TheatreFIRST

“Exceptionally well-performed… fresh, intense and strikingly immediate…finely tuned and affecting… the kind of thing Clive Chafer’s company does best.”
- Hurwitt, SF Chronicle

The Arab-Israeli Cookbook is a drama created from the everyday realities of life in Israel and the occupied territories, where nothing is truly “everyday”. The project began when the Caird Company sent writer Robin Soans and two directors to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank in 2003. There they met with an extraordinary cross-section of people from the cultural patchworks that make up both the Israeli and Palestinian communities. They heard about the daily heroism that residents take for granted, and the incredible spirit of survival that exists on both sides of this seemingly unbridgeable divide.

They also discovered the importance of food to every cultural and ethnic identity that calls this tiny plot of land home. The result is a verbatim play, featuring only the words of 42 of the courageous, committed, creative and possibly crazy people who live there. Eight actors will bring their voices to vibrant life (while preparing real Mediterranean dishes onstage!), and bring insight and understanding to the melting pot of Middle Eastern affairs. A truly unique and moving play from the frontline of what many consider to be the world’s most momentous and perilous conflict. First performed at London’s Gate Theatre in 2004, it recently received its highly acclaimed US premiere in Los Angeles, and a much lauded revival at London’s Tricycle Theatre.

Read Rob Hurwitt’s full review: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/14/DDG4NFMU8H1.DTL&hw=Arab+Israeli+Cookbook&sn=001&sc=1000

See the play! Buy the Cookbook (on sale in the lobby)!

“Heartbreaking” - Time Out; “Stunning” - Daily Mail; “Magnificent” – Guardian

Locations:

December 1-4, 2005: Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida (between, 17th and Mariposa), San Francisco

Schedule of performances:
Thursdays – Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 3pm
Single ticket prices:
Thursday, Sunday $18; Friday, Saturday $22; Preview $10

Under 25’s: Always half price.
Seniors, students, TBA members: $3 discount

Box Office and Information: 510 436 5085

See Calendar for details.

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This event is supported by the Oakland City Council and funded by the City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program

Ashleyrose Gilham, L. Peter Callender and Alex Klein. Photo: Erich Favel

This searing and topical drama about the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda, and the west’s ambivalent response to it, was premiered last year at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. The story centers around a British member of the European parliament who, having spent time in Rwanda as a youth, feels both a special connection to the country and its people, and a responsibility to bring their plight to the attention of the aid-givers (and former colonial occupiers) in Europe. However, his attempts come drastically undone as the complexity of the post-genocide situation overwhelms his idealism and his political career, while his personal life spirals into chaos.

A U.S. premiere, to be directed by TheatreFIRST newcomer Dylan Russell, who recently assisted Richard E.T. White in directing A.C.T.’s stunningly brilliant production of Edward Albee’s The Goat. Among the cast is prominent local actor L. Peter Callender, an Associate Artist at California Shakespeare Theatre and a leading actor in their company, where he has recently appeared in Nicholas Nickleby, The Tempest, The Importance of Being Ernest and All’s Well That Ends Well. He will next be seen there in As You Like It, directed by Jonathan Moscone. Also appearing is TheatreFIRST Artistic Director Clive Chafer.

Featuring: L. Peter Callender*, Clive Chafer*, Shakira Patrice De Abreu, Ashleyrose Gilham, Alex Klein, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Garth Petal
(*Members of Actors’ Equity Association)

Clive Chafer and L.Peter Callender Photo: ARG Photography

“Lucid, gripping… There is no mistaking the urgency of its theme or the power of its marriage of intelligence and heart” – Daily Telegraph

Schedule:
April 27 to May 21, 2006 at Old Oakland Theatre, 461 Ninth Street (at Broadway), downtown Oakland
Thursdays – Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 3pm

Single ticket prices:
Thursday, Sunday $18; Friday, Saturday $22; Previews $10
Under 25’s: Always half price.
Seniors, students, TBA members: $3 discount
Pay what you can: May 4, 2006

Box Office and Information: 510 436 5085

This event is supported by the Oakland City Council and funded by the City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program

This message is brought to you in cooperation with the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the largest international affairs organization on the west coast and the largest affiliate of the national World Affairs Councils of America. Go to www.wacsf.org to find out more about their programs and membership benefits.