Frankie Faison Giving Philoctetes Reading at Loyola University

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland will host Theater of War Productions’ dramatic reading of Philoctetes by Sophocles, Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. in McGuire Hall (Andrew White Student Center, 4501 North Charles St., Baltimore, Md. 21210).

Theater of War Productions works with leading film, theater and television actors to present dramatic readings of seminal plays – from classical Greek tragedies to modern and contemporary works – followed by town hall-style discussions designed to confront social issues by drawing out raw and personal reactions to themes highlighted in the plays.

Philoctetes is the Trojan War tale of the wounded warrior. The Theater of War Productions cast includes Artistic Director Bryan Doerries and Company Manager Marjolaine Goldsmith, with Frankie Faison, who has been an actor of stage, screen and television for 40+ years.

Faison’s film credits include Coming To America, Do The Right Thing, White Chicks, Down To Earth and Thomas Crown Affair. Television credits include: The Wire, Banshee, Luke Cage, The Good Wife, Law and Order. Stage credits include Fences, King Lear, Death of a Salesman, Macbeth and Two Trains Running. He also has appeared in many commercials and music videos; his voice has been featured in many voiceovers and books on tape.

Free and open to the region’s academic communities and the general public, the presentation will be followed by a town hall discussion – among Loyola professors and other local veterans – on the effects of war on military veterans and their families. Audience members are encouraged to share their perspectives and experiences, and help to break down stigmas, foster empathy, compassion and a deeper understanding of complex issues.

The Philoctetes event kicks off a month of faculty workshops, creative performances and student-faculty colloquia related to the theme, “The Wounds of War.”

“This theme offers a chance to hear about our troops’ lives in their own words, and to bridge the divide between civilian and military experience,” said Jane Satterfield, Humanities Symposium director and professor of writing.

The events conclude with Phil Klay, a U.S. Marine Corp veteran and award-winning author of Redeployment, delivering the keynote address at the Humanities Symposium 2020, Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m., in McGuire Hall. Free and open to the public, the lecture will be immediately followed by a book signing with Klay.

Selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by the New York Times. Redeployment comprises 12 short stories focusing on front-line and home-front experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The book has won many awards, including the National Book Award for Fiction, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s James Webb Award, National Book Critics’ Circle John Leonard Award for best debut work in any genre, American Library Association’s W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction and Chautauqua Prize.

To reserve seating for the Philoctetes or keynote events, visit www.loyola.edu/woundsofwar. For more information, contact Bess Garrett, program assistant for the Center for Humanities, at esgarrett@loyola.edu or 410.617.2617.