On Monday, February 28 and Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m., the A.R.T. in Cambridge is partnering with Theater of War Productions to present two free, public presentations of Theater of War.
Theater of War Productions, supported by a generous grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in collaboration with the United Service Organizations, is partnering with prominent theaters and universities across the United States to present Theater of War for mixed audiences comprised of military service members and civilians. Theater of War is an innovative project that presents readings of Ancient Greek plays – Sophocles’s Ajax and Philoctetes – as a catalyst for town hall discussions about the challenges faced by service members, veterans, and their families and caregivers today. Using Sophocles’s 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.
Directed by Ellen McLaughlin
Translated and facilitated by Bryan Doerries
Produced by Phyllis Kaufman
Readings are followed by a panel discussion with active-duty military and veterans, their family members, and mental health professionals, concluding with a town hall discussion with the audience.
• Monday, February 28 at 7 p.m.: Excerpts from Philoctetes and Ajax
Cast:
Athena in AJAX and Chorus in PHILOCTETES: Kaaron Briscoe
Tecmessa in AJAX: Linda Powell
Ajax in AJAX and Odysseus in PHILOCTETES: Brent Harris
Chorus in AJAX and Neoptolemus in PHILOCTETES: Nick Crandall
Odysseus in AJAX and Philoctetes in PHILOCTETES: Ed Walsh
Panelists:
Ed Walsh, Iraq Veteran (U.S. Marine Corps)
Imelda Fisher, widow of a 10th Special Forces Green Beret, Army Community Service at Fort Devens
Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel promotable Ronald R. Huffman, U.S. Army Garrison Chaplain, Fort Devens
Bill Donoghue, Minister of the United Church of Christ, Vietnam Veteran (Navy Corpsman, U.S. Marine Corps), and father of a Marine currently serving in Afghanistan
• Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m.: Excerpts from Ajax
Cast:
Athena: Kaaron Briscoe
Tecmessa: Linda Powell
Ajax: Brent Harris
Agamemnon: Larry Coen
Chorus: Nick Crandall
Teucer: Nathan Darrow
Odysseus: Ed Walsh
Panelists:
Lieutenant Colonel Warren Bacote, Commander of U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Devens
Evan Bick, First Lieutenant (MA National Guard), formerly infantry platoon leader (U.S. Army)
Gillian Sowden, Harvard Medical School student, married to Evan Bick
Tickets are free but reservations are required.
Tickets can be reserved through the Box Office at 617.547.8300, in person at the Box Office located at 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA, or online using the following links:
Reserve tickets for Monday, February 28 at 7 p.m.
Reserve tickets for Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m.
You can learn more about Theater of War by visiting: www.theater-of-war.com
Read an article about Theater of War’s work.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED IN THE GREATER BOSTON AREA
In bringing Theater of War to the American Repertory Theater, we hope to generate compassion and understanding among diverse audiences of military and civilian backgrounds. Here are some local organizations that provide opportunities to get involved:
United Service Organizations (USO)
The USO is a non-profit, congressionally chartered, private organization dedicated that lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families.
Act Now
Volunteer
eMail Our Military
Using email, eMOM provides a safe way for people to continue the tradition of “Any Service Member” mail with a much more personal touch. Service Members register with us for support and are matched with civilians who have registered to send and show their support to our troops.
Learn More
Wounded Warriors
The Wounded Warrior Project seeks to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members by providing programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
Get Involved
Wounded Warriors Family Support
The mission of WWFS is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured, or killed during combat operations. The families of casualties suffer in many ways: some financially, some psychologically. WWFS mitigates their trauma by allowing them to find peace and solace as a family once more in family-friendly resorts provided free of charge.
Learn More
How You Can Help
Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides a wide range of benefits including Disability, Education and Training, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, Home Loan Guaranty, Dependant and Survivor Benefits, Medical Treatment, Life Insurance, and Burial Benefits.
Volunteer
Boston VA Health Care System
The VA Boston Healthcare System’s consolidated facility consists of the Jamaica Plain campus, located in the heart of Boston’s Longwood Medical Community; the West Roxbury campus, located on the Dedham line; and the Brockton campus, located 20 miles south of Boston in the City of Brockton.
Volunteer or Donate
Brockton Campus Volunteer Director: (774) 826-1957
Jamaica Plain Campus Volunteer Director: (857) 364-5069
West Roxbury Campus Program Assistant: (857) 203-5135
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state, and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.
How You Can Help
No Greater Sacrifice
No Greater Sacrifice (NGS) was created to help educate the children of those in the armed services who have been permanently wounded or have fallen in the line of duty. NGS raises funds to support the educational needs of their children and families and partners with charities already on the ground.
Learn More
Get Involved
Yellow Ribbon Fund
The Yellow Ribbon Fund was created in 2005 to assist our injured service members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. Contributions made through the Yellow Ribbon Fund have provided transportation, lodging, activities, and mentorship for injured service members and their families.
How to Help
The American Legion – Homeless Veterans Task Force
The American Legion’s Homeless Veterans Task Force works to ensure local services and resources are available to homeless veterans and their families. The Task Force collaborates with government agencies, homeless service providers and veterans’ service organizations to develop and implement initiatives that will help homeless veterans.
Learn More
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
IAVA is dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the civilian supporters of those Troops and Veterans.
TAKE ACTION
If you are a mental health professional, you may be interested in finding out more about these organizations:
Give an Hour
Give an Hour™ is asking mental health professionals nationwide to literally donate an hour of their time each week to provide free mental health services to military personnel and their families. Research will guide the development of additional services needed by the military community, and appropriate networks will be created to respond to those needs. Individuals who receive services will be given the opportunity to give an hour back in their own community.
Learn More
Volunteer
The Soldier’s Project
The Soldier’s Project is a group of licensed mental health professionals who offer free psychological treatment to military service members (active duty, National Guard, Reserves, and veterans) who have served or who expect to serve in the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan, and also provide help to members of their families and other loved ones.
Learn More
How to Help
Boston Chapter: boston@thesoldiersproject.org, 617-507-1444
If you are a lawyer, you may be interested in finding out more about this program:
Lawyers Serving Warriors
Through a nationwide network of volunteer attorneys, Lawyers Serving Warriors™ has provided free legal services to hundreds of warriors who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.
Learn More
Home Base Program, Red Sox Foundation & Massachusetts General Hospital
The Home Base Program, a partnership between the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, is dedicated to improving the lives of veterans who deployed in support of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and live with deployment- or combat-related stress and/or traumatic brain injury.
Learn More
Massachusetts General Hospital Volunteer Services: (617) 643-7350
Red Sox Foundation Volunteer Services: (617) 226-6614
Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists (SOFAR)
Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists is a pro bono, mental health project that provides free psychological support, psychotherapy, psychoeducation and prevention services to extended family of reserve and national guard from time of alert through the period of reunion and reintegration.
Your Services
Massachusetts Chapter: (617) 266-2611, help@SOFARUSA.org
Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.
Gold Star Wives of America, Incorporated is an organization of widows and widowers whose spouses died while on active duty in the military services or as the result of a military service connected cause.
Volunteer
New England Region: (978) 689-2610
New England Center for Homeless Veterans
The Mission of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans is to extend a helping hand to homeless men and women veterans who are addressing the challenges of addiction, trauma, severe and persistent mental illness, and/or unemployment and who will commit themselves to sobriety, non-violence, and working for personal change.
Volunteer
Volunteers of America, Massachusetts
Operation Stand Down is a grassroots, community-based intervention program designed to help the nation’s estimated 200,000 homeless veterans “combat” life on the streets. Homeless and at risk veterans are brought together in a single location for one to three days and are provided access to the community resources needed to begin addressing their individual problems and rebuilding their lives.
Learn More
Operation Stand Down: To Volunteer with or Donate to the Homeless Veterans Programs, contact: MassStandDown@voamass.org – 617-522-8086, Ext 228
Made possible by the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in collaboration with the United Service Organizations.