The Aquila Theatre Comes to Mount Kisco

Residents reaped the benefits of an erudite lecture on Greek drama from a renowned professor at NYU or to hear the accomplished voices of the actors in the Aquila Theatre.

The Friday program, entitled Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives, is part of a nation-wide effort to bring live cultural events to libraries in America. Members of the Aquila Theatre Company read several parts of Greek tragedies. Peter Meineck, the company’s artistic director and professor of classics at NYU, set the stage for each of the readings.

The main thrust of “the event was to show how these plays relate to contemporary life.” When Meineck spoke about the Iliad he said, “It’s 2,500 years old and it’s still relevant.”

Wars are ongoing and young people are suffering the consequences. The Greek tragedies speak to veterans in an intimate fashion. “The plays ask, ‘How could a young man or woman perform the savagery required of them and come home,” Meineck added.

In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, the theme of family versus duty is foremost, just as it is for many soldiers today. In the engaging discussion afterward, Meineck asked the audience to compare a hypothetical situation in the first Gulf War involving General Norman Schwarzkopf’s family to those faced by warriors in the Greek tragedies. The similarities resonated. Difficult decisions were faced by both parties. The aftermath of sacrifices had to be weighed.

Meineck spoke of the inordinate number of suicides among young soldiers and veterans. After a passage describing the suicide of Ajax was read, Meineck said, “This play addresses this directly.”

The parallels between Greek society portrayed in the plays and that of America in the twenty-first century are often uncanny and unsettling. Many of the institutions in America, including democracy, are founded on those of ancient Greece.

Organizer Martha Iwan was thrilled to have the performance in the library’s new space.

“This is a spectacular type of program that opens up a new way of looking at Greek literature,” she observed. 

Attendees were extremely appreciative.

“The price of war is too high,” said Aileen Gluck, a retired history teacher. “There must be a better way if we really are a higher animal.” 

Kathleen Bueti found the program to be very “educational.” She learned about the affect of war veterans. “We should pay more attention to them,” Bueti noted.

“I love hearing Greek drama,” said Marlene Poor. “It was so well spoken.”