Saturday 30 July 2011

Amazing...

It has been amazing to see just how committed the five actors are to this project. They have wonderful focus, an energy that is infectious and seem to know their characters and the journey of the play intimately. It is wonderful to just sit and watch; to observe Candy, Jacinta, Naomi, Mel and Jodie as they convey the emotional struggle of Ishtar, the past that Jade tries to hide, the sadness of Jordan’s story, the complexities imbedded in Samira’s character, the dominating power of Lara and Ricky...
This play has so many issues but at its heart seems to be these characters who are trying to decide who they are and who they want to be, in a rapidly changing, and often terrifying and confusing world.

Friday 29 July 2011

                                   

 

Presented by Leticia Caceres, Master of Dramatic Art - Direction (by Research)

WAR CRIMES

Written by Angela Betzien
Directed by Leticia Caceres


What do you do when your country is at war, your town is at war, your friends are at war and there's a war inside your head? You run. One morning Jade wakes bruised and bleeding on the beach. She thinks she's alone, that no one will know, but someone is watching from the cave above the cliffs.

In 2007, in response to a spate of attacks on war memorials in towns and cities across Australia, a war memorial legislation amendment bill was proposed in parliament, increasing penalties for vandalising, defacing, deliberately damaging or behaving inappropriately around war memorials. While the bill was not passed, it inflamed debate over the ANZAC legend and sparked a call for a resurgence of pride in this national story.
War Crimes was created in response to this and several other real contemporary Australian events, with the intention of stirring up some big questions about our national history, identity and future. Importantly, it raises the question of what is sacred to us as a nation?










Creative Team
Set and Costume Design: Tanja Beer

Composer: Pete Goodwin

Lighting Design: Lisa Mibus

Producer: Laura Milke Garner


With:

Candy Bowers

Jodie Le Vesconte

Naomi Rukavina

Jacinta Yelland

Melanie Zanetti
Performance Times:
Wednesday 17 August, 7:30pm
Thursday 18 August, 7:30pm
Friday 19 August, 7:30pm
Venue: Post Graduate Studio,
VCA School of Performing Arts,
28 Dodds Street, Southbank
Duration: 70 minutes, no interval
Cost: Free Admission
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Thursday 28 July 2011

REGIONAL ARTS VICTORIA
War Crimes
Set in a regional coastal town, War Crimes tells a powerful story of five disenfranchised young women who are fighting for respect, railing against authority and struggling to form an identity in a small town with limited opportunities. The relocation of an Iraqi refugee family to the town provokes a climate of hostility and tension that threatens to violently explode. 
War Crimes continues Real TV’s trademark technique of using real events as pretexts for the creation of relevant and provocative contemporary Australian drama. In 2007 a series of attacks on War Memorials incited a frenzy on talk back radio and raised provocative questions about young Australians attitudes to war, to tradition, to national identity and to the notion of the sacred. 
War Crimes features the beach as its central motif and references landmark historical events such as the Cronulla riots and the ANZAC story to interrogate race and gender relations in contemporary Australia. The work draws correlations between the local and the global, between violence against women and our culture of masculinity and mateship. How does powerlessness breed a hatred of “the other” and what role do government and the media play in perpetuating xenophobia and misogyny in our community?
Co-commissioned by the Sydney Opera House Education and Regional Arts Victoria, arts2GO.
War Crimes has been selected for inclusion on the 2011 VCE Drama & Theatre Studies Playlist, which relates to the successful completion of Unit 4, Outcome 3.
Please note: War Crimes is recommended for students in years 9 to 12 and contains moderate impact coarse language and strong themes.
Director: Leticia Caceres
Writer: Angela Betzien
Composer: Pete Goodwin
Designer: Tanja Beer

Artform: Drama
Key Themes: Racism, Isolation, Adolescence, Rebellion
Specific VELS:
Personal Learning - Managing Personal Learning
Civics and Citizenship - Civic Knowledge and Understanding
The Arts - Exploring and Responding
English - Speaking and Listening
LOTE - Intercultural Knowledge and Understanding
Humanities - Historical Knowledge and Understanding
Communication - Listening, Viewing and Responding
Thinking - ALL
VCE Links:
Drama - Unit 2 and 3 - Australian Drama, non-Naturalism, Stagecraft
Theatre Studies - Unit 2, 3 and 4 - non-Naturalism, Stagecraft, Character Creation
English Language - Unit 4 - Spoken English Texts
Philosophy - Unit 1 and 2 - Contemporary debate, Ethical Problems
History - Unit 1 and 4 - Community Heritage, Crisis and Conflict, Changing Attitudes in Australian reactions
Texts and Traditions - Unit 2 - Justice, Racism and Gender Roles

Interview: Angela Betzien

1. What inspired you to write "War Crimes"?

I was inspired by a real event that caused quite a stir in a regional town a few years ago. This was the story of five girls who desecrated a war memorial on the eve of ANZAC day with anti-war slogans.  I was also inspired by a project that my colleagues were working on in collaboration with young teenage girls living in Shepparton. I realized the stories of girls like these weren’t often told and I wanted to do something about that.

2. Which true stories are events/characters in the play based on?

While the real event was the inspiration for War Crimes I didn’t seek to research the particular case, rather I was interested in creating a completely fictional narrative. None of the characters in the play are based on real people.

3. Could you explain (in a nutshell!) your interpretation of each of the characters?

Jade, the protagonist of the play, is a born leader. She thinks she  can handle anything and anyone. Jade has lived in this town her entire life but she has dreams of escape, of becoming something more than a poorly paid worker at the local abattoir.  

Jordan is a really confused foster kid. She’s completely disconnected from her family and culture.  She has never felt safe or protected and she has a history of violence and substance abuse. She is also struggling to come to terms with her sexual identity.

Lara has always been Jade’s best friend. They’ve grown up together but unlike Jade, Lara can’t imagine a life outside the country town. Lara’s got problems at home and she’s angry at the world. Lara takes this anger out on anyone who is different or who she perceives as a threat to her group of friends.

Rick is a follower. She doesn’t do well at school. She’d jump off a cliff if Lara or Jade told her too. Poor Ricky just wants the gang to stay together.

Ishtar is only sixteen but she’s already accrued a lifetime of experience fleeing a war torn country and spending her early child hood in a refugee camp. Ishtar is torn between wanting to be like everyone else at her school and the great expectations of her family and culture.
4. How do you think students will respond to the play and the issues raised?

I hope that students will be challenged by this play. If a story doesn’t confront and challenge than I don’t think it’s really worth telling. There are loads of issues imbedded in this play and it may take awhile to sort through all these, but hopefully this will lead to some healthy debate and critical thinking. I also hope students will also enjoy the action packed storytelling. I don’t want this production to be boring at any time. Theatre should be thrilling, full on, in your face.

5. What issues do you think are at the heart of this play?

There are loads of issues in the play: violence, sexuality, rape, racism, war… the list goes on.

At the heart of the play though are the themes of betrayal, loyalty and belonging.

6. Do you have a favourite moment in the script?

My favourite moment in the play is when Jordan spray paints the cave with handprints using some ochre coloured aerosols. She does this as a gift to Jade, as an apology for her betrayal. When Jade rejects the offer, accusing Jordan of desecrating the sacred place, Jordan is devastated and spirals into a dark and violent state.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Run Through...

·         Smooth transitions – use of set very effective and the way the large box serves many different roles throughout the play, used in a variety of ways
·         Commentary by the characters – translates really well to stage from the script; Lara and Ricky’s use of rhyme
·         Cave – sacred place
o   Jordan’s apparent carelessness for the place; leaning, biting nails, talking in a monotone
o   Jade – angry, confrontational, fierce – way of hiding her feelings
o   Jade and Jordan – same sitting position; their physicality similar, emphasises their connection
·         Physical distance between actors e.g. Lara’s apology – Jade and Lara at opposite sides of the stage
·         There was a really effective moment of blocking – Mel running around the stage in a circle, around the statue, as the scene changed
·         Mel’s second monologue – slow guitar, running – a seamless scene change
·         Great juxtaposition between Mel’s higher pitch, emotional voice and Naomi’s monotone
·         The scene between Jade and Ishtar in the cave was beautifully expressed – Go Mel and Jacinta!
Costumes
              ·       Jordan
o   Naomi’s hair – tied back, enhances Jordan’s ‘androgynous’ look
o   Pants – scuffed, frayed
·         Jade
o   Importance of shoes – Jade runs

Notes
·         Reactions – Ishtar to the police; Jacinta needing to be more fearful, more uncertain as she gazes out towards audience
·         Jacinta needs to stay on stage at the end of the play, as Ishtar and Jade simultaneously say, “Home”
·         Cave scene between Jade and Ishtar – Mel looking more intently at the handprints – convey Jade’s guilt about what has happened
Polishing scenes...
Cast worked on the nightclub scene and tried to add details and nuances to each moment in the scene.
Lara cutting off Ricky – highlight who is in the position of power; Lara won’t even let Ricky speak or act for herself.
In the opening scene of the play, when Lara threatens to reveal the story, there needs to be a greater moment of dramatic tension. This will suggest that what Jade is about to expose, is dangerous, a big secret.
The Kings – talking as one, a collective, lack of individuality, movement and voice same as each other.
Lara, Ricky, Jade and Ishtar stand across front of stage during some of the ‘commentary’ scenes. They stand in line as through having an interview. Jade is in the middle, caught between the two extremes; Lara and Ishtar. How does she react to each character and what is being said on either side of her?
SFX – transition into first scene between Samira and Ishtar – actors putting on hijabs slowly.
Jacinta having to react even more strongly to Lara’s continuous calls of “refo”.
The cast felt that a glass smash SFX was important to further heighten the tension in the scene with the pig’s head. The SFX would also help to explain that something is being thrown through the window.
In this scene, Candy is on the floor in front of the boxes, the soldiers are behind the boxes, they flip the large box to make the cave – Ishtar leads Samira off as Jade and Jordan run into the cave. Lovely continuity of scene.
Apology scene between Lara and Jade. Candy and Mel stand on opposite sides of stage. Scene is awkward, tense, the dialogue is thrown back and forth. Lara is intimidated by Jade. They move closer together then apart, closer together then apart. A power struggle once again!

Friday 22 July 2011

Movement Rehearsal...

11am
Cast continued rehearsing the movement sequence with the boxes.
·  Large box – Mel inside
·  Rest of soldiers behind box
·  Climb over top of box, open box, Jodie lifts Mel out and puts her on the ground
·  Each soldier takes a smaller box out of the larger box which they place on the ground; Jacinta and Jodie with the smaller boxes and Candy and Naomi with the bigger boxes
·  Soldiers spins boxes on the ground
·  Mel gets into the box Naomi is carrying
11.45am
·  Cast rehearsed the RSL scene.
·  Use of the “yobos” SFX.
·  “Kings” – hats to the side, scarf over mouths – anarchy, chaos when they throw the pig’s head through Samira’s window.
·  Samira cowering in front of the boxes whilst the Kings run around the space; crazy, animalistic, wild movements
· Leticia – suggested that the Kings practise ways of throwing the boxes; tossing them, slamming them down – when the last box has been placed, this indicates that the pig’s head has been thrown through the window and should elicit taunting, yelling and wolfing from the Kings
·  Which of the Kings will be the one to throw the pig’s head through the window? – Jodie
·  Effective transition between scenes – RSL – Kings – Box formation around Samira – “No one is coming...we’re safe here” – such a poignant scene
 ·  Suggested that it would be even more powerful if Ishtar was to respond to her mother in  Arabic in order to control her mother’s fears, to reassure her
·  Soldiers hiding behind the boxes – how to stand? Loom over the scene but don’t want to pull focus from the emotional scene between Samira and Ishtar
·  Leticia also altered Mel and Naomi’s transition into the Kings characters – Jade says, “Let’s run”, then the two of them freeze – then they put on the scarves and move to the next scene

Movement Rehearsal: Boxes Formation

Rehearsal: Boxes Sequence

9am
The cast worked on the intense movement sequence with the boxes where there are four soldiers and Jade.
Difficulties:
·         Trying to fit Mel inside a box
·         Synchronised movement – lifting boxes in time to music
·         Revealing Mel in a box more than once? – decided this was not needed as the play has a lot of box reveal
·         Candy suggested that when Mel is behind the box formation, she should slide the big box forward in order for Jacinta and Naomi to grab the sides of the box
Blocking
·         Naomi and Jacinta jump off the boxes – brush their hands along the side of the ‘coffin’, pick it up and move it forwards in synchronised step, then Candy and Jodie step next to it and all four pick up the box and taking small, marching steps, turning around as Mel crawls underneath and runs off-stage
·         Workshopping ideas – how to hold the box? On shoulders? How high to hold it, as Mel has to crawl underneath?
·         Mel’s frantic running – when should she speak the dialogue?
·         Soldiers – small steps, marching, lifting feet
·         Music – electro-remix – loud beats, marching, increased pace, intrusive sound, mix of different sound effects
·         Spinning boxes – how to master this and make it look synchronised, as well as having Mel in one of the smaller boxes?
What I really noticed about the cast is how they deal with blocking problems, etc. They all have such a great grasp of their characters and the storyline and the smooth transitions that need to be achieved to get from one scene to the next. They explore the problem from different angles to discover what will be the most practical and effective way. The close nature of the group means that everyone helps and makes suggestions to enable the project to work.  It's great to watch the scene take shape thanks to everyone's contributions and creative ideas.

Thursday 21 July 2011

COSTUMES COSTUMES COSTUMES!

It was decided that...
Jordan needs daggy, baggy, boy’s clothes (Naomi looks perfect, the hooded jacket and baggy t-shirt works so well for Jordan)
Jade –  cool runners, fatigues.
Ishtar – feminine top, pants, dark colours.
Lara and Ricky – more revealing clothes.
All actors need to be able to add and take off their hats, hijabs and scarves as quickly as possible, so this had to be taken into account when trying on the costumes.

Movement Rehearsal: The Kings

Candy was busy rehearsing for another show so the rest of the cast worked on movement for “The Kings” sequence. They practised walking like boys; what part of the body leads the walk, swaggering, hunching over, making a simultaneous ‘woof, woof’ bark, creating the idea of the group as animalistic, working as a collective. Mel’s clear, confident voice and her position; standing on the box, effectively suggests that she is in a position of power and can hold her own.
They rehearsed the scene when the Kings throw the pig’s head through the window. Jodie tried tossing one of the boxes to Naomi and Jacinta and then slamming the box down to suggest that they have smashed the window. Jodie then has to spin around in a circle, take off her Kings’ scarf and become Ricky again, which looks great and shows the smooth transition between the flashbacks and the scene itself.

Angela's Inspiration: Samira and Ishtar


Innocence reclaimed: a mother's story (The Age, 2/3/08)

ON A cold, wintry Monday morning, a mother put a can of petrol in her shopping bag and went to her teenage daughter's Melbourne school. The woman, sleepless for the four nights since her daughter had failed to return home from school, sat in the deputy principal's office and begged to be told where her daughter was.
Sitting opposite her, almost knee to knee, the deputy principal insisted she didn't know.
In fact, she did. The 19-year-old had been sent to a refuge after complaining at school about trouble at home over her choice of boyfriend. Because "it was confidential information", the deputy principal felt she could not divulge it.
That decision tipped the distraught mother over the edge. She poured the petrol over herself. The mother of seven, her youngest only eight weeks old, said she had matches and would burn herself unless she was told where her missing daughter was.
Maribyrnong Secondary College deputy principal Meredith Clencie recoiled as drops of petrol splashed her skirt and shoes. As the smell of petrol filled the room, she looked at the oil column heater in the corner and wondered if it could ignite the fuel vapour.
The mother, 37-year-old Rajaa Abdul-Rasool, continued to shout, weep and call for her daughter. But she showed no sign of reaching for matches. She sat in the chair, petrol soaking her clothing and burning her skin.
Ms Clencie called for help. Within an hour, police and ambulance officers had strapped the weeping mother to a stretcher and taken her to the Footscray Police Station, where a doctor declared she was unfit for questioning — and suggested she might also be suffering post-natal depression.
For Ms Abdul-Rasool, the apparent disappearance of her daughter was another threatened loss in a life already deeply scarred by loss of family. Her father-in-law and five brothers-in-law had been kidnapped and murdered by Saddam Hussein's soldiers, and she had had to leave her parents behind when she escaped Iraq.
One constant in a life of dispossession had been her close bond with her daughter, Rafif. Fleeing Basra in 1986, she had carried the girl, then three, in her arms as she trekked across the snow-capped Zagros Mountains to a refugee camp in Iran.
Sixteen years on, she had been told she was safe in Australia. But in 2002, when her daughter vanished, Saddam was still in power and Ms Abdul-Rasool feared his agents might find her. Psychiatrists had diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder — a condition that included insomnia and perpetual anxiety.
Rafif's unexplained disappearance was her worst nightmare. According to one psychiatrist, it awoke the trauma of the kidnappings and murders of her family in Iraq.
Her act of desperation cost Ms Abdul-Rasool dearly. Attending a police interview without a lawyer, she was charged with "reckless conduct endangering life" — an offence which can carry a penalty of up to 10 years' jail. She was also charged with threatening to destroy property, although she denied having threatened to burn the school. The school's interpreter, who had been present throughout, backed her. A jury convicted her on both counts at her 2004 trial but a merciful County Court judge gave her a two-year good behaviour bond.
But should Rajaa Abdul-Rasool ever have been charged at all? Three judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal have now quashed Ms Abdul-Rasool's conviction, deciding that her actions did not place anyone at risk of death and declaring the County Court jury's verdict "unsafe" and "unsatisfactory."
Their verdict calls into question the police hours and court time spent on investigating, prosecuting, convicting and then restoring the innocence of a woman who, her lawyers say, should not have been charged.
In sentencing her, County Court Judge Nixon said Ms Clencie had genuinely believed she could not disclose Rafif's whereabouts. But with the benefit of hindsight, the situation may have been diffused if the mother had been told her daughter was safe.
According to Ms Abdul-Rasool's former solicitor, Peta Murphy, police could have used discretion, taken into account her client's tragic circumstances and troubled psychiatric history — and not charged her at all.
Could it have been that in the post-September 11 atmosphere, a Muslim woman was less likely to be treated compassionately? "Certainly Rajaa felt that," Ms Murphy said.
The recent Supreme Court of Appeal judgement, says Ms Murphy, vindicates her and former barrister (and now Supreme Court judge) Lex Lasry. Both had been arguing for years that their client had no case to answer.
The critical legal issue was whether Rajaa Abdul-Rasool's actions exposed another person to "an appreciable risk of death" — as opposed to "a mere possibility of that occurring". A forensic expert called by the Crown could not quantify the likelihood of petrol vapour in the room being ignited by the heater, producing a chain of events which could lead to a death. Ms Abdul-Rasool had made no attempt to use her matches. Therefore her conduct, the judge concluded, did not create an "appreciable" risk of death.
This final judgement has brought Rajaa Abdul-Rasool a sense of vindication, but no peace. Hugging her youngest son, now five, she sighs as she says that her daughter calls her from time to time. A year after her daughter left, she saw her — and the new baby born of the relationship that prompted her daughter's disappearance.
Meanwhile, Meredith Clencie, now working at another school, was shocked by the judgement. But she wishes Ms Abdul-Rasool well.
"She was always alone when she came to court — and I thought that was very sad."

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Movement Rehearsal

This afternoon, Leticia, Matt and the cast worked on the physicality and movement in some of the scenes.

1. Scene between Ishtar and Samira - Soldiers’ presence – behind boxes? Distraction to have them walking around the space as it pulls focus from the emotional scene between the two as Ishtar tries to soothe Samira
2.
Box formation – Naomi having to ‘fall’ along the boxes
3.
Highly emotional scene - Samira and Jade movement sequence, petrol can, Jade's monologue, Samira speaking in Arabic...

The cast rehearsed the final scene. Candy as Lara pushes the boxes aside so they are spread out amongst the space. The other characters then wander, building the cave.

What Leticia noted about this scene, is that the intentions of the characters are essential to making the dialogue sound genuine. There had to be cuts to the script in order to stay true to the characters and the pace of the play. The actors changed the light, slightly contrived conversation to more matter-of-fact, straightforward dialogue, which seemed to work better.

COSTUMES

The actors tried on their costumes. At this point, each actor is wearing a variation of the same clothes – cargo pants, black tops, runners, but in different styles. The main question was: what do the costumes convey about the characters? Camouflage? Cargo? Army gear? What also has to be taken into account are the costume changes – hijabs, soldiers’ hats, “Kings” scarves...

Rehearsal: Jade and Jordan (Three scenes)

Jade and Jordan 1
Naomi arrived and she and Mel worked on the cave scene between Jade and Jordan when Jade brings a box to the cave. Although they barely know each other, there is already a sense of connection between them. They are both disadvantaged in some way and share a feeling of confusion as to who they, who they want to be; their identity. CAVE – symbolism. A place of meeting, a place where emotions and glimpses into characters and conversation occurs, where power dynamics shift e.g. Jade over Jordan then Jordan over Jade, Ishtar over Jade... A “sacred place”; untouched, a place of shelter and support, connection to the past, the history and beauty of the cave...
What was really strong in this scene between the two was the actors’ body language. Mel started off standing over Naomi, who reclined in the cave, unwilling to talk or interact. Then when Jordan asked her a question, Jade moved forwards and sat down. It was lovely when, almost subconsciously, Mel mirrored Naomi’s sitting position.
Jade and Jordan 2
Leticia and the actors rehearsed the scene when Jade and Jordan run back to the cave in the night. They are excited, talking and laughing and falling on each other. Jade talks about the cave paintings – an insight into how much she loves the place; the history, the sacredness of the cave, as Jordan watches her. The scene is tender, intimate and the line “I feel like I knew ya before”, captures Jade’s longing to be connected to someone and to find out who she is. As Mel observed, there are warped and confused feelings in Jade’s head and she grapples to make sense of these feelings whilst also trying to escape them.
Jade and Jordan 3
Naomi opened the boxes up to reveal the paint as Jade runs in and confronts her. I think that, as the audience, you are just willing Jade to forgive Jordan, for her to try and realise that Jordan was just trying to help her and to say sorry. Instead, the audience sees two worlds colliding and outbursts of anger and rage. Mel and Naomi really created a contrast to the previous tender scene between the two in this rehearsal.

Rehearsal: Jade and Ishtar (Cave)

Such a poignant scene!
Jacinta and Mel worked really hard in this scene, needing to convey a moment between the two that involves a glimpse into Ishtar’s complex relationship with her mother. Jacinta had to shift from storming in angrily, to breaking down and curling up on the floor. The turmoil that she experiences – pregnancy, Finn, relationship with Samira – is revealed in this moment. As Leticia explained, the play has shown up until this point just how much she clashes with her mother. This scene now reveals her love for her mother, her sympathy for what she went through and her guilt for running away. The actors ran the scene through a few times, each time there seemed to be greater tension and energy. The emotion was effectively conveyed: Ishtar’s grief and Jade’s attempts to help against the backdrop of the cave and Jordan’s painted handprints.
It seemed that at this moment, both girls shared a sense of guilt and anger – Ishtar for making her mother worry and wanting to challenge the assumptions that have been made about Samira, and for Jade, her anger at Jordan built and then when Ishtar says “Who did this? It’s amazing” – Mel conveyed Jade’s own inner turmoil about what happened with Jordan.

Rehearsal: Samira and Jade

Candy and Mel rehearsed this poignant scene between Samira and Jade; where a clash of cultures, languages, generations and agendas are at play. Samira is grappling with her daughter’s disappearance, raving and wandering the streets, searching for Ishtar. Jade finds her on the road and they have a conversation. As was noted by the actors, this is a key example of “lost in translation”; Arabic and English colliding and each of the characters attempting to reconcile their confusion.
Leticia suggested that Jade follow the mother; trying to shake her out of her trance. As she explained, when Angela wrote the play she had an image of a lady in full burqa, wandering along Bondi Beach – the scene needed to convey that sense of displacement, fear and confusion that Samira experiences at this moment. What was emphasised by the director was how Jade could try and snap Samira out of her trance – vocally, rather than physically (their physical distance further revealing this yawning gap between the cultures). The barrier between them needed to be realised  in order to show the shift in Jade – Mel had to physically show her confusion when Candy said, “Men...soldiers”, to which Jade mentions Ishtar.
Mel and Candy tried this scene a number of ways.
- Samira entering from upstage right and walking across the back of the stage until Jade runs towards the upstage left to confront her and try and get her off the road.
- Samira talking to other women – either implied or actually not there yet she thinks they are.
- Samira wandering down stage right next to the boxes, jabbering in Arabic and Jade runs over to her and stands in front of the boxes
- Jade physically helps Samira cross the road
- Jade yells to get her off the road
- Jade looks at the oncoming traffic fearfully and tries to signal Samira to get off the road
- Connotations of Jade's comment: "You should go home" - displacement, uncertainty, fear, refugees, the notion of home and what it means to different people...


All interpretations seemed to work well, although difficulties with backs to audience, awkward blocking and Jade not wanting to touch Samira – cultural barrier – all informed the decision as to blocking and how the scene played out.

Rehearsal: Jade and Ishtar

“Why are you doing this to us?”
Power struggle... This time it is between Ishtar and Jade. Ishtar confronts Jade, yelling angrily at her, demanding she admit that it was she who threw the pig’s head through the window. It is here that the racism that seeps through the events in the play is again revealed – “Why are you doing this to us?” Ishtar wants answers and Jade refuses to take responsibility. As Mel said, she is known for telling lies and wriggling her way out of situations, but in this case, she didn’t do it. Jade is an interesting character and Mel brilliantly conveys the complex nature of her psyche and who she is. She has been broken by past events in her life and she sees people who are broken and suffering around her. Yet, as in this scene, she cannot seem to convey her feelings, it seems that no one understands her.
Jacinta combined the angry and hurt, yelling Ishtar with a powerful degree of sadness and bitterness. Her voice quavered, her hands shook, desperate to make Jade see the damage that has been done. Mel seemed to be backed into a corner, with Ishtar in a position of power at this point, which is rare for Ishtar’s character.

Rehearsal: Ishtar and Samira

20/7/11
8am
Leticia began the rehearsal with an exploration of the dynamics between Samira and Ishtar and the power struggle that seems to characterise their mother-daughter relationship. Jacinta began with an interpretation of Ishtar as quite innocent, keen to placate her mother – “Yes, that’s my teacher”, “She’s not that young”... However on second run through, it was suggested that Ishtar’s “other life”; her relationship with Finn, the fact that she doesn’t always wear the hijab, entitles her to speak to her mother with more authority. Thus Ishtar would be quite forceful on the words, “You were a teacher in Iraq Oummi, it’s different here” and “I’m trying to teach you English”. Ishtar seems caught between two worlds, and her mother’s insistence on speaking Arabic seems to further affirm her sense of displacement. Samira’s words “I do this for you”, emphasise the battle of wills taking place – as Candy and Jacinta noted, Ishtar knows that her mother does it for her, she knows her mother’s struggle, yet she dislikes the way Samira seems intent on reminding her all the time. Again, a power struggle.
Candy’s stage presence, her grasp of the Arabic language and her insights into her character, allow her to have control of the space. Perfect for Samira, who wants control! Samira can stare her daughter down, whilst Jacinta must choose when she looks Candy in the eye and when she stares off into the distance. This change in focus conveys to the audience both her internal struggle, her mixed feelings for her mother and the fact that even though she is holding her ground, she will not disrespect Samira.
9.30am
Candy and Jacinta rehearsed an additional scene between Samira and Ishtar which Angela added in. The play flows even more effectively with this scene as it offers another glimpse into the strained tensions in their relationship and Ishtar’s turmoil. The controlling mother emerges as she realises the truth about Ishtar’s “other life”. After rehearsing this scene with different intentions, it is very powerful to watch, full of dramatic tension...

Samira                                    Ishtar are you sick?
Ishtar                                      No.
Samira                                    You would tell me if you were sick.
Ishtar                                      I’m not sick.
Samira                                    Then why do you see the school nurse today?
Ishtar                                      How do you know that?
Samira                                    Your brother tells me.
Ishtar                                      I had a headache.
Samira                                    Your brother tells me there is a boy at your school.
Ishtar                                      There are lots of boys at my school.
Samira                                    A boy whose hand you hold.
Ishtar is silent.
Samira                                    God has chosen me to suffer more.
                                                I have not suffered enough.
                                                You send this boy away Ishtar.
                                                Please for my sake for our sake.
Please.
Ishtar                                      Oummi.
Samira                                    If you leave me.
Ishtar                                      I’m not leaving you.
Samira                                    If you leave me you kill me, you do what Saddam could not.

The tension and the despair in this scene just seemed to build as Candy and Jacinta threw their lines at each other. Once again, we witness a battle of wills.
Who will speak first?
Who will lose their cool first?
Who will yell first?
Who will have the last word?
 Who will storm out first?
Jacinta entered through the door and was walking to her room, whilst Candy stood there, watching her. What really struck me in this scene was the power of silence – how it can convey so much: tension, unspoken words, unresolved issues, anger and bitterness, uncertainty...
As Samira is in the position of power, Candy took her time before speaking, as though making Ishtar wait. The physical distance between the two actors, with Jacinta quite far downstage left and Candy more upstage right, emphasised the yawning gap between the two – they are not on the same page at all. As Candy suggested, Samira seems to get closer and closer to the heart of the issue through her questions; interrogating her daughter. Leticia noted that on the line:
Samira    A boy whose hand you hold.
Ishtar is silent.
 ...the silence is deafening. By not denying the relationship, Ishtar is stating the fact and confirming her mother’s fears about her relationship with Finn. Leticia and Jacinta rehearsed different ways of conveying the moment when Samira says, “a boy whose hand you hold.” Jacinta effectively conveys Ishtar’s inner turmoil, the worry about who else may be privy to this information, through the way she physically shifts, staring into the distance...She shifts from confrontational to small, bitter and despairing, as illustrated through her body language.

10.30am

Another additional scene and one which seeks to further accentuate Samira’s paranoia. A pig’s head is thrown through the window and the mother immediately thinks the soldiers are after her. She becomes hysterical, jabbering in Arabic and clutching her daughter who tries to reassure her. Ishtar needs to find a way to control her mother’s fears. It is as though the roles have been reversed in this scene; Ishtar trying to allay her mother’s fears, to protect her.
Candy workshopped different ways of reacting to the situation: crawling on the ground, trying to become as small as possible, but frozen in place, or trying to crawl away quietly, or trying to find a place to hide...She also varied her vocal choices; whether Samira should whisper or cry loudly and hysterically. This scene is very powerful and highlights just how significantly traumatised Samira is.
YOUNG MUSLIM WOMEN WEAR AUSSIE HIJAB (21/3/06, The Age)


Sadia Ali, 20, knows her Australian flag headscarf might be confronting to some Australians, but that’s the point.
The Somali-Australian was one of five young women from refugee families who nervously modelled the “Australian hijab” on the streets of Northcote in Melbourne for Tuesday’s national Harmony Day.
Since the Cronulla riots, she had felt more fearful on the streets in general, Sadia said.
But she would not let that stop her using the powerful symbol to grab attention and make people aware that her dual identities as Muslim and Australian could happily co-exist.
Sadia said the Aussie flag had been hijacked and used as a symbol of division during the Cronulla riots, “to make it look like it’s theirs, not ours”.
“But the flag represents the whole nation,” she said.
“Everyone has the right to carry the Australian flag and be proud of it.
“I just wanted to show the Australian public that I’m a Muslim and Australian, I don’t want the two to be divided.”
Harmony Day, which coincides with the United Nations International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, encourages Australians to appreciate our multicultural society and recommit to common values of universal respect and goodwill.
Twelve-year-old Idil Mohamud, who was born in Australia to Somali parents, said she was aware of negative attitudes towards Muslims in Australia, but had never personally suffered racism.
“Australia is very tolerant of different countries and cultures – only a minority are racist, not a majority,” she said.
“I don’t think about it much.”
Sadia said she hoped the trend of wearing a flag hijab caught on, while Idil said she would wear the flag again on special occasions, such as sporting events.
“Just because I’m Muslim doesn’t mean I can’t use the flag as a symbol,” she said.