Exploring the depth of wartime suffering and human trafficking, “The Trojan Women” by Euripedes and adapted by Ellen McLaughlin, will open the 2017-2018 performance season for the College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance. The season’s theme, Sustain This!, supports the College’s sustainability literacy initiative, which aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to solve future challenges of social justice, economic disparity and looming environmental concerns. The department is committed to exploring these critical challenges this season and every season.

In “The Trojan Women,” the ten-year siege of Troy during the late Bronze Age has ended. The men of Troy are gone, most slain in battle or during the bloody night of the Trojan Horse. Only the women remain, waiting to be taken away by their conquerors while grappling with grief, fear and the loss of family, friends, husbands and lovers. Though the war is over, exile and degradation lie ahead for these women.