Kenyon College graduate, acclaimed actors bring healing to Knox County

Kenyon College graduate Bryan Doerries will present "The Book of Job Project" to Knox County on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The project's focus is to bring people together through dramatic readings by actors including Bill Murray, Frankie Faison, Nyasha Hatendi— and Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr.

The free Zoom event will be from 4-6 p.m. Register at bookofjobohio.eventbrite.com. Following the dramatic reading— with Murray as Job and Starr as the Accuser— an interfaith panel will discuss the story.

Theater of War Productions has been reaching out to partners including churches, the Jewish community and to the Muslim community in Columbus.

They hope to create an ecumenical discussion of the ancient texts; Bryan Doerries, artistic director of Theater of War Productions, said.

"It's basically why do bad things happen to good people," Starr said, such as the pandemic and civil unrest. "Why are there so many bad things seemingly going on in our community, and how do we deal with it?"

Using an ancient story enables everyone to listen to each other’s differences without regard to politics, religion or other things, Doerries said.

"The objective is actually to reach off the hill and into the Mount Vernon and Knox County community and really— post-election, mid-pandemic— to create the conditions for healing and dialogue," he said. "The objective of our discussions is not that everyone agrees but that we make the commitment to listen to each other's truth, respect and without judgment."

The project premiered in Joplin, Mo., in 2012; after an F5 tornado killed 168 people and destroyed 10,000 homes in 32 minutes. The governor's office asked if Theater of War Productions could help the people in Joplin a year after the tornado come together and heal.

In Knox County, the project is an offshoot of a year-long residency with Kenyon College.

Thousands of people from around the globe are expected to log in to the event.

"We want to center the discussion of 'The Book of Job' and the perspectives of residents of Knox County at this critical juncture," Doerries said.

At some point, the discussion will engage people who are watching from other parts of the country and the planet.