick Holder
-
Marjolaine Goldsmith
-
David Elliot
-
Eduardo Jany
Explore Projects
-
Consent & Sexual ViolenceTapeTape has been developed as a sexual assault awareness and prevention training program that uses dramatic readings of Stephen Belber’s 1999 play to ignite powerful discussions about consent, sexual assault, rape, and power dynamics.
-
War & Mental HealthTheater of War: Hector, Andromache, and the Death of AstyanaxTheater of War: Hector, Andromache, and the Death of Astyanax presents live, dramatic readings of selections from Homer’s Iliad, Book VI and scenes from The Trojan Women by Euripides—featuring acclaimed actors and a Chorus of students, from a variety of backgrounds, whose lives have been impacted by war—to help frame powerful, healing dialogue about the human cost of war, centered on the suffering of children and civilians. The project uses ancient texts that explore and depict the dehumanization of war to create a vocabulary for openly discussing challenging and divisive subjects, with the aim of generating compassion, empathy, moral repair, understanding, and positive action.
-
IncarcerationPrometheus in PrisonPrometheus in Prison is an innovative public health project that presents readings of Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, an ancient Greek play about god who is imprisoned for stealing fire and giving it to humans, as a catalyst for powerful discussions about the challenges faced by individuals, families, and communities whose lives have been touched by the criminal justice system. For the past decade years, this groundbreaking project has been used to open up healing dialogue in a variety of settings, including prisons, detention centers, and public venues throughout the country and the world.