In 415 B.C.E., Athens had just begun the Sicilian Expedition, which would become one of its greatest military disasters. Sickened by the senseless destruction, Euripides was moved to write what remains one of the most powerful indictments of war the world has ever known: The Trojan Women. Set only two days after the Greeks infiltrated Troy with their wooden horse, the play explores the true reason why men go to war and who their actions affect the most. Among the once noble women who now wait to be taken to Greece as slaves are Hecuba the aging queen, Cassandra the mad prophetess, Andromache who was once the wife of a hero, and the dangerously beautiful Helen of Troy herself.

About the Director: J. Deschene is pleased to direct for Theatre@First again. Previous directing credits include Lysistrata, The Baltimore Waltz and The Bully Plays (the latter two as assistant director). Onstage, Deschene has been seen by T@F audiences as Lady Catherine in Pride & Prejudice and Greta in Bent. Deschene has also spent two years as program director for the Bare Bones Staged Reading Series.