TRUTH AND TREASON
Playwright – Rahul Varma
Director – Arianna Bardesono

With a ground breaking season consisting of a variety of activities culminating in an unprecedented two productions – My Name is Rachel Corrie and A Leaf in the Whirlwind in 2007-2008, we continue to pursue our theme “Staging Peace in Times of War,” with our next production Truth and Treason and other activities supporting world-peace.

Synopsis :

A 10-year-old girl named Gazala is shot by an unknown U.S. soldier at a checkpoint, behind which the conference to rebuild Iraq is taking place. Captain Edward, the officer in-charge of the checkpoint is about to let the girl’s mother Uzma, a Canadian women married to an Iraqi writer, go past the security line to be with her daughter -- is overruled by his superior Commander Hester Frank. Why? Because, the girl’s father Umair, imprisoned by dictator Saddam – is considered terrorist by the US even after Saddam is thrown out. While the two officers differ on the father’s alleged terrorist history, the girl dies in US custody. In her place rises a complex story of opposing characters: Uzma, who can use her Canadian passport to free Umair but only if he stops threatening to avenge Ghazal’s death, Umair whose family’s survival is threatened by his activities, Hester who must take no chances, Edward who must come to terms with his duties as a patriot and his right to express views at odds with his army boss, and the clergyman who has turned one family’s personal loss into a public fatwa by calling upon Muslims to kill Edward for “preventing” a mother from seeing her child. Truth and Treason takes us to discover the real truth behind the war on terror…

Truth and Treason was stage read at the Factory Theatre’s National CrossCurrents new play development program in the spring of 2007 under the direction of Soheil Parsa of Modern Times Stage Company, and in 2008 under the direction of Guillermo Verdecchia. In November 2007 it was workshopped at the Playwrights Workshop Montreal under the direction of India’s iconic director and in December 2008 was stage-read at the Monument National under the direction of Arianna Bardesono. In December 2008, Rahul travelled to India to further work on this play under the guidance of Habib Tanvir who originally inspired him to write this play.

Staging peace in times of war
2007 - 2008

Whatever the pretence for war and however it is disguised, it is repressive of democratic cultural expression, which the aggressor sees as antithetical to its culture. In contrast to war, theatre is a peaceful means of reshaping the world, for its betterment rather than its destruction. 

A play based on writings of Rachel Corrie, edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner. Director Sarah Stanley

My Name is
Rachel Corrie

Dec 6 - 22, 2007
Wednesday to Saturday at 8:30pm
Saturday Matinée 2:00 pm
Panel discussion after the play
Sunday Matinée at 2:00pm
Talk back after the play

Monument-National
1182 Boulevard St Laurent
Metro St-Laurent

Tickets:  $20  $18 seniors and students
Group rates: 10 people and more  $15
T. 514 871-2224
Students Group rates on Wednesday 2 for 1
T. 514 848 0238

My Name is Rachel Corrie is a story of a young woman who traveled to Gaza to join a peace movement committed to using non-violent and direct action to resist the Israeli occupation of Palestinians land. Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while defending a Palestinian home against demolition.  Actor Alan Rickman, with the support of the Corrie family and journalist Katharine Viner, turned her private diary and emails into a play.

The Palestinians called her a true American hero and an angel of peace; and the Israeli government labeled Corrie an irresponsible protester who had brought death upon herself by being in a combat zone.

“A twin-city Production in collaboration with neworldtheatre Vancouver”

MONTREAL PREMIERE
Dec 6 -22, 2007
Monument-National
1182 Boulevard St Laurent
Metro St-Laurent
Tickets:  $20  $18 seniors and students
Group rates : 10 people and more $15
T. 514 871-2224

VANCOUVER PREMIERE
January 24 - February 9, 2008
Havana Theatre
(at the Havana Restaurant)
1212 Commercial Dr.
Vancouver

neworldtheatre
T.604 602 0007
info@neworldtheatre.com
www.neworldtheatre.com

Community Discussion Panels

Teesri Duniya Theatre links art to civic dialogue for social harmony.  We have organized a series of discussion panels to encourage exchange on the many issues which may arise from the play.   These will take place after every matinee performance on Saturdays and Sundays as follows:
2:00 PM Matinee performance
3:20 PM Panel discussions start
4:20 PM Discussion panel closes
All panels are open to the public and will take place at the Monument National, 1182 St Laurent Blvd.


Dates and Details

Saturday December 8
Local impact of a conflict thousands of miles away
Panellists: Montreal Dialogue Group executives: Jihad Bahlis, Rania Arabi, Sharon Gubbay Helfer, Ronit Yarosky
MC: Devora Neumark
Arab and Jewish members of the Montreal Dialogue Group, who are themselves closely related to the Middle East conflict, discuss their own internal struggles and reflect on Rachel Corrie’s life and choices.
 
Sunday December 9
Did she "choose" to put herself in harm’s way?
Panellists: Craig and Cindy Corrie, Rachel Corrie’s parents, and Tali Goodfriend
MC: Abby Lippman
Those who have seen a video of ten -year-old Rachel Corrie speaking at a “Fifth Grade Press Conference on World Hunger” and those who have seen her toothy smile on posters and postcards can imagine the duality of Rachel Corrie’s life: commitment to social justice and love for her family and home.  How do we react when the Israeli military says she was a headstrong flawed woman who chose to put herself in harm’s way?  Rachel Corrie’s parents Craig and Cindy Corrie share their perspective.  Tali Goodfriend, who grew up in Israel and lost a brother in a suicide bombing, joins them. 

Saturday December 15
Martyr for a cause or misguided?
Panellists: Jewish and Arab youth: Hinda Rabkin, Aaron Lakov and Nasser Aboukhdeir
MC: Ehab Lotayef
What would make a North American teenager leave home to fight for the rights of a people to whom she is not related in any way? Both sides claim ownership of the true meaning of her death. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and Palestinians called her "a true American hero and an Angel," while the Israeli military said she was part of a group of protesters "endangering everyone’s life by intentionally placing themselves in a combat zone."  
 
Sunday December 16
The Arab Israeli conflict from different sides and how can we prevent more deaths
Panellists: Rachad Antonius, Sam Noumoff and Stephen Block
MC: David Gutnick
Can we make sense of Rachel Corrie's actions in the larger picture and head to a better future?  Prominent members of the community discuss war and peace and the contentious issues they raise for many.

Saturday December 22
Freedom to tell without fear of being labelled unpatriotic or anti-Semitic
Panellists: Rahul Varma, Sarah Stanley, Ehab Lotayef, Denis Salter, Mary Ellen Davis
MC: Jaswant Guzder
There are those who hurl charges of lack of patriotism and Anti-Semitism at those who desire to hear what Rachel Corrie had to say.  A panel of artists and academics considers how fear of the label of "Anti-Semitism” is used to suppress discussion of different perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.