WNL: 'Promethea in Prison' at the Wharton Center
February 22, 2019
- Promethea in Prison is an innovative theatrical reading of Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, exploring the impact on the incarcerated and the relationships between the imprisoned and their jailers.
- Admission for RCAH students, faculty, and staff is free.
- Counts as a Wednesday Night Live credit for RCAH students.
Kara Dempsey ’19
Revolutionary drama group Theater of War Productions will bring Promethea in Prison, its groundbreaking perspective on the effects of incarceration, to the Wharton Center on February 27 at 7:30 p.m. Theater of War is a production company performing community-centered shows that highlight public health and social issues.
Promethea in Prison is an innovative theatrical reading of Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, exploring the impact of mass incarceration on the incarcerated population and the relationships between the imprisoned and their jailers.
The traditional story unfolds that as punishment for giving fire to mankind, Zeus sentences Promethea to be chained to a rock at the end of the world for eternity. She remains steadfast in the righteousness of her cause throughout her punishment. This unique, participatory twist on the ancient myth highlights interplay between confrontation and compassion.
Promethea in Prison actors include Sonja Sohn, who played Detective Kima Greggs on the hit HBO series The Wire, and Deirdre Lovejoy, also of The Wire and American Gothic.
Guillermo Delgado, Community Artist and Academic Specialist in the Community and Socially Engaged Arts in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at MSU, has centered his work around this topic in particular. His prison poetry course and a resulting exhibit that opens Monday, February 25, 2019, in the RCAH LookOut! Arts Gallery feature work by and inspired by incarnated individuals.
The performance will be followed by an audience conversation facilitated by Dominic Dupont, who spent 20 years in state prison starting as a teenager, and was granted clemency in 2017 by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Since then, he has shared his story, experiences, and analysis across multiple venues and to a variety of audiences, including in Vice magazine and in HBO’s documentary Raised in the System. The performance and conversation count as a Wednesday Night Live credit for RCAH students.
Tickets are $24 or $19 for MSU students, available from the Wharton Center. Admission for RCAH students, faculty, and staff is free. Contact Amber Waldburger for more information at waldbur1@msu.edu or call 517 884-0383.
The evening is sponsored by the MSU Federal Credit Union and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University.
For more information on Theatre of War: https://theaterofwar.com
Purchase tickets here: https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/promethea-in-prison
Details about this event: http://rcah.msu.edu/events/wnl-promethea-prison.html
The Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University is where students live their passions while changing the world. In RCAH, students prepare for meaningful careers by examining critical issues through the lens of culture, the visual and performing arts, community engagement, literature, philosophy, history, writing, and social justice. RCAH is situated in historic Snyder-Phillips Hall, where students learn and live together in a small-college setting, with all the advantages of a major university. For more information, visit rcah.msu.edu, email rcah@msu.edu, or call 517-355-0210.
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