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May 16, 2009
"Theater of War" program designed to address emotional repercussions of war
USA Today (5/6, Moore) reports that the Theater of War program, "conceived last year" by classicist and theater director Bryan Doerries, "addresses a most contemporary problem: the psychic damage of war.
Amid the military's stepped-up effort to combat post-traumatic stress" disorder (PTSD) "and suicide in troops that have been through multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the performance is designed to provoke soldiers into greater awareness of the emotional toll on themselves and their families."
Troops listen to "readings from Ajax and Philoctetes, both plays by Sophocles, poet and general of the 5th century BC," then take part in "a discussion" with other "audience members and a panel of military leaders and mental-health professionals."
The "military hopes such storytelling will help soldiers with PTSD who haven't sought help."
Related Links:
- "Stressed troops take cues from ancient plays," Martha T. Moore, USA Today, May 6, 2009.
Posted by admin at May 16, 2009 02:29 PM