Theater of War: Soldiers & Citizens Tour Performance to Spur PTSD Awareness, Dialogue
Reg E. Cathey
Marin Ireland
The Theater of War: Soldiers & Citizens Tour will make a stop at Old Dominion on Saturday, March 29, to present dramatic readings of Sophocles' Ajax - an ancient Greek tragedy about the suicide of a great, respected warrior - to diverse military and civilian audiences in order to engage communities in powerful town hall discussions about the visible and invisible wounds of war.
The ODU readings will be presented by actors Reg E. Cathey and Marin Ireland. Cathey's credits include "The Wire," "Oz" and "House of Cards," while Ireland has appeared in "Homeland," "Mildred Pierce" and "reasons to be pretty." The presentations are intended to foster understanding and compassion, while mobilizing citizens and resources to help improve the lives of service members, veterans, their families and people in their communities.
The Saturday performance at ODU will be held from 2:30-4 p.m. in the Mills Godwin Jr. Building (Room 102). The event, co-hosted by ODU's Theatre Program, Institute for the Humanities and Office of Military Affairs, is free and open to the public. Students from the Institute for the Humanities and the theatre and film programs at ODU will have the opportunity to talk with the actors at noon.
To make reservations, email theaterofwarnorfolk@gmail.com. Seating is limited.
Outside the Wire (the organizers of the event), and its partners Massachusetts General Hospital Academy, National Council for Behavioral Health, and Points of Light, are the recent recipients of a generous two-year grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to present the Theater of War: Soldiers & Citizens Tour to National Guard and Reserve units and their communities across the United States, and continue community engagement using a mobile app and Google Hangouts On Air.
The performance is approximately 90 minutes long. The reading from the play will be followed by discussion with panelists from the local civilian and military communities, and a facilitated town-hall style audience discussion.
For more information about the Theater of War: Soldiers & Citizens Tour, and to view a trailer and other performance videos, visit the Outside the Wire website or the organization's Facebook page.