Carthage Theatre Presents: Ajax

Carthage College's Theatre Department presents the world premiere of a new translation of Ajax, opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5.

The performances will run from Oct. 5-6 and Oct. 11-13 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional performance Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. The performances will be held in the Wartburg Theatre on the north end of the Carthage campus, 2001 Alford Park Drive.

This new translation of Ajax comes at the hands of Carthage classics major/theatre minor Melody Abbott ’18, and classics major and combat veteran Lawrence Gums ’19.

As relevant today as it was when Sophocles first wrote it, this timeless tragedy follows the story of Ajax, hero warrior of the Trojan War, who is publicly humiliated when the armor of fallen hero Achilles is gifted to Odysseus instead of him. Ajax vows revenge on the generals who have dishonored him, but is tricked by the goddess Athena into thinking a flock of sheep is actually a group of his enemies, whom he slaughters. Coming to his senses, Ajax is humiliated by his actions and teeters on the verge of suicide.

Will he take his own life, or can his wife Tekmessa and his own soldiers convince him to stay alive? Our new adaptation of “Ajax” aims to bridge the ancient and the contemporary, and shine a light on the current epidemic of PTSD and veteran suicide, exploring the issues faced by those who come home from war and attempt to re-enter society.

To reserve tickets, please visit www.carthage.edu/tickets.