Ajax in Iraq

WRITTEN BY ELLEN MCLAUGHLIN
DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY JOHN FARMANESH-BOCCA

Greenway Court Theatre, 2016
Los Angeles Premiere — The Miles Memorial Playhouse, 2014

*** LA TIMES CRITIC'S CHOICE ***

“A dead on triumph…Director-choreographer John Farmanesh-Bocca rallies his stalwart Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble forces into breathtaking kinetic cohesion…It would be madness to miss it.” — David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times

"In every way, Ajax in Iraq is a consummate collective victory by the Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble." — People's World

"GO - Aaron Hendry [gives] a performance of unparalleled ferocity." — LA Weekly

"Not Man Apart, with its shocking, powerful production of Ajax in Iraq, would make Sophocles proud." — Theatre Ghost

"Four Stars ... The powerful, uncompromising Ajax in Iraq is notable in every respect: acting, directing, costumes, sound, and musical effects." — Total Theater 

"If you get a chance to see it...run, run, run, and take a vet." — Joe Straw #9

Raw, dynamic, heartfelt, and visceral, Ajax in Iraq parallels the lives of ancient and modern heroes. This stunning physical drama grapples with issues that have become all too well known to the American public – war of occupation, PTSD, sexual abuse, and the price of committing combat troops to situations that may have no end.

Ellen Mclaughlin’s electrifying play intertwines the story of a AJ, a female US Army combatant, with the legend of Ajax, a Greek Hero of the Trojan War who’s story is said to be the first documented case of post-traumatic stress disorder. The result is shocking, captivating, strangely humorous, and relentlessly honest.