Wednesday, February 10, 2010
West Side via West Bank
NYTimes.com: "The daughter of Edward W. Said, the Columbia University professor who until his death in 2003 was the most prominent advocate in this country for the cause of Palestinian independence, Ms. Said guides the audience though her teenage years as a self-described politically agnostic Upper West Side princess to a vision of herself today, a 35-year-old woman who is deeply moved by the very word “Palestine.”"
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3 comments:
At first when I began reading this article I assumed that it was about some girl who, as described, was a wealthy family and was able to become an actress and have a show simply because of money. However, after finishing, I realize that she an incredible switch over from superficial to complete awareness about her heritage and the multitude of issues surrounding Palestine. Her accomplishment seems to be one to note; to make a conflict into a show, combine it with her own personal history, while maintaing humor is not an easy feat.
Perspective other then your own is always interesting. To see someone in such an identidy politically chargred situation is really interesting. Her growth through her life, shows that she is no differnt then any of us, but her surroundings and family and culture was. Shows like this, where the person who expeienced it tells it is great because it gives in to more real raw emotions onstage leading to an all around better performance of give and take between the audience. I love one person shows that make a statement because it is not someone giving a speech about clean air or china- it is someone who is using their life and experiences to teach you something or tell you something. That is what theater is about. Reflecting on everyday life.
Theater is a powerful tool. One reason is because it can focus on the large-scale, worldwide events and incidents and the more intimate, personal details. It is often very helpful to look at events from both of these points of view. Said's play, Palestine helps the audience look at a complex political situation without looking at the politics of countries and cultures, but at the experiences of a young girl from America. The play is used to share this one woman's point of view. Which, whether one agrees with it or not, definitely informs one's option of the world and the politics within it. It is encouraging that we can look at this controversial issue through a "back door" so to speak.
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