Pittsburgh Playback Theatre Play--"To Suffer in Silence"
Pittsburgh Refugee Center
The Pittsburgh Refugee Center has once again collaborated with
Pittsburgh Playback Theatre to produce, "To Suffer in Silence," the
story of a refugee man from Darfur, Sudan. Information regarding
performance dates, times and location may be found below. We hope to
see you there.
PITTSBURGH PLAYBACK THEATRE
presents a new play by a new Pittsburgh playwright
TO SUFFER THE SILENCE
the trials of Hashim Mersal, a Darfur refugee
by Paulo Nzambi
directed by Roni Ostfield
Saturday, June 2nd, 8:00pm
Sunday, June 3rd, 2:00pm
Three Rivers Arts Festival 4th River Project
937 Liberty Avenue, Downtown
Monday, June 4th, 8:00pm
First Unitarian Church
Morewood & Ellsworth, Shadyside
All performances are open to the public.
Tickets are $5.
To tell the story of Hashim Adam Mersal, one of the first Darfur
refugees to seek sanctuary in the United States since the 2003
conflicts in Sudan, Roni Ostfield, Artistic Director of Pittsburgh
Playback Theatre, went to long-time Playback performer, Paulo Nzambi,
though he had never written a play. Nzambi, lawyer, poet and himself
a refugee from Angola, brings Mersal's experiences to life using what
he knows so well, the courtoom, poetic prose and the human story.
Through Nzambi's short play, we experience Mersal's incarcerations,
his eventual release, and his life in limbo as an isolated survivor of
an invisible, silent holocaust. As art imitates life, Paulo Nzambi
will be playing the role of Mersal.
After each performance, the Pittsburgh Playback Theatre troupe will
"play-back" the feelings and thoughts shared by the audience.
Playback is a unique improvisation form which allows the audience and
performers to interact, experiencing the magic of theatre and our
humanity. Pittsburgh Playback Theatre is led by Roni Ostfield and
Rich Keitel and includes Doug Mertz, Paulo Nzambi, Demetria Marsh, Amy
Guterson, Rasheed Clark, Andrea Scheve, and newcomers, Ellie Pfeuffer,
Gentry Thurman, Ido Roll and Scott Miller.
TO SUFFER IN SILENCE is a collaboration of Pittsburgh Playback
Theatre and the Pittsburgh Refugee Center with support from Three
Rivers Arts Festival 4th River Project. This project was funded by
The Heinz Endowments and Multicultural Arts Initiative.