Artists Network of Refuse & Resist!

IMAGINE: IRAQ
A report from the Artists Network

On November 19 at the Great Hall of Cooper Union, almost 900 people came out to see IMAGINE:IRAQ. The staged reading of 8 new works-in-progress (and one New York premiere) was produced by the Artists Network of Refuse & Resist!, in association with playwright Naomi Wallace. The pieces were inspired by the lives of those affected by the US/UK's roles in the Middle East, after ten years of bombing and the imposition of international sanctions on Iraq. The event was co-sponsored by Cooper Union Continuing Education and Public Program Office.

The audience for this evening was wildly diverse: students, regular theater-goers (some from as far away as Connecticut, DC and Baltimore), downtown theater and visual artists, political activists, Latino artists responding to news that Culture Clash (the Chicano comedy group from Los Angeles) would be performing new work; Black students who had heard about the reading at a conference in New Jersey where Reg e. Gaines had work-shopped his play the week before. And there were literally hundreds of people from the Arab and South Asian communities. Families arrived with baby carriages and small children played quietly in the back of the hall--shushing each other during the performance. As one artist put it, "I havenât been in a crowd like that since going to concerts in Central Park in the 70s."

Actor-director Richard Montoya/Culture Clash at rehearsal with artistic director Joann Shapiro and production/stage manager Arthur Lewis

Each playwright brought their own perspective and voice to the evening. Some works were set in Iraq (Kia Corthron's SOMNIA --directed by Michael John GarcŽs, Tariq Ali's TIGRIS & EURPHRATES (directed by Jeremy Cohen), Trevor Griffithsâ CAMEL STATION--directed by Jeremy Pikser), and Naomi Wallace's THE RETREATING WORLD directed by Jeremy Cohen). Other plays presented "confrontations with agents of big power terror" as one commentator put it: Robert OâHara's DIRT (directed by Damon Kiely) and Harold Pinter's "THE NEW WORLD ORDER" and "AMERICAN FOOTBALL" (directed by Connie Grappo). Pinter's pieces had been written in the wake of the Gulf War in 1991 and contributed by him to the evening. Reg e. Gaines' piece BANANAS (directed by Savion Glover) featured two homeless African American men in a hot back-and-forth on Iraq, the world, and personal loss. Betty Shamieh's piece TAMAM was a monologue from the sister of a Palestinian suicide bomber, based on the true story of a woman the writer had met. Richard Montoya from LA's Culture Clash did two monologues, one by a Muslim man beamed from heaven, the other his own meditations as a Chicano actor looking for an anthem in the war zone of post-9.11 Washington DC. The plays were brought to life by a cast of 17 actors whose enthusiasm and dedication to this performance spilled from the stage. (There is more information, including interviews with the playwrights and bios of the actors and directors, see top left)

The mood was set as you walked into the hall. The Tarab Ensemble, an engaging Middle Eastern band, was playing a wonderful fusion of Arab classical music and jazz on oud, horn, tambourine, percussion. In the Lobby Gallery, art works were exhibited for the evening, curated by Nina Felshin. Nancy Spero (whose art was used on the card for the event) created a beautiful new work featuring her spirited women and drawing on imagery from Middle Eastern mythology. There was a large painting by Arnold Mesches "a charged piece done in response to the Gulf War in 1991 featuring such icons as the cigar store Indian and the lawn jockey standing in a sea of burnt rubber tires" all permeated with a rocketsâ red glow. On a third wall was a powerful photo triptych by Andy Gordon of the silent performances at Times Square where artists wore dust masks and signs reading "Our grief is not a cry for war."

Betty Shamieh as "Tamam."

Many commented on how happy they were to be in the company of so many people who wanted to hear these stories in this moment when artists are being told to shut up about such matters. The plays were presented simply, with no introduction or commentary. Most people had their favorite pieces and the ones they didn't like as well, but there was an overwhelming sentiment that the evening as a whole was extraordinary and punctuated by very moving moments. It felt good to be there.

The audience itself was a collaborator in the event: generous, alive, and responsive to these works-in-progress. Many appreciated being let in on the process of the making of these works in this moment which was part of what we were trying for, to bring these plays into the public conversation while the ferment remains high.

A few weeks before the event, the New York Times published a short piece on the evening in the paper's well-read theater column, "On Stage and Off" by Jesse McKinley. The evening got the "Critics Pick" in the entertainment magazine Time Out ("Don't miss this one-chance opportunity to see new works about Americaâs Middle East policy by A-list playwrights"). Newsday's theater columnist, Linda Winer, mentioned it in a column on "Art and the War" the Sunday before the 19th. The associate publisher at the Nation magazine sent an announcement with a personal note to their 50,000-person listserve. The South Asian theater group SALAAM collaborated by making their own flyer for the event and bringing a large crowd (nearly 150 people). News about IMAGINE: IRAQ got out through email lists and strong word of mouth. If you were at the right intersection, you heard of this event 3 or 4 different ways.

A couple days after the event, there was an hour-long feature on the radio/cable TV program "Democracy Now" with Amy Goodman; they did interviews with playwrights Kia Corthron and Tariq Ali and showed footage from the plays which was aired on cable and radio stations around the country. There was a feature on BBC radio that aired in England, and articles have appeared in the Columbia University Spectator and the Revolutionary Worker.

Almost 40 artists and writers lent their names to welcome the audience to the reading, including Gabriel Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Reno, Tony Kushner, Marion McClinton, Russell Banks, Luther Henderson, Howard Zinn, David Riker, Saul Williams, Eve Ensler, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

The Tarab Ensemble

Over 50 people worked as staff for the evening, in addition to the actors and directors. Many audience members commented on how cool, friendly and well-organized the whole thing was. This was good because with so many people coming to something on this subject, everyone was concerned that people feel comfortable, welcomed and safe. The President of Cooper Union, Dr. George Campbell, made the generous contribution of donating the hall for the evening, and he and the incredibly supportive staff were very happy with Imagine: Iraq. They said they do events there all the time, but this was different.

The success of this night indicates very good potential for the project to be developed from here. There is interest from various theaters here and internationally, and there is a beginning discussion among the producers and playwrights as to the best way to proceed.

The day before the event at one of the staff meetings, an actor who was working on the production told a story. She had been raised in the U.S. but her father was Iraqi. A few years ago she visited the country by herself. As she crossed the border into Iraq, everyone was taken off the bus and because she was American she was brought by herself into a large room. Her passport was taken; she was afraid. Eventually, an Iraqi official walked across the room and returned her passport, saying, "Welcome to the country of your father. You know, the Iraqi people are not the same as the Iraqi government. Just as we know the American people are not the same as the American government. Welcome." "That's how I feel about this event," she said. "It is about the people of these countries telling their stories to each other." And this is what happened that night.