Greek Classics—Modern Life

About this episode

Bryan Doerries discusses the relevance of Greek tragedies in fostering empathy and understanding in modern society.

For thousands of years, Greek tragedies have helped people make sense of fear, grief, conflict, and the complexities of being human. Bryan Doerries—co-founder and Artistic Director of Theater of War Productions and a newly selected Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winner—has spent nearly two decades bringing these timeless texts to contemporary audiences. In this episode, he reflects on how classical stories open space for empathy, dialogue, and healing in the 21st century. By stripping away the myth that our struggles are unique to our time, Doerries helps reveal what connects us across cultures and generations.

People in this episode

Guest: Bryan Doerries

Topics covered

• Greek tragedies
• empathy
• dialogue
• healing
• human experience
• classical stories

Keywords

• Greek classics
• tragedy
• empathy
• dialogue
• healing
• human complexities
• cultural connection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Theater of War Productions, Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize

Books & works: Greek tragedies

More episodes of New Thinking for a New World - a Tallberg Foundation Podcast

• Ye Jin Min: The Music (Part 2) · June 4, 2026 · 11 min
• Unboxing the Music Business · June 4, 2026 · 32 min
• Democracy Succeeds (At Least in Bangladesh) · March 5, 2026 · 36 min
• This Is What Leadership Looks Like · February 26, 2026 · 24 min
• Middle Eastern Challenges · February 19, 2026 · 37 min
• GOOOAL!!! · January 29, 2026 · 30 min