Theater For The New City Presents THE FAKE HISTORY OF GEORGE THE LAST 1/21/2010

Misha Shulman has received high critical praise for his layered and eloquent plays appealing for understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. His newest play, "The Fake History of George the Last," metaphorically attacks the notion of the inevitability of violence throughout generations in an absurdist style that incorporates iconic imagery from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Theater for the New City will present the work, directed by Meghan Finn, January 21 to February 7, 2010.

In Shulman's body of work, his rejection of the inevitability of violence between peoples is a recurring theme. Sometimes it is treated realistically and sometimes, metaphorically. "The Fake History of George the Last" uses the contemporary paradigm of human cloning to discuss ancient ideas of generational repetition. Its central narrative shows the process of a man discovering the violence and lies inherent in the family history passed down to him. In the play, set in a futuristic English-speaking country, there are four generations of men named George--all clones--who are predestined to go through the same family rituals and rites of passage, culminating in murder. The idea is to dramatize how violent beliefs and animosities seem inevitable and they are inherited in defiance of the possibility of individual choice.

The play reflects on the author's own process of awakening to the realities of the history of his homeland, Israel--a history decidedly different to the one he was brought up to believe in. In doing so it incorporates iconic imagery, drawing comparisons between the author's own revelation and the American experience. The work will feature a Projected Chorus of Ancestors, singing lyrics borrowing from the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes set to highly-charged, electronic musical arrangements by avant-guarde composer Kevin Farrell.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 states, "What has been will be again/what has been done will be done again/there is nothing new under the sun." The passage is a refrain in the play. Shulman suggests that this gloomy book's tone has formed people's ideas about the human inability to effect true and lasting change in the world. In borrowing from the biblical text, he asks, "does this notion keep the world living and re-living the same violent histories over and over again? In other words, does the book portray the truth, or only make us believe in that truth and thus achieve its goal?"

Misha Shulman was born and raised in Jerusalem and served in the Israeli army as a Commander in charge of Education. His first TNC production, "The Fist" (2004), portrayed the dilemma of Israeli Army refuseniks. Some of the dialogue was based on personal statements of Israeli army reservists who signed a public letter stating that they refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza strip.

His next TNC production, "Desert Sunrise" (2005), was a "tragedy with hope" that portrayed an encounter in the South Hebron Hills between an Israeli soldier, a Palestinian shepherd and a young, tormented Palestinian woman, revealing possibilities for "ta'ayush" (living together). The play has been published by TCG as part of a volume named "Salam. Peace: An Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Drama." After debuting at TNC, it was produced at Northwestern University in 2007, and at the Lillian Theatre in L.A. in 2008. George Hunka wrote in The New York Times, "Now in an all-too-brief encore engagement at the Theater for the New City, Misha Shulman's elegant and affecting 'Desert Sunrise' makes the most of its modest and familiar narrative, and like Samuel Beckett's classic, elicits a tragicomic resonance.... As pessimistic as the final events of the play are, 'Desert Sunrise' nonetheless holds out a reed of hope, an essential element of theater itself." David C. Nichols wrote in the LA Times, "Shulman zeroes in on the cultural specifics and grievances of the South Hebron Hills, and his elegant writing, laced throughout with Hebrew and Arabic, is tersely poetic." Menachem Wecker wrote in The Jewish Press, "Shulman's dialogue is nothing short of brilliant.... And in the end, Shulman's message is also religious. Is our responsibility toward ourselves alone? As 'am kohanim' (a nation of priests), we're supposed to lead the world spiritually."

Last season, with "Brunch at the Luthers," Shulman took a turn into the hyper-absurd, a style that continues (in part) with this play. Reviewers called the play "simultaneously smart and funny" (nytheatre.com) and "scarily bizarre" (Village Voice). Shulman was described as "a playwright to be watched" (Jewish Post and Opinion).

This past summer, Shulman's play "Apricots," a dark absurdist comedy about Israeli-Palestinian affairs, played to sold out houses at Toronto's Factory Theatre. While Now Magazine called the play "sharp political satire" and the Jewish Tribune wrote, "It was a brave move for a Jewish writer to criticize his homeland at a time when legitimate Jewish fears of antisemitism and the destruction of Israel have created a climate where it is considered politically incorrect for Jews to condemn any actions on the part of Israel... 'Apricots' helps us to understand that people on both sides want to look at their commonalities, to strike a partnership and to get on with life..."

Shulman is a recent graduate of the MFA in Playwriting program at Brooklyn College (under Mac Wellman) and the 2009 winner of the Jewish Canadian Playwriting Competition. He is a semi-finalist for the prestigious P73 Fellowship for 2010. His play, "These Beaten Eyes," a reversal of the Jewish story of Passover as seen from the Egyptian Pharaoh's perspective, is in development at the multi-award winning Crows Theatre in Toronto. Shulman is a Writer in Residence there as well as a member of TNC's Emerging Writers Program.

Director Meghan Finn is now a member of Soho Rep's prestigious writer-director lab, after completing Lincoln Center's Directors Lab in 2009. She is a graduate of the MFA program in directing at Brooklyn College, and worked as associate director to Sarah Benson on Soho Rep's Obie-winning production, "Blasted," last year.

The actors are Jared Mezzochi, Sarah Painter, Ben Jaeger-Thomas, Erika Helen Smith and Priscilla Flores. Music is composed by Misha Shulman and Kevin Farrell. Set Design is by Czerton Lim. Video Design is by Jared Mezzochi. Lighting design is by Liam Billingham.

WHERE AND WHEN
January 21 to February 7
Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. (at E. 10th Street)
Presented by Theater for the New City
Th-Sat at 8:00 pm; Sun at 3:00 pm
$15, box office (212) 254-1109, www.theaterforthenewcity.net
Running time 85 minutes. Critics are invited on or after January 21, 2010