Introduction
I first heard Professor Peter Meineck speak at the CANE Summer Institute held at Dartmouth in 2011. Professor Meineck, Clinical Associate Professor of Classics at New York University, and Founder of Aquila Theater gave three astounding presentations on his work in ancient Greek theater: The first explored how masks such as those believed to be worn by ancient actors affect the viewing experience and the audience profoundly. His second presentation took up the viewing experience of audiences at the site of the festival of Dionysus in Athens, where the shape and orientation of the seating area was debated vis-a-vis the approach to the theater and its setting.
At the close of the Institute, Professor Meineck presented his work with Aquila Theater, the company that he founded in New York City, and in particular, its work with post-combat American servicemen, servicewomen and the communities to which they have returned. Utilizing scenes from Greek drama and epic poetry, Aquila members open a dialogue among community members that can address issues veterans face upon their return from war. We watched a demonstration of a dramatic reading of one such text used in this work: the recognition scene in Book 23 of the Odyssey, in which Odysseus is recognized by first his nursemaid Eurykleia. The homecoming of Odysseus echoed the return of veterans who must reclaim their identities in their home communities.
I was excited to hear about how the ancient texts that I have come to love and appreciate are also serving communities across America to initiate constructive dialogue and to address critical needs. This furthermore inspired me to teach the Iliad in translation and to discuss with several classes of high school students the current relevance of ancient epic poetry to returning veterans. Our reading of the Iliad concluded with a project in which we temporarily adopted a serviceman who had been recently medically discharged after he sustained a traumatic brain injury. My students wrote beautiful and thoughtful sentiments of thanks and appreciation in lovely cards for him after his early retirement.
Recently I inquired of Professor Meineck whether he would be willing to give us at CANE an update on this work that Aquila is doing with the public and where it is headed next. He graciously agreed to an interview and the following is my representation of this informative and enjoyable conversation.
How does Aquila Theater reach the public and veterans with its projects?
Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives, and now YouStories, was a project begun in 2007 to bring veterans and people in the community together, in public venues such as libraries to discuss what these ancient texts mean to us today, and how they can teach understanding of the Veteran experience and the ramifications of war. The fundamental idea behind these programs is applying the humanities, and in this case, the Classics, to create community engagement and foster an informed public discourse.
In 2010 the program was expanded into Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives with an $800,000 Chairman’s Special Award from the NEH. Now Aquila was able to visit over 100 sites in predominantly inner city and rural communities and in 2012 the program was even staged at the White House. Aquila hired over 50 classical scholars to work on this massive program and it was very successful.
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