Georgetown Hosts Dr. Fauci, Jesse Eisenberg in ‘Oedipus Rex’ Reading for DC Climate Week

On April 21, Georgetown hosted performances by actor Jesse Eisenberg, Distinguished University Professor Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and others for a special showcase of Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex."

The Gaston Hall event was hosted by the Earth Commons Institute for Environment & Sustainability and the Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics, together with Theater of War Productions, as a part of DC Climate Week. The event also featured performances by actors Bill Irwin, Erika Rose, Craig Wallace and Mare Winningham, as well as Jumaane Williams, public advocate of the City of New York.

Read by the actors and other public figures, the Greek tragedy was presented within the contemporary framing of climate change, ecological disaster, ethical leadership and environmental justice.

Actor Jesse Eisenberg led the cast as King Oedipus. Dr. Fauci played the unpopular prophet, Tiresias, who heralds Oedipus' doom. And Schumer was cast as the Chorus.

They read from scenes newly translated by the performance's director and Theater of War Artistic Director Bryan Doerries.

"We rely on science, on data, on the hard facts - they are essential," said Peter Marra, dean of the Earth Commons, in his introduction. "But facts alone are not enough, and this is why we also work in the arts and humanities - so we can feel what these issues mean."

The event also featured opportunities for audience participation, including a reflection period that featured Megan Lu (C'28), alumna Michaela Harrison (SFS'92) and Earth Commons and School of Foreign Service professor and climate scientist Megan Lickley.

Community members reflected on the declining trust in scientific fact, the absence of political leadership in environmental issues and the burden carried by future generations. The audience, which included over 1,000 virtual participants from 18 countries, also reflected on hope for the future.

The audience passed around a microphone to offer responses to the performance. Many drew parallels between Fauci's role predicting Oedipus' doom and his real-world role in representing the scientific community and evolving public health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We see all of this work as deeply connected to Georgetown's core value of cura personalis - care for the whole person," said Derek Goldman, professor in the SFS and College of Arts & Sciences and artistic and executive director of The Lab. "The fact that, at such a difficult moment in our world, so many of you have cared enough to show up - both in person and across the globe on Zoom - speaks to the urgency and appetite for this kind of communal civic forum."

By Justine Bowe