A WOMAN’S WORK: Jennifer Aguilar, left, Andi Meyer and Cheryl Weaver star in ‘9 Parts of Desire,’ which previews today and Thursday and formally opens Friday at the Unicorn Theatre.
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'Desire' offers glimpse into lives of Iraqi women
By: Kelli Bamforth, Staff Writer
kellibamforth@sunpublications.com
The Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St., opens the new Jerome Stage on Feb. 15 with the premiere of “9 Parts of Desire,” a portrait of nine Iraqi women and their stories of living in a war zone.
The stage will serve as a multipurpose area for “experimental theater,” Cynthia Levin, producing artistic director, said. Community members will be able to rent the space for corporate meetings and other uses.
“(The stage) is outfitted with state-of-the-art sound and lighting that will enable us to do more experimental productions in the way of collaborations, new plays, world premieres and readings,” Levin said. “It’s an intimate space and great place for those kinds of things. We have a great deal more flexibility in this space than in our main stage.”
The Unicorn also will have increased visibility, Levin said. The building is outlined in red neon and has an all-glass front.
“It’s very warm and inviting and pulls you in off the street,” she said.
“9 Parts of Desire,” performed with three actors at the Unicorn, originally premiered as a solo by playwright Heather Raffo. Her father is Iraqi and her mother is American.
“I read this show and fell in love with it by page 10, though I never saw it,” Levin said. “(Raffo) went to Iraq for summer vacation her whole life and ended up wanting to write about women living in a war zone, so the show is nine different female perspectives of that.”
Nine roles split between three women give the production an interesting perspective, Levin said.
“We have three different personalities and nationalities of women,” she said. “War is international. It’s not just in Iraq or the Middle East; it’s everywhere and has encompassed every (nationality), from South American to Asian to American to Arabic. I wanted to open it up so it wasn’t about one type of woman.”
Characters include an exiled Iraqi woman living in London, an American living in Iraq, a 10-year-old girl and a beggar woman living on the street.
“It’s a cross-section of any population,” Levin said. “You get nine completely different points of view. Several characters are revisited throughout the play. Others are one-shot deals; you hear their story and they’re gone.”
Levin said she hopes the story will remind the audience that “they are all of one heart.”
“No matter where you are or what you’re fighting, we’re all human life forces,” she said. “It’s easy to look at war from a distance because they’re fought thousands of miles away. We don’t see the civilization we’re changing or ruining or perhaps making better.”
The 90-minute play is intended to give the audience a glimpse of living in a country in turmoil.
“We wanted to visit other people and cultures that are foreign to us in a very human way,” Levin said. “One on one, we hear their story. You don’t necessarily have to sit down and discuss politics or why we should or shouldn’t be in Iraq. Everyone’s got an opinion about that.
“It’s very personal. We all have certain things we want out of life – love and hope, and we want our children to grow up safe. It’s about what makes people tick and how they feel about living in the country.”
The play marks the first time a show of this kind is performed in the area, Levin said.
“It’s funny and it’s sad and it’s provocative and just lovely to listen to the words,” she said. “It’s storytelling at its best.”
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The stage will serve as a multipurpose area for “experimental theater,” Cynthia Levin, producing artistic director, said. Community members will be able to rent the space for corporate meetings and other uses.
“(The stage) is outfitted with state-of-the-art sound and lighting that will enable us to do more experimental productions in the way of collaborations, new plays, world premieres and readings,” Levin said. “It’s an intimate space and great place for those kinds of things. We have a great deal more flexibility in this space than in our main stage.”
The Unicorn also will have increased visibility, Levin said. The building is outlined in red neon and has an all-glass front.
“It’s very warm and inviting and pulls you in off the street,” she said.
“9 Parts of Desire,” performed with three actors at the Unicorn, originally premiered as a solo by playwright Heather Raffo. Her father is Iraqi and her mother is American.
“I read this show and fell in love with it by page 10, though I never saw it,” Levin said. “(Raffo) went to Iraq for summer vacation her whole life and ended up wanting to write about women living in a war zone, so the show is nine different female perspectives of that.”
Nine roles split between three women give the production an interesting perspective, Levin said.
“We have three different personalities and nationalities of women,” she said. “War is international. It’s not just in Iraq or the Middle East; it’s everywhere and has encompassed every (nationality), from South American to Asian to American to Arabic. I wanted to open it up so it wasn’t about one type of woman.”
Characters include an exiled Iraqi woman living in London, an American living in Iraq, a 10-year-old girl and a beggar woman living on the street.
“It’s a cross-section of any population,” Levin said. “You get nine completely different points of view. Several characters are revisited throughout the play. Others are one-shot deals; you hear their story and they’re gone.”
Levin said she hopes the story will remind the audience that “they are all of one heart.”
“No matter where you are or what you’re fighting, we’re all human life forces,” she said. “It’s easy to look at war from a distance because they’re fought thousands of miles away. We don’t see the civilization we’re changing or ruining or perhaps making better.”
The 90-minute play is intended to give the audience a glimpse of living in a country in turmoil.
“We wanted to visit other people and cultures that are foreign to us in a very human way,” Levin said. “One on one, we hear their story. You don’t necessarily have to sit down and discuss politics or why we should or shouldn’t be in Iraq. Everyone’s got an opinion about that.
“It’s very personal. We all have certain things we want out of life – love and hope, and we want our children to grow up safe. It’s about what makes people tick and how they feel about living in the country.”
The play marks the first time a show of this kind is performed in the area, Levin said.
“It’s funny and it’s sad and it’s provocative and just lovely to listen to the words,” she said. “It’s storytelling at its best.”