Thursday, June 30, 2016

What an Amazing Event!

The reading of The Other Village at Fundamental Theatre Project's Mass Rhetoric last night was fantastic - and Project 1948 (and I) got to play a large part in it.

The play itself was inspiring.  It tells the story of a town that is isolated behind a giant wall, and every inhabitant of the town tries to acknowledge feelings, write them down and then move past them. There are no "stories", no metaphors and no figurative language.  They have done this to prevent anger and altercations and fighting.  Into this society a Syrian refugee washes up.  She has to tell her story not just to explain herself, but to bring people to action and to process what happened.



The Other Village then follows the effect of her truth on the town's residents.

After the reading, I participated in a talk back with the Author, Director, Founder of the Company and a cast member who lead the discussion.  I had the chance to explain that one of the key purposes of Project 1948 is to give voice to young people who may not have other ways of sharing or processing this information.

Many people in Bosnia don't want to, or can't acknowledge what happened in the past - or they cannot move beyond it.  Project1948 works with younger people to shape their inner voice - through photography and interviews - into something impactful that must be heard.  It was very rewarding for me.  The message resonated.



During the show, the backdrop (as you can see) included pictures from the Photo-Voice process of 2015.  Some people, unfamiliar with our work, asked how they can help and I look forward to moving Project1948's work forward.