Hollywood and Broadway made a stop in eastern Kentucky Thursday to deliver a powerful message about the dangers of drug abuse. It’s called The Dionysus Project. It’s a unique attempt to boost dialogue in drug ravaged communities.

The project about addiction took center state for the first time in Manchester with another performance later in the day in Hazard.

Four stage and film actors delivered a dramatic reading from an ancient Greek play about the destructive power of intoxication.

“It naturally opens up an avenue to discussing something that might be taboo or private or personal, just by virtue of seeing people emote,” said actor Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg is an Oscar nominee for his role in The Social Network.

A Tony nominee was also involved in the project as was Adam Driver, who is in the HBO series, Girls.

The actors believe the ancient drama resonates, delivering a powerful, modern day message. “I think there’s nothing more gracious than giving people a platform to express their discomfort,” said Driver.

The abuse of prescription pills is a huge problem sweeping the country, with eastern Kentucky one of the epi-centers of the plague.

“We’ve lost an entire generation of you people so we’re trying to reach the next generation with a more positive message,” said Karen Kelly, President and CEO of Operation Unite, the counter drug task force operating in the region.

“If you can wind up getting a dialogue going between parents and teens you’ve accomplished quite a bit,” added Mike Townsend. Townsend is with The Partnership at Drugfree.org.

Experts say teens don’t think pills are as dangerous as so called “hard drugs,: but they are often the first opiates in a child’s system. “They’re getting an introduction to a heroin like drug and it becomes very addictive, very destructive, very quickly,” Townsend noted.

Considering the magnitude of the problem, getting the message through, even via a play more than two thousand years old, is a welcome effort in this area.

“The average age of first time drug use in eastern Kentucky is age eleven and we’re terrified of that so we want to do everything possible to prevent it,” Kelly explained.

Source

Operation UNITE and other organizations teamed up with actors Kathleen Chalfant, Adam Driver, Peter Frances James and Jesse Eisenberg to help raise awareness about addiction in eastern Kentucky. The actors, part of the group “Outside the Wire” are known for their roles both on the silver screen and the theater.

Kathleen Chalfant, who received a Tony nomination for “Angels in America, Adam Driver, from the feature film “J. Edgar” and the HBO series “Girls,” Jesse Eisenberg, nominated for an Oscar for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network,” and Peter Frances James, a Broadway actor whose most recent role was in “The Merchant of Venice.”

Theatrical performances and town hall discussions on issues related to substance abuse took place at the Eastern Kentucky University Manchester Campus and the Perry County Public Library.
“The Dionysus Project: Addiction Takes Center Stage” is a public health collaboration between The Partnership at Drugfree.org, Outside the Wire, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy and Operation UNITE.

Rep. Hal Rogers, ( R ), 5th District, was at the event in Manchester and said he believed it sent a message to the community.

“It shows that human nature has not changed in 2,500 years,” said Rogers.
“We are still enticed by intoxicants and we lose our way in life and that is a modern story.”

Dionysus is the Greek god of intoxication from Euripides’ Bacchae. Chalfant played Agaue, the mother of young King Pentheus, played by Eisenberg. Agaue is intoxicated by the gods and wine and ended up tearing the head of her own son and does not realize it until she has a moment of clarity in the play.

Dionysus’ goal was to intoxicate the minds of the people in Pentheus’ city to join him in his intoxication religion. Pentheus is originally against the idea, but fell victim and is killed by Agaue while she is on an intoxicated rampage with the other women of the village.

Eisenberg said he believed that the actions allowed the audience to become engaged after the show.

“Because actors are on stage, emoting and opening up and being personal, people feel comfortable discussing issues that may be taboo or private,” said Eisenberg.

Eisenberg and Chalfant agreed in their belief that the human condition had not changed in thousands of years. Though the play was about intoxication of one particular substance, abuse is still prevalent in the 21st century.

“What is interesting about this play is that it was written 2,400 years ago or something and it has so much relevance today,” said Eisenberg.
“It talks about the alluring and then damaging aspects of substance, alcohol, drugs and it talks about how they can really ravage a city and in this case it relates to substance abuse.”

Chalfant said she felt responsible and “privileged” as an actor and individual to come to the mountains and other parts of the country to try to find solutions to addiction.

“Those of us who are lucky enough to still be okay I think have a responsibility to reach out and try to snatch those who are on the edge of oblivion if you can,” said Chalfant.

Chalfant and Eisenberg agreed it was important to be part of the solution.

“I am interested in social issues like everybody else and this is kind of a unique way to use what I do as a job which is acting and performing to affect or at least be part of the dialogue of some sort of substantive issue,” said Eisenberg.

Chalfant said in her opinion, it is important to stand up and be vocal about the issue.

“The problem touches all of us either obviously or in indirect ways and it will only be solved by all of us working at a solution together,” said Chalfant.

Hundreds of people attended the performances in Manchester and Hazard.

The actors will join the group “Outside the Wire” across the country with “The Dionysus Project.” Their next stop will be in Los Angeles. For more information on “Outside the Wire,” visit www.outsidethewirellc.com

To learn more about Operation UNITE, go to http://operationunite.org or www.drugfree.org

See the video of Jesse being interviewed here at the source