'Beyond the Mirror' Plays at Brava! 10/1-10/12

Bond Street Theatre of USA and Exile Theatre of Afghanistan bring their ground-breaking collaboration Beyond the Mirror to Brava! for Women in the Arts in San Francisco, October 1-12th, co-produced by Brava! for Women in the Arts.

Beyond the Mirror, co-produced by Brava! for Women in the Arts, will run Wednesday, October 1 through Sunday, October 12 at Brava Theatre Center. Press opening is Friday, October 3 at 7:30 PM. Brava Theater Center is located at 2781 24th Street, San Francisco, CA. The performance schedule is Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 at door. $3 discount for students, seniors, and Brava neighbors; group discounts are available. For tickets, the public can call 415-647-2822 or purchase online at www.brava.org. Prior to the Brava Theater performances, Beyond the Mirror was featured at the South Asian Theater Festival in NJ in September. The production has also been presented in Afghanistan, Japan, Baltimore and New York.

"Beyond the Mirror is a journey through three decades of war and occupation in Afghanistan and a search for cultural identity. Woven through myths and memories, family histories and first-hand accounts, traditional dances and live music, storytelling and filmed montages, Beyond the Mirror weaves an intricate tapestry of events, both desperate and hopeful," press notes state.

Beyond the Mirror began to take root in the refugee areas of northern Pakistan in March 2002. Members of Bond Street Theatre, performing for Afghan children in refugee schools in Pakistan, met up with a dauntless group of Afghan actors who dared to present live theater despite the restrictions and repressions of the times. This group was Exile Theatre. The two companies were immediately drawn to each other's theatrical views and techniques, and planned to create a new work together. This plan came to fruition the following year in Kabul and, since that time, has grown into a full length theatre work Beyond the Mirror, which received its world premiere at the 2nd Afghan Theatre Festival in Kabul in August of 2005. Since then, the production has been featured in two festivals in Japan, theatres in Baltimore and New York, and enjoyed extensive media coverage and rave reviews.

Exile Theatre was established in 2000 in Peshawar, Pakistan by Afghan theater, film and television artists who were forced to leave during the Taliban regime. Its mission was to rehabilitate the theater arts in exile. They created plays that reflected the social, political and cultural conditions of the Afghan people despite interference by Pakistan police. Since their return to Afghanistan, they have become leaders in revitalizing the theatre arts in their country by introducing new, dynamic forms of theatre, film and experimental media. Exile Theatre is the only Afghan theatre group to ever perform in the U.S.

Bond Street Theatre, founded in 1978, draws on the musical and physical theatre styles from many cultures to create original theatre works. Recipient of a MacArthur Award, the company has also received support from the the Doris Duke and Andrew Mellon Foundations, Theatre Communications Group, New York State Council for the Arts, Trust for Mutual Understanding, ArtsLink, the Riverside Church Sharing Fund, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and others, and has performed in major theatres and festivals worldwide. The company is dedicated to creating theatre that crosses borders and bringing their theatre work to refugee camps and areas of conflict.

The cast of Beyond the Mirror features Anisa Wahab, one of the few women to be accepted as a professional actress in Afghanistan, and a film and television star prior to Taliban rule. Joining her are Meghan Frank, Michael McGuigan, Najibullah Qiam, Quraishi, Jamil Royesh and Matthew Schmidt.

Lighting design is by Jeanne Koenig and Jesse Belsky, and set design by Joanna Sherman and Michael McGuigan. Original and traditional music is performed live on the Afghan rubab by Quraishi, with additional music by Andy Teirstein. Video montages are created by Michael McGuigan, Mahmoud Shah Salimi and Seth Bloom.

 

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