Theater of War

Professional actors John Ventimiglia, Jennifer Mudge, Chad Coleman, and Amari Cheatom perform a dramatic reading of scenes from Sophocles' Ajax and Philoctetes at the Hickam AFB Memorial Theater. This production brings insight to the challenges faced by combat veterans returning from war. (Photo by David D. Underwood, Jr.)

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Theater of War Comes to Hickam

Published April 28, 2010
By Kathryn Farrell
15th Airlift Wing spouse

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii -- "War never takes a wicked man by chance, the good man always."

This passage is an excerpt from Philoctetes, a play written by Sophocles in 409 B.C. Philoctetes is a play first performed at the Festival of Dionysus, where it won first prize. Taking place during the Trojan War, the play describes the attempt by Neoptolemus and Odysseus to bring the disabled Philoctetes with them to Troy.

Since the first war between men, there are always warriors who live to fight another day. There are those who return home a casualty as much as those who sacrificed thier lives for thier cause or country. Some think that the Greek playwright Sophocles was writing, in military dramas like Ajax and Philoctetes, about what is known as post-traumatic stress disorder.

A group of actors joined Team Hickam April 20 to bring the words of those Greek tragedies to life at the Hickam Memorial Theater as part of the Theater of War to Airmen stationed here. Amari Cheatam, Chad L. Coleman, Jennifer Mudge and John Ventimiglia performed a staged reading of selections from two ancient Greek plays.

The play's subject matter deals with the physical and psychological wounds of soldiers returning home from war. The story of Philoctetes, dealing with the wounded man and the interwoven relationships with others, has been noted not infrequently.

In 2005 Bryan Doerries, writer and director, began a series of readings of the plays in the New York city area. Noting the reactions of the audience to the reading, especially related to the reactions of audience members to the interaction of the suffering soldier and the conflicted caregiver, he and others started the Philoctetes Project, presenting such readings especially to audiences of medical professionals and students.

In 2008 at a conference dedicated to finding new ways to help U.S. Marines recover from post-traumatic stress and other disorders after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, four New York actors presented dramatic reading from the Greek tragedies, focusing on physical and psychological wounds inflicted on the warrior.

The theater company, Theater of War, has performed for military communities across the country and overseas, and includes a roster of well-known film and TV actors from New York.

This event was brought to Hawaii through the efforts of the Army, and to Hickam by the co-sponsorship of Integrated Delivery Systems and Hawaii Air National Guard. Col. Jeffrey Morgan, 15th Operations Group commander, opened the event with a brief speech in support of the project. The post-play discussion featured five panelists, including Master Sgt. Lane Martin, Maj. Kimberly Finney, Air Force Spouse Amy Stricker, Senior Airman Jordan Stewart and Chaplain Daniel Letterman. All agreed that the production served as a gateway to much-needed discussions about the struggles today's military personnel face as they depart for and return from war.

Director Brian Doerries expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to come to Hickam, and hopes that Theater of War may be a catalyst for deeper awareness of the issues facing our troops and an opportunity for community acknowledgement and healing.

For more information about this program or Mental Health and Family Advocacy Services, call Mental Health Flight at 449-0175.