Arts Talk welcomes Bryan Doerries, writer, translator, and artistic director of Theater of War Productions to discuss how, in an era of increasing isolation, the communal ethos and orientation of the ancient Greek amphitheater offers a template for performance to act as an onramp for forging community and navigating difficult conversations. For Doerries and Theater of War, the power and impact of their live productions emerge from one central, guiding value: The belief that there is wisdom in the audience, in every audience.
“Theater is an act of radical mediation that can create spaces where people can hear each other.” In episode 4, we are joined by Bryan Doerries, writer, translator, and Artistic Director of Theater of War Productions (@theaterofwar), a social impact company that reimagines live theater and community-specific productions as an interactive means for fostering constructive, global conversations that take up the pressing issues confronting our ever-polarized cultural and political moment. Enlisting acclaimed actors in the performance of ancient Greek plays and public readings of contemporary long-form journalism, Theater of War tackles public health and social issues through engaged productions that prioritize audience reactions and discussions as central to the main event. In this episode, Doerries shares how his own experience navigating personal loss brought him back to ancient Greek tragedies as a key source for learning how to navigate trauma, offering an affective roadmap for how to sit in and with difference and discomfort by laying bare our shared vulnerabilities and asking us to confront the preconceptions that too often inhibit our ability to find shared humanity in individuals unlike ourselves.
Music Credits
"Creativity," Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock
"Music for 18 Musicians: Section II," Steve Reich
"Electric Counterpoint," Steve Reich
"Four Organs," Steve Reich
"The Desert Music: Third Movement, Pt. 1 (Slow)," Steve Reich
"Octet," Steve Reich