The Methuen Drama Anthology of Testimonial Plays: Bystander 9/11; Big Head; The Fence; Come Out Eli; The Travels; On the Record; Seven; Pajarito Nuevo

Description

This diverse anthology features eight contemporary plays founded in testimonies from across the world. Showcasing challenging and provocative works of theatre, the collection also provides a clear insight into the workings of the genre through author interviews, introductions from the companies and performance images which illustrate the process of creating each piece.""Bystander 9/11 by Meron Langsner is an impressionistic but wholly authentic response to the catastrophe as it unfolded and in the days following. "" "Big Head" by Denise Uyehara is an interrogation of current perceptions of "the enemy now" as seen through the lens of Japanese American internment during World War II. Urban Theatre Projects "The Fence" is a tale of love, belonging and healing. It is a tender work that looks at the adult lives of five family and friends who spent their childhoods in orphanages, institutions and foster homes in Australia. "Come Out Eli" Christmas 2002 in Hackney, London, saw the longest siege in British history. Using interviews collected at the time and further material gathered in the aftermath, Alecky Blythe s play explores the impact of the siege on the lives of individuals and the community."The Travels" members of Forced Entertainment undertook a series of journeys during one summer, each travelling alone to locations in the UK to complete tasks determined only partially in advance. This began a mapping process and the creation of a landscape of ideas, narratives and bad dreams."""On the Record" by Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen circumnavigates the globe to bring true stories from six independent journalists, all linked by their determination to shed light on the truth. Created by Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith and Susan Yankowitz, "Seven "is based on personal interviews with seven women who have triumphed over huge obstacles to catalyse major changes in human rights in their home countries of Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala and Cambodia."""Pajarito Nuevo la Lleva: The Sounds of the Coup "by Mar a Jos Contreras Lorenzini focuses upon sense memories of witnesses who were children at the time of the 1974 military coup in Chile." Cover HalfTitle Series Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction: Testimony in Performance: Memory in Action Meron Langsner Interviewed by Alison Forsyth Bystander 9/11: A Theatre Piece Concerning the Events of September 11, 2001 Meron Langsner Production History (Narrator steps forward.) (First and Second New Yorkers trying cell phones.) (First and Second New Yorkers begin to murmur the Kaddish.) (Narrator faces upstage, First and Second face towards audience.) (First and Second freeze for a moment, as Narrator continues.) An Essay Big Head Denise Uyehara with the additional words of Edina Lekovic, Masamori Kojima, Tamadhur Al-Aqeel, Lulu Emery, Shady Ha Production History Prologue The Fourth Grade Book Report Masamori Kojima Edina Lekovic The Nerve Hate Crime Fourth of July Edina’s Song Pledge Story, Silence, Song and Site: The Multiplicity of Testimony in The Fence: Alicia Talbot Interviewed by Caroline Wake The Fence Urban Theatre Projects Performance text of The Fence transcribed by Alicia Talbot, Raimondo Cortese and Lina Kastoum Alecky Blythe Interviewed by Alison Forsyth Introduction Come Out Eli Original Cast and Creatives 1. Request 2. Nasty 3. Sharp Shooters 4. Parked 5. Answer the Question 6. I’m a Professional! 7. Western 8. Sore Throat 9. Confusion 10. I Saw Gun Shots 11. Starve Him 12. Fireworks 13. Safer 14. Duty 15. Old Fashioned 16. Bullet Screen 17. Hungerford 18. Street Bobby 19. Bonhomie 20. Pen-guins 21. Rabid Dogs 22. Kensington 23. Clear-up 24. Fox Droppings 25. Not in Command 26. Sneeze 27. Ten Officers 28. Two? 29. Fantastic 30. Arrest You 31. Shoulder of Mutton 32. Woolies 33. Onions 34. Tesco Bread 35. Falklands 36. Basic 37. Yes Way 38. Slippers 39. Evacuated 40. Venture Out 41. Catford 42. One Sun Newspaper 43. Secret Blend 44. Mr Henry’s 45. Flower Shop 46. Rent 47. Mick the Stripper 48. Beckett! 49. Good Claim 50. Not a Penny 51. Dig Deeply 52. Fascinating 53. Temperament 54. On the Roof 55. Record Book Leroy 56. So Many Eli’s IRA 57. Know What I Mean? 58. Wounded 59. Fire 60. Nail Varnish 61. Three Shots 62. Nice to Meet You 63. Undercover 64. Scraped 65. Disturbing 66. Postcard 67. Demolish 68. Enormous Fun 69. That Was It 70. Other Job 71. Tannoy 72. The Sex Thing A Principle Rather Than an Accident: Some Notes on Forced Entertainment’s The Travels The Travels Forced Entertainment Part Two: Just Girls / The Futures Part Three: The Stories An Essay Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen On the Record Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen Performance Script (20 July, 2011) Characters Introduction to Seven Seven Production Notes An Essay Pajarito Nuevo La Lleva: The Sounds of the Coup Acknowledgements Pajarito Nuevo La Lleva: The Sounds of the Coup Permissions