*CALL FOR PARTICIPATION* Theater of War: the Long-Term Care Trilogy

October 26, 2022

Theater of War: Philoctetes—a project presenting readings of Sophocles’ Philoctetes, an ancient Greek play about a warrior who abandoned by his friends on a desolate island on account of a chronic illness, as a catalyst for facilitated discussions about the challenges of witnessing suffering and healing wounds—both visible and invisible.

October 27, 2022

The Oedipus at Colonus Project—a project presenting readings of scenes from Sophocles’ final play, Oedipus at Colonus, as catalyst for powerful, community-driven conversations about the challenges of eldercare during and after the pandemic.

October 28, 2022

The King Lear Project—a project presenting streamlined readings of scenes from Shakespeare’s King Lear to engage diverse audiences—including older adults, caregivers, and family members—in open, healing, constructive discussions about the challenges of aging, dementia, and caring for friends and loved ones.

1. Participate as actors (reader or chorus member) in a performance.

• The time commitment is limited. You’ll need to attend two 90-minute rehearsals, one on Zoom and one in person at the venue (in Toronto), in advance of the event.
• Chorus members will be reading from a script and do not need to have acting experience to participate.
• Chorus members will participate live, in person at the venue in Toronto.
• Chorus members will receive an honorarium for their time and participation.

2. Participate on the community panel.

• Panelists will participate virtually and in person, depending on their location
• Panelists are asked not to prepare, but to respond in the moment—from their hearts and guts—to what they hear and see in the reading of the performances that resonates with their own experiences—modeling a candor, spontaneity, and openness that we will be asking of the audience after they finish their brief opening remarks.
• We are not after polished or prepared remarks, but real and immediate reactions, however messy or unscripted, that take place in the moment.
• As a reminder, we are not looking for high ranking people or “experts,” but rather those engaged at community level, who will democratize the conversation.
• Theater of War Productions will provide a letter to panelists and will schedule time to brief panelists before the event.

3. Host a “ground site,” linked to your long-term care homes throughout Ontario, where in person audience (10 – 50 people) will gather to watch and participate in the event on Zoom.

• This can be held at the LTC home or somewhere in the community (or via Zoom, pending the COVID situation at the time)

Theater of War Productions works with leading film, theater, and television actors to present dramatic readings of seminal texts—from classical Greek tragedies to sermons, books, speeches, and modern works of poetry— to provide a framework for engaging communities in powerful discussions about critical subjects, such as the visible and invisible wounds of war, political violence, genocide, the challenges faced by refugees and immigrants, homelessness, the pandemic, and the climate crisis. The company uses a combination of theater and guided dialogue to help diverse communities address pressing public health and social issues, helping break down stigmas and foster empathy, compassion, and a deeper understanding of complex issues.

Over the past thirteen years, more than two-hundred acclaimed actors have participated in the company’s projects, including: Adam Driver, Jake Gyllenhaal, Frances McDormand, Oscar Isaac, Damian Lewis, Bill Murray, Martin Sheen, James Earl Jones, John Turturro, Blythe Danner, Jesse Eisenberg, Paul Giamatti, Terrence Howard, David Strathairn, Samira Wiley, Taylor Schilling, Amy Ryan, Moses Ingram, Cynthia Nixon, Dianne Wiest, Jeffrey Wright, and many more. Sharing the stage with these actors, individuals directly affected by the issues being explored share their own experiences and responses to the plays as a preface to community conversations that follow.

In April of 2020, due to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, Theater of War Productions pivoted to a virtual production model on Zoom’s webinar platform. Over the past two-years the company has delivered sixty-six online events for more than 250,000 people from more than 100 countries, touching audiences on every continent, as well as on research and military vessels at sea. This new mode of production and communication has harnessed the power of both ancient and emerging technologies to reach people all over the world, in live settings, on their devices, and in their homes and places of work and worship, bringing them into powerful, global, pluralistic dialogue across borders, boundaries, and divisions.

For more information, please visit: theaterofwar.com, and for a full list of the company’s more than twenty-five active projects, please visit: theaterofwar.com/projects.