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Daemen College to Offer “Theater of War,” Dramatic Readings of Ancient Greek Plays That Foretell Post War Battle Trauma in Today’s Conflicts
Sophocles Works Ajax and Philoctetes Underline Issue of PTSD -- 2,400 Years Ago and TodayDaemen College will offer “Theater of War,” a dramatic reading and discussion of the Greek plays "Philoctetes" and “Ajax” on the Daemen campus on Saturday, November 15. The leader of The Philoctetes Project, Bryan Doerries, will be here to coordinate the production. The dramatic readings – free and open to the public – will be performed in Wick Center on the Daemen campus, 4380 Main Street, Amherst, at 1 p.m. The panel discussion will begin following the readings of both plays, with ample time for each participant to contribute, as well as time for audience questions.
This event is made possible through a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.
"The Philoctetes Project is a theater production based on a new American translation of Philoctetes, a rarely produced Greek tragedy by Sophocles,” stated Daemen Associate Professor of History and Government Dr. Andrew K. Wise. “Through a series of recently staged readings in New York City, this 2400 year old play has become a catalyst for discussion between diverse audiences about heath care, chronic illness, and veterans returning from war who are struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
Doerries will be working with Daemen theater professor Christian Brandjes on the issues of staging the play during his stay in Buffalo. The panel discussion will relate to the play, primarily focusing on the issues of disabled veterans today.
Dr. David Gerber, professor and chair of the History Department at the University at Buffalo (dagerber@buffalo.edu), whose book Disabled Veterans in History includes an essay on "Philoctetes," will be on the panel, along with others in the area who have different perspectives on the issue of disabled veterans.
In Sophocles original play, Philoctetes had a painful foot wound, but was badly traumatized when his fellow soldiers left him behind, advancing to the next battle. The other man, Ajax, fell into a dark emotional hole, suffering symptoms that today are recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Today, military officers and cadets who view the play point out that Sophocles’ thoughts about war are timeless, and still on point all these years later, in what we today call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Bryan Doerries’ successful efforts to make classical theater relevant to a 21st century audience resonated with me,” added Dr. Wise. “All of us who are involved with bringing this production to Western New York through Daemen College believe in the relevance of the play for deepening our understanding of the difficulty of the situation disabled veterans face today.”
Following a recent dramatic reading of Ajax and Philoctetes before an audience dominated by 250 marines in San Diego, Doerries told the audience Ancient Greek drama was a form of storytelling and therapy for war veterans by war veterans. Sophocles himself had been a general. Because all Athenian men were expected to serve in the military, audiences were no doubt filled with veterans. We think these plays were a way to reintegrate soldiers back into society, he said.
Two and a half millenniums later, Doerries says little has changed when it comes to the needs of soldiers coming home. That will be the focus of the discussions following the plays performance at Daemen College. For more information, visit: www.philoctetesproject.org ; New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/nyregion/19nyc.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=doerries&st=cse&oref=slogin ; LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-combat15-2008aug15,0,6770815.story
There will also be a dramatic reading of both plays at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, at the New Phoenix Theater in Buffalo http://www.newphoenixtheatre.com/ .