No Pina Colada for Mr. Play It Safe

Hello!

This week, we are ‘keeping the fort’,as Rahul said; Linda (the General Manager) is in vacation for 2 weeks. Repercussion Theatre has just started rehearsing a Shakespeare play in our joint space so there is a lot of mouvement on the battle field.

This week, I’m also painting a book. It’s about a mole named Lowell. I didn’t write it, I’m the image-maker. And an article I wrote in french on transhumanism got published on an online greek magazine, in english and in greek. I wrote it in french because I really cared about all the words I wrote, I wanted to be exactly sure of what I was saying,but, it got morphed in the translation. Alanis sang :

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-bye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
'Well isn't this nice...'

The translation does not feel so much like my words and even sometimes, meanings. Gotta talk to them.

Paradoxically, it feels like things are in suspension, floating around. Maybe it’s because everybody’s drinking pina coladas. Except all those who can’t. I’m hectic. Do you follow me?

We’re starting to meet with people who are interested in the panel discussions, and get more appointments. I don’t mean to give up at the first sign of resistance, but it’s just encouraging when you’ve got special friends to move on. Then, the world feels generous and less oppressing, generically speaking.

I would have loved to receive Patch Adams for one of those Panel. Yes, yes, THE Dr.He is such an amazing human being and an incredible speaker. He transforms people (at least, this is true for me). And you know, I thought it was quite related Peace and Peace. But it will not be possible. For those who are interested, he will be in Quebec city and in Montreal on the second week of September 2009,just when our play will be presented -which means 2 major events in the same week.



I like when people can be that frank with themselves and the world, and yet, still want to pursue their 'mission', for the better, again and again, indefatigably.

And talking about people who make much efforts to make the world a better place, here is Risa from Indyish. I mentionned this Montreal-artist-network-group earlier, they’ll feature us in mid-August at an event (the monthly mess) called ‘We made a deal with the devil.’ Apparently, their ‘May monthly mess’ was a chaos of fun. You should come in August, we’ll passionatly talk about true & deep vital life elements in this creative space! So to Speak- Rahul talking about his script.



For more info : www.indyish.com

The playwright

Hello all,

I hope that you are doing well.

I will be quiet this week and let Rahul Speak for himself. Why did he come into theatre?

week 3: Identities

3rd week. And summer hitting. And me moving again. Great! Hello all.

I was told I sound Texan when I write 'you all'- Oh well, split in between identities. Not new, not original. But true. As if all along the centuries, identity-pride, definition and escape have been overwhelmingly recurrent themes. Something we love and battle against -a stormy relationship with the border of our humanit(ies).

When I worked in England, they thought I was French and teased me with the fact that the French soccer team lost to the English one -which they were very intense and fervent about. In France though, they said 'oh, our cousin, come here my friend!!!'

Elsewhere, people often ask me if I'm from Israel... But certainly, the most surprizing intro/self-description I ever experienced was in a train in India. A guy sat beside me and he said 'Hi! My name is blablabla, are you catholic?'

'Catholic?!' I repeated, laughing.

'Yes, I just thought you looked so catholic'

Identities.

So I just do the same. I go in a shop. I incircle people with their origins. I go in a shop and ask the wonderfully smiling shop keeper 'are you Iraqi'?
'Yes I am', he says smiling.
' Ok, I'm on this project... A theatre play. About the war in Iraq. I would like to meet up with some Iraqis. We have to bring people together, would you like to speak with me?'

Then he stops smiling and becomes very serious. 'sorry, I can't help you. Next!'

There might be many valuable reasons. But I'm left in a void of unanswered wonders.

Why don't you want to speak?

So I read. I read one of the most feminist books I have ever read (after Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own'). It's a recent book from Nadje Al-Ali & Nicola Pratt ' What kind of Liberation? Women and the occupation of Iraq'. There is an anthropological flavour to it -makes it very interesting to me. Personal. I usually do not focus my universal quests on women. Maybe I should. Maybe it's an axis worth taking.

There are a lot of women working on Truth and Treason. Here is one:

Video #2: Being a franco playing in english

Hi,

so second week running by... No news from the 'united for Peace' people BUT making contacts with great groups here in Montreal, like Indyish! I know them from a previous project collaboration (my company DOC. THEATRE and Remember Griffintown). They organize 'engaged events' here and I believe it usually is quite a young crowd. So I'm happy -of course everyone should come to the play-, but I've noticed that people of my age (+- 25 years old) generally do not know theatre that well. I'm thrilled to have the chance to maybe make more connections with them, and you, and all! Not because I think we should promote the container of our art and expression, but because the content is brought through this container. The content is rich. And what's amazing about the 'theatre container', is that it's live- people sweat near you, you almost feel their breath if you're close enough. You see them crying and laughing and trying to figure out life, right in front of you. When it's good theatre, there is something to it that reminds me of a trip, you grow without knowing it. You confront tides and tempests. You become stronger. And then it dies, I like that it dies; what's left is inside.

On these words, let's get back to our new video embracing the beauty and challenges of being part of (at least)two cultures. Karim speaks.