Great art is timeless because it provides insights into our souls, into how we think and why we do what we do. That’s as true of Shakespeare’s sonnets as it is of Michelangelo’s frescoes, as it is of the Greek tragedies.

But what if those classics could be repurposed to shed light on the specific challenges facing us today? Would it be possible to understand the impact of racial discrimination, political corruption, war or flawed relationships in the same raw and real ways that the original audiences of Shakespeare, Michelangelo, and the Greeks understood them?

The results would be amazing, healing, entertaining, and educational. The long lens of antiquity could strip away what we think is so special about our time, focusing instead on what makes us human.

That’s exactly what Bryan Doerries and the Theater of War Productions have been doing for almost two decades, around the United States and around the world. And the results are, in fact, transformational.

Listen as Bryan explains how his personal loss led him to re-imagine a very old art form.

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Find the New Thinking for a New World podcast on a platform of your choice (Apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcast, Youtube, etc.)

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Theater of War Productions creates community-driven, theater-based projects that address urgent social and public health issues. Since 2009, it has reached over 150,000 people through programs designed to spark dialogue and healing.

A powerful example is Antigone in Ferguson, which fuses dramatic readings of Sophocles’ Antigone with live choral music performed by a diverse choir of activists, youth, teachers, and police officers. Created with Ferguson community members after the 2014 killing of Michael Brown, the project confronts racial injustice, police violence, and systemic inequality through art and conversation.

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ABOUT OUR GUEST

Bryan Doerries is a writer, director, and translator who currently serves as Artistic Director of Theater of War Productions. A self-described evangelist for ancient stories and their relevance to our lives today, Doerries uses age-old approaches to help individuals and communities heal from trauma and loss.

During his tenure at Theater of War Productions, the company has presented diverse projects across the United States and internationally. The company uses dramatic readings of seminal plays and community conversations to confront topics such as combat-related psychological injury, end-of-life care, racialized violence, incarceration, gun violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, the refugee crisis, and addiction.

Doerries’ books include The Theater of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today, The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan, All That You’ve Seen Here is God, and Oedipus Trilogy. Among his awards, he has received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Kenyon College, was named Public Artist in Residence (PAIR) for the City of New York, and was recently elected a Hastings Center Fellow.