Ajax, Greek tragedy told to National Guardsmen about military suicide

Centuries-old tragedy opens personal dialogue on military suicides
Joint Force Headquarters
Pennsylvania National Guard
Story by Tech. Sgt. Ted Nichols
August 8, 2014

Theater of War comes to FTIG Tech. Sgt. Ted Nichols

Actress Chinasa Ogbuagu (left) reading for Tecmessa, actor Brendan Griffin (center) reading for Ajax and associate artistic director Greg Taubman (right) perform a dramatic reading of Sophocles' "Ajax" at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., Aug 8, 2014. The reading was part of the Theater of War: Soldiers and Citizens Tour and was sponsored by the Pennsylvania National Guard's Guard’s Resilience, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Program.

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - An ancient Greek story about the invisible wounds of war experienced during decades of war in Athens, Greece, more than 2,500 years ago, was recently brought to a modern-day audience of citizen-soldiers and –airmen in central Pennsylvania.

More than 200 soldiers, airmen and civilians gathered at Fort Indiantown Gap Aug. 8 for a dramatic reading from Sophocles’ “Ajax” as part of the Theater of War: Soldiers and Citizens Tour.

“This play, Ajax, and all of the Greek tragedies, were written in a century in which Athens was at war for 80 years, and you had the full city come together to see these plays once a year,” said Greg Taubman, associate artistic director for Theater of War. “What our artistic director Bryan Doerries realized is that this was a play written for veterans by veterans and a play for military audiences in its original context and that we would have a lot to learn about the text by bringing it to military audiences.”

The dramatic reading of the ancient Greek tragedy about a war hero’s suicide—after what would be called post-traumatic stress today—and the struggles faced by his family, utilized the talent of actor Brendan Griffin, whose credits include “Taking Chance,” “Generation Kill” and “The Good Wife,” and actress Chinasa Ogbuagu, whose credits include “Law and Order,” “Nurse Jackie” and “Fringe.”

“As actors we don’t often have an opportunity to do things that have impact beyond just performing, and this is a really compelling way for me to do what I do and have it have resonance in the communities beyond just entertainment,” said Griffin. “I’ve found that, as I get older, it becomes more and more important to do things that allow me to interact with other communities and do things that are profound and interact with issues that are much greater than myself and much greater than my own community, and being part of Theater of War is an incredible opportunity to be part of something greater.”
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