British actor Paul Fox is currently in Palestine, rehearsing with theatre company ShiberHur for the show This Is Yusuf and He Is My Brother. The show will tour in Palestine before arriving at the Young Vic in January 2010. We're very excited that Paul is writing exclusive despatches from the Middle East about his experiences there. Read on to catch up with the story so far and then keep checking back or subscribe to our RSS feed to get all the latest news from Paul.
__________________________________________________________________________________
08.10.09
I just wanted to explain a little of what I have found out about the theatre situation here, for the Palestinians at least. It seems that over the centuries, literature has always had a strong social voice, with poets and philosophers filling auditoriums and public spaces, but not really plays. Obviously what has happened in Palestine through its history has shaped its culture, but the theatre movement really only began its life in the 80s. First came the El Hakawati theatre based in East Jerusalem, but when the first intifada happened in 87 the company, led by its French Palestinian Director, moved to Paris. In the beginning of the 90s came the Al Kasaba, and then a few years later The National Theatre of Palestine, also in East Jerusalem. I have been told that smaller independent tours were going on throughout the 90s, but it was really only towards the end of the decade that things got interesting.
As the arabic audiences, as well as some the areas we are touring to are relatively small, we are only performing for 1 night in each place, and it has been really interesting to see how much work is going into spreading the word about the show. Everyone involved with this project has been working really hard to make sure that people know and have the opportunity to come and see us. Already the response has been so good, the company is now thinking of returning to the venues we have already played for more performances. This seems to be how the theatre works here. A play will open, then gather momentum, and if the demand is there, the show will go on. Most of the actors that I am working with are involved with at least three other projects. Salwa is actually performing in 4 different productions, she was in Greece a few weeks ago and will be in Tunisia next month. Ali has just got back from performing in Romania, with a show that he has been involved with since 2004. It must be a logistical nightmare trying to arrange your schedule, but what an interesting nomadic journey for the play, to allow development in a much slower way but with a totally different maturity.
‘I am Yusuf...’ is Shubur Her’s second production in as many years, so it is still a young company, and it is very interesting to see her starting to spread her wings. Shubur Her, led by Amir Nizar Zuabi, feels like it is the right company at the right time, with the right voice. It’s amazing to be involved in a production with a new, forward thinking company, in a time where everything is still relatively new. Living in a very complex society has led to some very complex and brilliant work, and what I have read and seen so far leads me to believe that the voices here certainly need to be heard.
21.09.09 Tech
I have just got home after our second day in Tech week. We open here in Haifa, in two days, at the Almidan Theatre, which is underneath a shopping centre in a 30 story reflective glass building. From the outside it looks like it is going to be a mega mall, but actually most if it is closed down and bordered up but the theatre itself has an unusual charm. I saw Amer Helehel ( who plays Yusuf in our play ) in a one man show here a few nights ago, so got to experience the space from a audience perspective, which was great. Amer is truly a great actor, as are the rest of the cast, and I have really enjoyed the rehearsal period, although it has not been without its problems. Nizar, in the last few weeks has been carving a beautiful play from the solid scenes we have been working on the past months, but as i am used to only rehearsing for around 4-5 weeks, i was ready to leave those four walls and experience the set. It is only now though, that i know that this is going to be a difficult play to perform, especially in this theatre. It is a Proscenium Arch theatre, seating about 300, and while the stage itself is a nice size, we have barely 1 meter wing space either side. We will be responsible for everything apart from the lighting whilst we are performing, changes of set, singing, costume, props and the whole movement of the play will be in our hands. Amer has stepped up to being my translator when Nizar is giving general notes to the company, which has helped to demystify a lot of whats going on around me, and is something that I should have requested a long time ago.. We have a lot of work to do in the next couple of days to have it reach its full potential.
3.9.09 Refreshed.
I am just coming to the end of rehearsal week 8, my first week back after a short trip to London. My reason for going home was work related, but I have never stepped away during a rehearsal, so i was slightly anxious about being removed from it all. I am very happy to say that a few days back in Blighty has helped to put things in perspective and realign my focus. After trying hard to fit in in a country so different, id somehow pushed aside something that makes me the Englishman that i am, and that is certainly a clear shade of the character that i am playing. It was actually a great opportunity to reflect whilst not being in the thick of everything.
Also the tempo of the rehearsals have stepped up a gear, as we open on the 24th. We were supposed to open a week earlier, but as it is Ramadan and other holidays, the dates had to be changed. All the scenes have been constructed together so we can now run the show as a whole and see the complete story. Jon Bauser, the designer has just left after a week with us, so we now have an idea of the world that we will be living in. The vision for the play is both simple and complex at the same time, and in my eyes, perfect. David Lan has also just left, as Artistic Director of The Young Vic, he is of course involved with the growth of the project, and will join us at various stages of development. I am pleased that I am pleased to be back.
8.8.09 and Downs...
I have learned a few lessons this week. We have been rehearsing the scenes which include the whole cast, so it has been high energy with many different personalities in the room, and trying to get in tune with them all in a different language is hard. The scenes with full company involved are busy and colorful, so whilst we are rehearsing there is a lot of swapping of lines and shouting over each other, which for me was tricky. Everyone was contributing ideas and suggestions, that would then lead to discussions about things that might not even be relevant, but these discussions are important, to open your thinking to other avenues of interpretation. At the moment I am not feeling as involved as I’d like to be with this side of things. It would obviously be too laborious to translate every comment or idea, but I think that I am going to have to work on finding the right balance between asking too many questions and not enough. I don’t want to be a separate entity, not to be involved with direction or the hart of the scene. Rufus, the soldier that I am playing, is clearly a man stood alone, an outsider. Whilst it is useful to feel some of the emotions that he would have, I must be careful not to slip into his shoes too comfortably.
Whenever I have rehearsed a play it has always been a turbulent affair, flipping between absolute connection and understanding to complete alienation from the text. I think that it has something to do with repetition, the more that you say a word or line over and over, the more abnormal it sounds. Not to have to make important decisions too early is a great benefit to a long rehearsal period, but I must be careful not to get too lost in all the discussion, to pace myself and remember to consider my initial instincts. I also need to stand tall and make sure that my voice and thoughts are heard, not only for the construction of my character and his journey, but also for my own satisfaction as an actor.
4.8.09 Ups..
4 weeks is the usual rehearsal frame that I am used to, to to have 9 to play with is a luxary. As the director has written the play, it means we have time to encourage the script, and see him discover what works and what drives the piece. Its amazing to be a part of something that is new and in its creative stages, to be involved with fine tuning it. We are working a 5 day week Sunday to Thursday, 10 - 5 (Friday and Saturday being Holy days). Arabic coffee is almost a religion here, and nearly everyone smokes. Luckily I enjoy both, as all breaks are dedicated to these social pastimes. As we know, we Brits (generalizing, of course) are a fairly reserved lot. Here, everyone greets with a hug and a kiss and conversations sound like heated arguments, so the rehearsals have a great energy about them. Nizar is a very physical director, he is always out of his chair and sparks ideas by sharing with the company the images that he has in his head. As the play is set in a small village in the 1940s, the movement and music that we have just started to incorporate is very traditional and sounds almost tribal to me. Its interesting to hear the different sounds that are typical of different cultures. I wouldn’t say that it would be my selling point, but rhythm is something that we can all tap into, no matter where in the world you are from. I enjoyed a great conversation with the cast today, where we all listened, we all understood and we all responded, without uttering a single word.
27.7.09 Week 1
Im finding it hard to decipher whether it feels like I have been here for ages or as if I have just landed. It has been a fair old roller-coaster already and I still feel at the beginning of my time here. I have just finished my first weeks rehearsal as well as integrating into my surroundings and also traveling quite a bit. When i was preparing to come over here, the main thought that i had in my mind was that i wanted to get a balanced view so that i could make an informed opinion of what has happened in this part of the the world for the last 100 years or more. The fact is that i have been so warmly welcomed into the arab life here, i will have to make a considered effort to hold that thought. The play is in no way spiteful nor blaming, but is definitely seen from a Palestinian point of view, and all the cast apart from me, are Arabian. The neighborhood that I am staying is is arabic too, so in order for me to converse with the cast and also the community in which i am living, i am attempting to learn some arabic. These are all reasons connected with the play, so could have easily been from a different view point, but I am very happy to be stood where I am. The people are so friendly that you meet whole families when you are introduced to someone new, invited into their homes and finish the evening smoking the nargila with their neighbors. So, in my short time here, i have met a lot of people and listened to a lot of stories. Many of these come around to the subject of what was Palestine and what is Palestine today. Of course, people ask me the reason why i am here for a few months, so the conversation is automatically drawn to the history of Palestine and Israel, and also it’s present and future.
Rehearsals. Firstly, Nizar the writer and director of the piece is one of those people that you instantly recognize as having something special. His intelligence and depth might be intimidating if he weren’t such a lovely bloke. It is truly a great feeling to trust your director, appreciate his taste and know that you will learn from him. I am really excited about the story he will have us tell. Mostly I have been working on scenes with one or two of the cast, so it has been an interesting session of different languages and ideas. Nizar’s English is fluent and articulate and so he dances between the two with ease. Sometimes he will punctuate an Arabic conversation with English words or phrases so I can get a grasp of what they are talking about. Also the actors speak english well too, so discussions are always in both languages. It is only in larger groups, like the read-through, that I feel the foreigner that i am. Far from feeling disconnected, i find the Arabic language beautiful and all the other actors intriguing. When you are involved with a play, you feel the rhythm of it, you know the story inside out and watch all the characters develop. I don’t think that the fact that it is to be mainly spoken in a different language to my own will make a difference to my connection with it. My only regret is that i might not be able to absorb quite as much as you would normally when working with a room full with creative people. But lets see, maybe being in such a different situation will open up different ways of understanding..
18.7.09 Saturday night with the lads..
I was kindly invited to the local coffee bar by the son of the family downstairs last night, to join him and his friends for a taste of Saturday night a la Haifa. All of the guys were in their twenties and seemed the same as anywhere else in the world, laughing, joking and noticing the pretty girls walking by. But as the evening wore on, I started to notice differences. Notably, in the time we spent sat at the bar, we each had 1 beer and then a couple of coffee’s, which for me was a change from the usual 5 or 6 pints in an evening when out with the lads. Although through my traveling before, I know that the majority of other cultures refrain from guzzling pint after pint. Now, with the language barrier, I might well have missed the conversations about music, football or the latest film releases, but I don’t think that I did. What was being translated for me was a discussion about world politics, the struggles of Arabs in Israel, the Wall and then on to racism between Christian and Muslim Arabs in Jerusalem. On a couple of occasions I was pressed quite hard about my views on Northern Ireland and then also about China and Tibet. At the moment I still feel quite awkward about discussing such heavy subjects with people who are living a life, as they see it, under occupation. Im unsure as to where the boundaries lie, and also if my views important when I am obviously an outsider. To make a bold statement at the moment would feel slightly empty. I don’t get the impression that the conflict here is all consuming, day and night with only that on their minds, but when your life is in the hands of someone you don’t share the same ideals with, it must be scary, frustrating and volatile. Our conversation defines what is current in our life and what is important to us. Here, it seems that the ‘lads out on the town’ have slightly different things on their mind...
15.7.09 Arrival.
Hello. My name is Paul, I am a 30 year old actor from Merseyside, who now resides in the playground that is London. I have enjoyed relative success throughout my career thus far and can genuinely say that i’ve enjoyed myself, luckily flirting between stage and screen with a bit of film thrown in to add to the excitement (peppered of course with the obligatory day jobs). I feel privileged to have worked with some amazingly talented and inspiring actors, directors, design and writing teams, telling for the most part, great stories. But, I am now embarking on one of the most interesting and challenging projects I’ve ever had the good fortune to be offered.
I have just landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, to start work on a co production between the Young Vic Theatre, London, and a newly formed Palestinian Theatre company, Sheber-Hurr led by writer/director Amir Nizar Zuabi. The relationship between Nizar and the Young Vic has been an interesting one and has spanned a number of years, but more of that later.
We are rehearsing in Haifa, a port city about 1 hr north of Tel Aviv, and will be performing in both the afore mentioned cities as well as Jerusalem, Nazareth, Ramallah and other venues throughout the West Bank. The play is set in 1948, the end of the British mandate and their involvement in then Palestine. It tells the story of two brothers, their village, and indeed the country’s fight to cope with the unimaginable changes happening around them. Imbedded is a love story proving that no matter what is thrown at you, basic human behavior will still prevail. It is quite possibly the most interesting piece of writing that I have read, on a multitude of different levels. Whilst we are performing here the vast majority of the play will be spoken in Arabic with only my part, the British soldier, in English. Early next year the production will continue its life at the Young Vic, spoken in English, so I know that all the performers have a command of my language, but I am totally unsure to what extent, or how the rehearsal process will be conducted.
Between me and you, my friends, I am holding my hands up. Politics and religion are not my strong points. Neither featured heavily in my upbringing nor have had a huge impact on my life till now. I read newspapers and watch the news, but my knowledge on both subjects could definitely be described as surface. However, in my defense, even though I might be a little lazy and issues sometimes need to be brought to my attention before I take notice, I am a believer that we are individually in control of our own intelligence. We are all students at the university of life and I am certainly not the type of person to turn down an opportunity because it will put me out of my comfort zone. In fact I have actively pursued and thankfully overcome tough experiences in the past, and I know that I am a much richer man for it.
So, I am both wildly excited and intensely apprehensive about the journey which lies in the 4 months ahead of me. I have a lot to learn ( forgiveness and patience please! ). Politically, religiously, artistically, culturally, and socially. In no order of importance. I will be hearing about and living in one of the most complicated and controversial situations in our history, whilst working on a play that tackles a very human story right at the very heart of it. I am so lucky and thankful to be offered an experience that I’m sure is going to change the way that i see things, the questions that i ask myself and the life around me. My comfort zone is back in London, in a pub somewhere with a pint and my mates, but I am here with an open mind, open eyes and ears and also an open heart...
I just wanted to explain a little of what I have found out about the theatre situation here, for the Palestinians at least. It seems that over the centuries, literature has always had a strong social voice, with poets and philosophers filling auditoriums and public spaces, but not really plays. Obviously what has happened in Palestine through its history has shaped its culture, but the theatre movement really only began its life in the 80s. First came the El Hakawati theatre based in East Jerusalem, but when the first intifada happened in 87 the company, led by its French Palestinian Director, moved to Paris. In the beginning of the 90s came the Al Kasaba, and then a few years later The National Theatre of Palestine, also in East Jerusalem. I have been told that smaller independent tours were going on throughout the 90s, but it was really only towards the end of the decade that things got interesting.
As the arabic audiences, as well as some the areas we are touring to are relatively small, we are only performing for 1 night in each place, and it has been really interesting to see how much work is going into spreading the word about the show. Everyone involved with this project has been working really hard to make sure that people know and have the opportunity to come and see us. Already the response has been so good, the company is now thinking of returning to the venues we have already played for more performances. This seems to be how the theatre works here. A play will open, then gather momentum, and if the demand is there, the show will go on. Most of the actors that I am working with are involved with at least three other projects. Salwa is actually performing in 4 different productions, she was in Greece a few weeks ago and will be in Tunisia next month. Ali has just got back from performing in Romania, with a show that he has been involved with since 2004. It must be a logistical nightmare trying to arrange your schedule, but what an interesting nomadic journey for the play, to allow development in a much slower way but with a totally different maturity.
‘I am Yusuf...’ is Shubur Her’s second production in as many years, so it is still a young company, and it is very interesting to see her starting to spread her wings. Shubur Her, led by Amir Nizar Zuabi, feels like it is the right company at the right time, with the right voice. It’s amazing to be involved in a production with a new, forward thinking company, in a time where everything is still relatively new. Living in a very complex society has led to some very complex and brilliant work, and what I have read and seen so far leads me to believe that the voices here certainly need to be heard.
21.09.09 Tech
I have just got home after our second day in Tech week. We open here in Haifa, in two days, at the Almidan Theatre, which is underneath a shopping centre in a 30 story reflective glass building. From the outside it looks like it is going to be a mega mall, but actually most if it is closed down and bordered up but the theatre itself has an unusual charm. I saw Amer Helehel ( who plays Yusuf in our play ) in a one man show here a few nights ago, so got to experience the space from a audience perspective, which was great. Amer is truly a great actor, as are the rest of the cast, and I have really enjoyed the rehearsal period, although it has not been without its problems. Nizar, in the last few weeks has been carving a beautiful play from the solid scenes we have been working on the past months, but as i am used to only rehearsing for around 4-5 weeks, i was ready to leave those four walls and experience the set. It is only now though, that i know that this is going to be a difficult play to perform, especially in this theatre. It is a Proscenium Arch theatre, seating about 300, and while the stage itself is a nice size, we have barely 1 meter wing space either side. We will be responsible for everything apart from the lighting whilst we are performing, changes of set, singing, costume, props and the whole movement of the play will be in our hands. Amer has stepped up to being my translator when Nizar is giving general notes to the company, which has helped to demystify a lot of whats going on around me, and is something that I should have requested a long time ago.. We have a lot of work to do in the next couple of days to have it reach its full potential.
3.9.09 Refreshed.
I am just coming to the end of rehearsal week 8, my first week back after a short trip to London. My reason for going home was work related, but I have never stepped away during a rehearsal, so i was slightly anxious about being removed from it all. I am very happy to say that a few days back in Blighty has helped to put things in perspective and realign my focus. After trying hard to fit in in a country so different, id somehow pushed aside something that makes me the Englishman that i am, and that is certainly a clear shade of the character that i am playing. It was actually a great opportunity to reflect whilst not being in the thick of everything.
Also the tempo of the rehearsals have stepped up a gear, as we open on the 24th. We were supposed to open a week earlier, but as it is Ramadan and other holidays, the dates had to be changed. All the scenes have been constructed together so we can now run the show as a whole and see the complete story. Jon Bauser, the designer has just left after a week with us, so we now have an idea of the world that we will be living in. The vision for the play is both simple and complex at the same time, and in my eyes, perfect. David Lan has also just left, as Artistic Director of The Young Vic, he is of course involved with the growth of the project, and will join us at various stages of development. I am pleased that I am pleased to be back.
8.8.09 and Downs...
I have learned a few lessons this week. We have been rehearsing the scenes which include the whole cast, so it has been high energy with many different personalities in the room, and trying to get in tune with them all in a different language is hard. The scenes with full company involved are busy and colorful, so whilst we are rehearsing there is a lot of swapping of lines and shouting over each other, which for me was tricky. Everyone was contributing ideas and suggestions, that would then lead to discussions about things that might not even be relevant, but these discussions are important, to open your thinking to other avenues of interpretation. At the moment I am not feeling as involved as I’d like to be with this side of things. It would obviously be too laborious to translate every comment or idea, but I think that I am going to have to work on finding the right balance between asking too many questions and not enough. I don’t want to be a separate entity, not to be involved with direction or the hart of the scene. Rufus, the soldier that I am playing, is clearly a man stood alone, an outsider. Whilst it is useful to feel some of the emotions that he would have, I must be careful not to slip into his shoes too comfortably.
Whenever I have rehearsed a play it has always been a turbulent affair, flipping between absolute connection and understanding to complete alienation from the text. I think that it has something to do with repetition, the more that you say a word or line over and over, the more abnormal it sounds. Not to have to make important decisions too early is a great benefit to a long rehearsal period, but I must be careful not to get too lost in all the discussion, to pace myself and remember to consider my initial instincts. I also need to stand tall and make sure that my voice and thoughts are heard, not only for the construction of my character and his journey, but also for my own satisfaction as an actor.
4.8.09 Ups..
4 weeks is the usual rehearsal frame that I am used to, to to have 9 to play with is a luxary. As the director has written the play, it means we have time to encourage the script, and see him discover what works and what drives the piece. Its amazing to be a part of something that is new and in its creative stages, to be involved with fine tuning it. We are working a 5 day week Sunday to Thursday, 10 - 5 (Friday and Saturday being Holy days). Arabic coffee is almost a religion here, and nearly everyone smokes. Luckily I enjoy both, as all breaks are dedicated to these social pastimes. As we know, we Brits (generalizing, of course) are a fairly reserved lot. Here, everyone greets with a hug and a kiss and conversations sound like heated arguments, so the rehearsals have a great energy about them. Nizar is a very physical director, he is always out of his chair and sparks ideas by sharing with the company the images that he has in his head. As the play is set in a small village in the 1940s, the movement and music that we have just started to incorporate is very traditional and sounds almost tribal to me. Its interesting to hear the different sounds that are typical of different cultures. I wouldn’t say that it would be my selling point, but rhythm is something that we can all tap into, no matter where in the world you are from. I enjoyed a great conversation with the cast today, where we all listened, we all understood and we all responded, without uttering a single word.
27.7.09 Week 1
Im finding it hard to decipher whether it feels like I have been here for ages or as if I have just landed. It has been a fair old roller-coaster already and I still feel at the beginning of my time here. I have just finished my first weeks rehearsal as well as integrating into my surroundings and also traveling quite a bit. When i was preparing to come over here, the main thought that i had in my mind was that i wanted to get a balanced view so that i could make an informed opinion of what has happened in this part of the the world for the last 100 years or more. The fact is that i have been so warmly welcomed into the arab life here, i will have to make a considered effort to hold that thought. The play is in no way spiteful nor blaming, but is definitely seen from a Palestinian point of view, and all the cast apart from me, are Arabian. The neighborhood that I am staying is is arabic too, so in order for me to converse with the cast and also the community in which i am living, i am attempting to learn some arabic. These are all reasons connected with the play, so could have easily been from a different view point, but I am very happy to be stood where I am. The people are so friendly that you meet whole families when you are introduced to someone new, invited into their homes and finish the evening smoking the nargila with their neighbors. So, in my short time here, i have met a lot of people and listened to a lot of stories. Many of these come around to the subject of what was Palestine and what is Palestine today. Of course, people ask me the reason why i am here for a few months, so the conversation is automatically drawn to the history of Palestine and Israel, and also it’s present and future.
Rehearsals. Firstly, Nizar the writer and director of the piece is one of those people that you instantly recognize as having something special. His intelligence and depth might be intimidating if he weren’t such a lovely bloke. It is truly a great feeling to trust your director, appreciate his taste and know that you will learn from him. I am really excited about the story he will have us tell. Mostly I have been working on scenes with one or two of the cast, so it has been an interesting session of different languages and ideas. Nizar’s English is fluent and articulate and so he dances between the two with ease. Sometimes he will punctuate an Arabic conversation with English words or phrases so I can get a grasp of what they are talking about. Also the actors speak english well too, so discussions are always in both languages. It is only in larger groups, like the read-through, that I feel the foreigner that i am. Far from feeling disconnected, i find the Arabic language beautiful and all the other actors intriguing. When you are involved with a play, you feel the rhythm of it, you know the story inside out and watch all the characters develop. I don’t think that the fact that it is to be mainly spoken in a different language to my own will make a difference to my connection with it. My only regret is that i might not be able to absorb quite as much as you would normally when working with a room full with creative people. But lets see, maybe being in such a different situation will open up different ways of understanding..
18.7.09 Saturday night with the lads..
I was kindly invited to the local coffee bar by the son of the family downstairs last night, to join him and his friends for a taste of Saturday night a la Haifa. All of the guys were in their twenties and seemed the same as anywhere else in the world, laughing, joking and noticing the pretty girls walking by. But as the evening wore on, I started to notice differences. Notably, in the time we spent sat at the bar, we each had 1 beer and then a couple of coffee’s, which for me was a change from the usual 5 or 6 pints in an evening when out with the lads. Although through my traveling before, I know that the majority of other cultures refrain from guzzling pint after pint. Now, with the language barrier, I might well have missed the conversations about music, football or the latest film releases, but I don’t think that I did. What was being translated for me was a discussion about world politics, the struggles of Arabs in Israel, the Wall and then on to racism between Christian and Muslim Arabs in Jerusalem. On a couple of occasions I was pressed quite hard about my views on Northern Ireland and then also about China and Tibet. At the moment I still feel quite awkward about discussing such heavy subjects with people who are living a life, as they see it, under occupation. Im unsure as to where the boundaries lie, and also if my views important when I am obviously an outsider. To make a bold statement at the moment would feel slightly empty. I don’t get the impression that the conflict here is all consuming, day and night with only that on their minds, but when your life is in the hands of someone you don’t share the same ideals with, it must be scary, frustrating and volatile. Our conversation defines what is current in our life and what is important to us. Here, it seems that the ‘lads out on the town’ have slightly different things on their mind...
15.7.09 Arrival.
Hello. My name is Paul, I am a 30 year old actor from Merseyside, who now resides in the playground that is London. I have enjoyed relative success throughout my career thus far and can genuinely say that i’ve enjoyed myself, luckily flirting between stage and screen with a bit of film thrown in to add to the excitement (peppered of course with the obligatory day jobs). I feel privileged to have worked with some amazingly talented and inspiring actors, directors, design and writing teams, telling for the most part, great stories. But, I am now embarking on one of the most interesting and challenging projects I’ve ever had the good fortune to be offered.
I have just landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, to start work on a co production between the Young Vic Theatre, London, and a newly formed Palestinian Theatre company, Sheber-Hurr led by writer/director Amir Nizar Zuabi. The relationship between Nizar and the Young Vic has been an interesting one and has spanned a number of years, but more of that later.
We are rehearsing in Haifa, a port city about 1 hr north of Tel Aviv, and will be performing in both the afore mentioned cities as well as Jerusalem, Nazareth, Ramallah and other venues throughout the West Bank. The play is set in 1948, the end of the British mandate and their involvement in then Palestine. It tells the story of two brothers, their village, and indeed the country’s fight to cope with the unimaginable changes happening around them. Imbedded is a love story proving that no matter what is thrown at you, basic human behavior will still prevail. It is quite possibly the most interesting piece of writing that I have read, on a multitude of different levels. Whilst we are performing here the vast majority of the play will be spoken in Arabic with only my part, the British soldier, in English. Early next year the production will continue its life at the Young Vic, spoken in English, so I know that all the performers have a command of my language, but I am totally unsure to what extent, or how the rehearsal process will be conducted.
Between me and you, my friends, I am holding my hands up. Politics and religion are not my strong points. Neither featured heavily in my upbringing nor have had a huge impact on my life till now. I read newspapers and watch the news, but my knowledge on both subjects could definitely be described as surface. However, in my defense, even though I might be a little lazy and issues sometimes need to be brought to my attention before I take notice, I am a believer that we are individually in control of our own intelligence. We are all students at the university of life and I am certainly not the type of person to turn down an opportunity because it will put me out of my comfort zone. In fact I have actively pursued and thankfully overcome tough experiences in the past, and I know that I am a much richer man for it.
So, I am both wildly excited and intensely apprehensive about the journey which lies in the 4 months ahead of me. I have a lot to learn ( forgiveness and patience please! ). Politically, religiously, artistically, culturally, and socially. In no order of importance. I will be hearing about and living in one of the most complicated and controversial situations in our history, whilst working on a play that tackles a very human story right at the very heart of it. I am so lucky and thankful to be offered an experience that I’m sure is going to change the way that i see things, the questions that i ask myself and the life around me. My comfort zone is back in London, in a pub somewhere with a pint and my mates, but I am here with an open mind, open eyes and ears and also an open heart...
No comments:
Post a Comment