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The Theatre of War
The Theatre of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today | Bryan Doerries
9 posts | 6 read | 2 to read
A compassionate, personal, and illuminating work of nonfiction that draws on the author's celebrated work as a director of socially conscious theater to connect readers with the power of an ancient artistic tradition. For years, Bryan Doerries has been producing ancient tragedies for current and returned servicemen and women, addicts, tornado and hurricane victims, and a wide range of other at-risk people in society. Here, drawing on these extraordinary firsthand experiences, Doerries clearly and powerfully illustrates the redemptive and therapeutic potential of this classical, timeless art: how, for example, "Ajax"can help soldiers and their loved ones grapple with PTSD, or how"Prometheus Bound"provides insights into the modern penal system. Doerries is an original and magnanimous thinker, and"The Theater of War"--wholly unsentimental but intensely felt and emotionally engaging--is a humane, knowledgeable, and accessible book that will inspire and inform readers, showing them that suffering and healing are both part of a timeless process."
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Andrea313
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Pickpick

The author's personal narrative here is not always overly compelling, but the account of the work undertaken is phenomenal. Theatre of War makes an ancient tradition alive and present on military bases, in hospice centers, carceral institutions, homeless shelters, mental health facilities and more, doing exactly what theatre, at it's best, is meant to do- challenge, inspire, heal, create community, and bring us into dialogue and reflection.

17 likes1 comment
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Andrea313
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I'm a big believer in the power of applied theatre, and was very excited to discover each of these titles in small bookstores as I traveled earlier this year. It feels like they'd be good companion reads so I'm starting now with the tagged book. We'll see where it takes me! #SeeMoreTheatre #DoMoreTheatre #ActOut

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KatesFree

Also an awesome audiobook, narrated by Adam Driver (who will hopefully narrate many many more audiobooks) this has a lot of interesting stuff about ancient Greek theater.

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RavenRenegade
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I‘m not saying this is a cheerful book to listen to, but it does explore interesting topics that are not often openly discussed. #audiobook #thetheaterofwar #2020readinglog

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KathyWheeler
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Although I was bored during the first part of this book where Doerries talks about what lead him to be interested in directing classical tragedy performances for first the military, then prisons, and then hospice workers, I‘m glad I persevered. When he discusses the performances and the reaction of the audiences to them, the book comes alive. This is a consideration for our Common Read program. So glad I‘m on that committee!

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KathyWheeler
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My 5 year-old granddaughter is reading my book. 😊❤️

britt_brooke Adorable! 5y
JoScho ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
KathyWheeler It made me cry; I don‘t know why. She told us that she‘d never be able to learn to read — I‘m clueless as to why she thought that — and here she is reading this book to me. 5y
Alfoster Awwww!😍 5y
Slajaunie 💚💚💚 5y
34 likes5 comments
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KathyWheeler
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Starting these two today. The tagged book is being considered for next year‘s Common Read.

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Gpapp
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Hard to put down. The author weaves his own story of grief with analyses of Greek tragedy, as well as the story of how he made a career of staging these plays for audiences of soldiers, hospice workers, and first responders. Makes me want to reread Sophocles. Worth a read!