Downstage @ New Rep Announces
Their Voices Will Be Heard:
Artist Responses to the Israeli/Palestinian Situation
For its final Downstage@New Rep production
this season, New Repertory Theatre will present
two plays running in repertory, each expressing a unique view of the
Middle East situation. Called “Their Voices Will Be Heard,”
the series of events features "My Name is Rachel Corrie"
and "Pieces," two solo plays, each about
a young woman whose coming of age took place within the context of the
Israeli/ Palestinian situation. The plays run from March 8 - 30
at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown.
"My
Name Is Rachel Corrie" will be directed by David R. Gammons
and feature Stacy Fischer as Rachel Corrie. "Pieces"
will be directed by Suzana Berger and feature the author,
Zohar Tirosh.
In "My Name is Rachel Corrie," audiences meet
a 23-year-old American killed while attempting to stop an Israeli bulldozer
from demolishing a civilian home on the Gaza Strip. Through her
journals and e-mails, her compelling quest to find understanding in
a complex situation is heard.
"Pieces" is the autobiographical account of
Zohar Tirosh, who also performs the piece. Written when she was
23, Zohar documents her two years in the Israeli army, recounting her
emotional and intellectual path during these turbulent years in her
country.
Rick Lombardo, New Rep’s Producing Artistic Director,
commented, “These two shows are very important because they raise
difficult questions about a hot topic in today’s political discussion.
New Rep has always been a theatre that believes in the power and electricity
of live theatre to allow artists and audience to engage with the powerful
ideas and questions of our time.”
To complement these productions, New Repertory Theatre will stage a
collection of events titled “Artist Responses to the Israeli/Palestinian
Situation.” The schedule includes: two films, "Promises"
and "Knowledge is the Beginning;"
three staged readings, including "B’Shalom"
by New Rep's resident playwright Meron Langsner; and
two panel discussions addressing What is the Role of Art in
Representing the Situation? and Art as Documentary
vs. Art as Response.
“Through plays, documentaries and scholarly commentary from multiple
ethnic, nationalistic, political and religious backgrounds, we hope
to explore, in much more than a superficial way, how art and politics
collide when addressing such a complex situation,” said Lombardo.
“Our focus has been to look at work that explores how young people,
and families, are affected by this crisis, and on potential paths to
reach across the divide.”
Stacy Fischer's Boston credits include: "The Secret Love
Life of Ophelia" (Nora Theatre Company), "Theresa
at Home" (Village Theatre Project/Boston Playwright’s
Theatre), "Permanent Whole Life" (Boston
Playwright’s Theatre), "Dark Yellow" and
"Public Exposure" (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre),
"The Sanctuary Lamp" (Súgàn
Theatre), "The Violet Hour" (Stoneham Theatre),
"A Month in the Country" (Huntington Theatre),
"Life X 3" (Gloucester Stage), and "Our
Lady of 121st Street" and "The Shape of Thing"s
(SpeakEasy Stage Company).
Zohar Tirosh has written, performed and directed in New
York, Tel Aviv and Berlin. Her new play, "This Bloody Mess,"
was developed at Lincoln Center Theater under the Directors
Lab. Zohar’s play, "Land, Holy," was
commissioned by The National Foundation for Jewish Culture for
Rising Phoenix Rep. "Land, Holy" was a finalist for the Joseph
Papp Public Theater’s Arab-Israeli festival and her one-woman
play, "Pieces" is currently being adapted
into a screenplay. Zohar’s translation of Hanoch Levin's "Walking
in the Dark " will be published in an anthology of Israeli
plays by Seagull Press later this year.
Related Events
Monday, March 10, 2008 – 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading: "B’Shalom"
"B’Shalom" traces the friendship between an Israeli
immigrant and a Palestinian-American in New York City during the summer
after 9/11, as it reaches a crisis point from both local prejudices
and events overseas. By putting a human face on both sides of
a volatile subject, this play deals with its subject with much-needed
humor and compassion. FREE/ $10 Suggested Donation
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 – 7:30 p.m.
Film Showing: "Knowledge is The Beginning"
In this documentary by Paul Smaczny, an unlikely collaboration between
world-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim and the outspoken Palestinian
scholar Edward Said produces musical and political ripples, as the pair
united to create the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 1999. The
film chronicles the pair's efforts at furthering peaceful coexistence
by bringing together young musicians from all sides of the divide to
join forces in what will hopefully foreshadow future achievements in
the Middle East.$8/ Students and Seniors $5
Sunday, March 16, 2008 – 5:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion: “What is the Role of Art in Representing the
Situation?”
FREE
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 – 7:30 p.m.
Film: "Promises"
"Promises" portrays the Israeli/Palestinian situation through
the eyes of seven Palestinian and Israeli children, living moments away
but worlds apart, in different neighborhoods of Jerusalem. By
exploring the physical, historical and emotional obstacles differentiating
their childhoods, Israeli-American filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg presents
the story of a few children with enough courage to cross divides and
meet their neighbors. $8/Students, Seniors and Subscribers $5
Monday, March 24, 2008 – 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading: to be announced
FREE/$10 Suggested Donation
Sunday, March 30, 2008 – 5:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion: “Art as Documentary vs. Art as Response”
Panelists: Noit Banai, Ibrahim Miari, Barbara Grossman and TBD
FREE
Monday March 31, 2008 – 7:30
p.m.
Staged Reading: "House, Divided"
Two Jewish brothers, estranged by decades of religious and political
disagreement, are unintentionally reunited when their sons make surprising
life choices that couldn’t be more different than their fathers’.
"House, Divided" shows the consequences of letting politics
run thicker than blood. FREE/ $10 Suggested Donation
All Events, including Panelists, are subject to change.
Reservations recommended for all events.
For tickets and information, call 617-923-8487.
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OnStage Boston
