Jesse Eisenberg and Dr. Anthony Fauci headlined a live dramatic reading of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall on Tuesday, April 21, presented as part of Theater of War Productions’ acclaimed Oedipus Project.
They were joined by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Mare Winningham (St. Elmo’s Fire, Dopesick), Bill Irwin (Interstellar, Sesame Street), Erika Rose (Queens Girl in Africa, In Darfur), and Craig Wallace (Fences, A Christmas Carol).
The performance, co-presented by Georgetown’s Earth Commons Institute, The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, and Theater of War Productions, featured scenes from Sophocles’ tragedy followed by a guided audience discussion on climate change, ethical leadership, public health, and ecological justice.
The in-person event was sold out and was also streamed live for a global audience. First performed in 429 BC in the aftermath of a plague that killed roughly one-third of the Athenian population, Oedipus the King tells the story of a ruler whose arrogance and ignored warnings leave his city ravaged by pestilence and ecological collapse – a frame Theater of War has used since 2020 to catalyze global conversations about the climate crisis.
The evening launched a new multi-year partnership between Georgetown and Theater of War Productions. The collaboration will also develop a new co-production inspired by The Trial and Death of Socrates, blending classical texts with civic dialogue around environmental and social challenges.
The initiative builds on the ongoing work of Earth Commons and The Lab under the artistic leadership of Earth Commons Faculty Fellow Derek Goldman, Artistic and Executive Director of The Lab, whose previous projects include the global youth climate initiative We Hear You and collaborations with The Kennedy Center, the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden, and partners in Qatar and Greece.
