People’s Light & Theatre Announces Free AJAX Readings, 10/17 & 11/28

People's Light & Theatre will host Theater of War Productions, a social impact company that presents readings of ancient Greek plays, with two readings of Sophocles' Ajax on Monday, October 17th and Monday, November 28th at 7pm on the Main Stage.

People's Light's Artistic Director AbiGail Adams directs. Company Member David Bradley will facilitate a discussion afterwards. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. The readings are free, but reservations are required. For reservations call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org.

Ajax tells the story of a fierce warrior who slips into a depression near the end of the Trojan War, attempts to murder his commanding officers, fails, and takes his own life. It is also the story of how Ajax's wife and troops attempt to intervene before it's too late.

"Our collaboration with Theater of War supports and enhances our many efforts to deepen community engagement," AbiGail Adams says. "We are so pleased that these readings of Ajax will begin our newest experiment in deepening engagement with a series of readings that also involve community partners."

Theater of War Productions, supported by a generous grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in collaboration with the USO, is partnering with prominent theaters across the United States to present Theater of War for mixed audiences comprised of military service men and women and civilians. Theater of War is an innovative public health project that presents readings of ancient Greek plays, Sophocles' Ajax and Philoctetes, as a catalyst for town hall discussions about the challenges faced by service men and women, veterans, their families, caregivers and communities. Using Sophocles' plays to forge a common vocabulary for openly discussing the impact of war on individuals, families, and communities, these events will be aimed at generating compassion and understanding between diverse audiences. Each performance is approximately two hours long. The readings from the plays are followed by comments from a panel that features a diverse group of military community members, as well as a town-hall style audience discussion. 

Panelists for the discussion will include combat veterans, family members of veterans, and medical professionals from the veterans' community. Community partners include the Coatesville Veterans Administration, the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum, and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration.

 

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