The Department recently hosted a performance of the Gaza-Mono-logues by Iman Aoun, Artistic Director, and four of her students of the Ashtar Theatre Company for Productions and Training (Gaza) in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre at Brock University on the morning of Oct. 1, 2013.
Brock Professors Carolee Mason and Glenys McQueen-Fuentes met Iman Aoun during the recent IDEA Conference in Paris (International Drama and Education Association, summer of 2013) where she spoke briefly of her work as Artistic Director of the Ashtar Theatre Company for Productions and Training. Her students had created personal responses to “living in war and under siege” which became their production called The Gaza Mono-logues. Ms. Aoun had sent the text out to friends around the world, which resulted in youth performances in various places around the globe in 18 different languages. She also spoke of 14 groups who performed in separate languages at the United Nations–once in Geneva, and once in New York.
At the Paris conference we learned that Ms. Aoun and 4 of her actors; 2 men, 2 women, all between 19-24 years old, were coming to Canada in the fall of 2013. Theatre Director, Majdi Bou-Matar, of MTSpace in Kitchener, Ontario had invited her to participate in his IMPACT Festival and Conference held at the end of September, 2013. The company accepted the invitation to make a brief detour by Brock University as they proceed to performances in Oakville before the company of student actors returns home.
Attended by approximately 200 DART students, faculty, and guests, including 50 students and faculty from Appleby College in Oakville. The performance was followed by a brief Q&A in The Guernsey Market.
For more information on the Gaza Mono-logues Project: Iman Aoun, Artistic Director, Ashtar Theatre, Ramallah – Palestine www.thegazamonologues.com www.facebook.com/Richard2Ashtar www.facebook.com/pages/Ashtar-for-Theatre-Productions-and-Training