Kudos to the Adventurous!

I would like to take this opportunity to stray a bit from my normal review format (thus I have put this on the home page of theatermaven) and mention the work currently underway by a local theater couple on an original play recently given its first reading here in the Valley. Mel Weiser and Joni Browne-Walders, both playwrights, have joined forces not only in marriage but as co authors of A TINY PIECE OF LAND. This is a play depicting the plight of an ordinary Israeli family forced from the Gaza Strip during the pullout in 2005, which examines the emotions and stresses they undergo. Taking on such a controversial subject was a bold leap of faith for the couple. They received a commission from Oregon Stage Works Theater in Ashland where the show will be produced next May. However, Mel and Joni wanted to give local audiences the opportunity to view the play early on and to comment on it.

Therefore, a reading was held at the Theatre Arts Studio in Scottsdale a week or so ago and anyone interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was invited. Thus, it was a mixed audience which heard the script that day. Comment was offered and taken and I imagine rewrites are already underway. It is a rare opportunity to be part of a production in progress and I imagine that Mel and Joni may mount a similar reading when their final draft is completed.

When asked why they decided to write about this controversial subject, the couple said, “We felt that this is something we’d like to do to touch audiences, not to preach to them, but to somehow touch them through this family we’ve created and get them to understand what these people are living through. We hope that the play opens audience’s eyes to the situation in Israel.”

The play when produced in Oregon may possibly run in repertory with a pro Palestinian script called “My Name is Rachel Corrie” which would  hopefully present a  balanced picture of the Arab/Israeli conflict. A TINY PIECE OF LAND tells the story of the Ben Dani family who lived on Gaza but are now being resettled in the Negev. Into their lives comes a long lost brother from the US who travels to Israel after a personal crisis and carries with him a pro Palestinian viewpoint. The family’s situation intensifies when a terrible event occurs.

If you are interested in learning more about the play, you may contact theatermaven@yahoo.com and I will pass your name along to the authors.