THEARAB‑ ISRAELICOOKBOOK

Theatre Mir in association with Chicago DCA Theater presents the Midwest premiere of

by Robin Soans

TheArab‑IsraeliCookbookBy Robin Soans

March 7 through April 5, 2009 (with previews March 5 & 6)at the Chicago DCA Storefront Theater

Copyright 2004 Robin Soans. All applications for performance rights must be made in writing to Andy Herrity, Gardner Herrity, 24 Conway Street, London W1T 6BG.

The play runs approximately 2 hours, with one 10-minute intermission.

Directed by Rob ChambersScenic Design by Marianna CsaszarCostume Design by Laura B. KollarLighting Design by Brandon WardellSound Design by Brett MastellerDialect Coaching by Eva BrenemanDramaturgy by Zev ValancyStage Management by Christina Pretsch & Chris ChapinProduced by Danica Ivancevic

Featuring:Walter Brody, Maggie Cain, Susaan Jamshidi, Stephen Loch, Julian Martinez, Mark Richard, Frank Sawa, Rachel Slavick

(Continued from A Visit to the Holy Land.)

necessary defense and that nearly all of those killed were militants, while Palestinians described the operation as a massacre.

One of the most noticed events of 2002 was the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, commonly believed to mark the birthplace of Christ. On April 2nd, a group of about 200 Palestinian militants, fleeing an upcoming raid by the Israeli Army, entered the church for sanctuary. The siege by the Israeli military resulted in several deaths from sniper fire and was only resolved when 13 militants were deported. In June of that year Israel began to construct a 440 mile security barrier in the West Bank to keep Palestinian suicide bombers out of Israel. The following month Israeli forces killed Hamas military commander Salah Shehada with a bomb on his Gaza housing block; 18 other residents were killed in the blast.

2003 saw the hopeful sign of the beginning of implementation of the so-called “Road Map For Peace,” proposed by the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations and designed as a phased program for ending the conflict and establishing an independent Palestinian state. The first step of the process was the appointment of Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Abbas took a pragmatic approach to peace, leading him into conflict with the more hard-line approaches of both Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and other powerful groups, including Hamas. Israel released prisoners and the Palestinian Authority pledged to work with other Arab nations to cut off funding to terrorist organizations, but widespread violence halted the plan within a few months. Abbas,

frustrated at being undermined from all sides, resigned in September 2003, and the process trailed off.

A month after Abbas’ resignation, while Soans, Brihi, and Roseman were visiting the region, one of the most shocking acts of violence of 2003 occurred. Maxim’s, a restaurant co-owned by Jews and Arab Christians in the Northern Israeli city of Haifa, and seen by many as a sign of hope in its very existence, was the site of a suicide bombing. On October 4, Hanadi Jaradat, a Palestinian woman studying to be a lawyer, entered Maxim’s and blew herself up, killing 21, both Jews and Arabs, and wounding another 51. It served as a stark reminder of the long distance to peace, or even peaceful coexistence, between the people of this region.

By the time Soans, Brihi, and Roseman left, little had changed. The Geneva Accords, an alternative peace plan negotiated by prominent Israelis and Palestinians, was unveiled in October 2003, but was quickly rejected by hard-line Israelis and Palestinians. Since then there have been steps forward and steps back in the peace process, but little has truly improved. The dream of peace survives, but peace itself seems tragically distant.

Zev Valancy

Special EventsJoin the discussion and explore more about The Arab-Israeli Cookbook at these special events and programs. For details and an updated schedule, visit www.dcatheater.orgor www.theatremir.com.

Post-ShowAudience DiscussionsMarch 5 and 6Storefront Theater FreeDiscuss the themes and issues presented in the play, moderated by Scott Hibbard, Ph.D. and Khalil Marrar, Ph.D. of the Political Science Department of DePaul University. Presented by Theatre Mir.

Staging Conflict: Theatrical Narratives of the Holy LandMarch 16 at 7 pmClaudia Cassidy TheaterChicago Cultural CenterFreeScenes from The Arab-Israeli Cookbook and Pangs of the Messiah, two plays portraying unique perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with a panel discussion on the challenges of dramatizing the personal and political within the context of the Middle East. Presented by Chicago DCA Theater, Silk Road Theatre Project and Theatre Mir

Encounter Point FilmScreening and PanelApril 1 at 6:30 pmClaudia Cassidy TheaterChicago Cultural CenterFreeAn award-winning documentary about everyday people on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who risk their lives and public standing to promote a nonviolent end to the conflict, along with a panel discussion about the issues presented in the film. Presented by Chicago DCA Theater, The Public Square (a program of the Illinois Humanities Council), and Theater Mir.

World Kitchen Cooking Class: The Arab-Israeli CookbookApril 4 at 11 amWorld KitchenGallery 37 Center for the Arts$30A hands-on cooking class that gives you tips to cook some of the Middle Eastern dishes from The Arab-Israeli Cookbook. Presented by Chicago DCA’s World Kitchen.