The Trojan Women opened last weekend and it was amazing to finally share our work with audiences. It didn’t surprise us that reactions to the play were strong. Each night the theatre was filled with silence when the final blackout came. It took the audience a few seconds to start their applause.

In our talk-backs audience members said they couldn’t applaud because they were processing all they had seen- it was so emotional that they needed a few seconds to come back into the real world. Greek Tragedy does this to audiences. It was created with the singular purpose to make audiences experience catharsis- an intense purging of emotions that the playwrights hoped would keep the audience from making the same mistakes the characters made. With The Trojan Women, Euripides made his voice heard: we must end the violence. While our audiences were quiet at first, they opened up in the talk-backs following the show. They were struck by how real the show felt, and were moved to draw connections to the current refugee crisis. In our own small corner of the world, catharsis worked and Euripides’ message was heard loud and clear.

Tonight we perform for the entire ninth grade class. They have studied Homer’s The Odyssey (the journey that Cassandra predicts during the play) and will, no doubt, bring their expertise to our post-show talk back.

There are still three more opportunities to catch the show this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. To learn more or order tickets visit our website.