lution MAYFESTO
by US journalist George Packer. Based on interviews Packer wrote for an article in the New Yorker, the play focuses on three young Iraqis who find themselves abandoned by America when they’re no longer useful. As with all the works in the festival, however, the finger of blame isn’t pointed in any one direction. ‘The Americans in Betrayed are all sympathetic characters,’ says Arnold. ‘And it’s not in any way judgemental, nor does it make a comment on that political situation.’ The need for sensitivity was also paramount in From the West Bank, a series of three short works exploring the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Playwright David Grieg provides two of the pieces, Ramallah and An Imagined Sarha, which will be performed alongside Franca Rame’s poignant monologue, An Arab Woman Speaks. How did Grieg go about handling such an emotionally charged subject matter?
‘To some extent I was guided by the material,’ he says. ‘An Imagined Sarha is adapted from a book of memoirs by Raja Shehadeh, a Palestinian lawyer who loves hill walking. But the situation in the occupied territories means he’s unable to walk in the hills his grandfather did, and he writes about his experience of that. So I’ve
‘THE TEXT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF THEATRE
just tried to be as true to him as I possibly could, and he’s a sensitive writer.’
In keeping with Arnold’s philosophy that Mayfesto should be about the personal, rather than the political, Grieg’s other work Ramallah will speak to anyone who has ever travelled away from home – and come back again. ‘I wrote the piece after a number of trips to Palestine working with young playwrights,’ explains Grieg. ‘And essentially it’s about a man coming home to Britain after visiting Palestine, and the ensuing encounter between him and his wife. It tries to capture the awkwardness of return, because the people at home have carried on and are sort of grounded, while you’re kind of still in the air.’ In that way, Grieg speaks to all of us, not just those with a personal interest in Middle Eastern politics. ‘I’m participating in this event because I want to explore the experience of Palestinians over the last ten years or so,’ he says. ‘And to reflect some of my experiences in the Arab world – so in that sense they are political – but they’re not propaganda or proselytising, and it would be awful if they were. In both of these plays I’m trying to tell the truth of an experience, and hopefully that’s
why they can communicate to an audience who may or may not be interested in politics, but can at least empathise with a man who likes hill walking and a couple faced with the awkwardness of return.’
While most of us can find a point of reference in Grieg’s works, it’s to be hoped that few if any audience members will truly empathise with the characters in Drumhead. During this new off-site play by Glasgow- based company Rhymes With Purple, audiences will be taken by coach to a secret location and witness ‘Enhanced Interrogation Methods’ used in countries where torture is deemed illegal. As company member Frodo McDaniel explains, researching the play wasn’t easy. the
‘Amnesty International pointed us in the right direction and we did a lot of reading, which was really quite disturbing,’ he recalls. ‘But although the play is hard-hitting, it’s nowhere near as traumatic and horrible as the reality of what I discovered in the research.’ It’s billed as an ‘interactive’ piece, but audiences can rest assured nobody will be black-bagged or waterboarded during the show – although observing these disturbing legal procedures may prove almost as harrowing for some. ‘The actor representing the authorities will speak directly to the audience, and ask them rhetorical questions,’ says McDaniel. ‘And should anyone feel moved enough to say something or question what he’s doing there’s an element of almost scripted improvisation to the play to allow for that. But we’re not going out of our way to make people feel uncomfortable – we’re letting the subject matter do that.’
Mayfesto, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 7–Sat 22 May. See theatre listings for full details 29 Apr–13 May 2010 THE LIST 25