At Lane Community College’s Blue Door Theatre, audiences will soon step into a city under siege; one where love, laughter, and danger exist side by side.
The upcoming production of "Them," written by Palestinian playwright Samah Sabawi, tells the story of a young couple trying to hold on to ordinary life as war forces them to make life-and-death decisions.
Director Malek Najjar, a professor of theatre arts at the University of Oregon, said he knew this was the right play to stage the moment he reached out to Sabawi.
“I came across this playwright, who wrote a beautiful play years ago about Gaza, and I was moved by it,” Najjar said. “When I reached out to her about doing this play, she wrote me, ‘I’ve lost tens of family members in Gaza since the war began, and it would mean so much to me if you would perform my play.’ And I thought, this is the right piece at the right time.”
The play examines how war impacts the daily lives of ordinary people and challenges audiences to examine the “us vs them” mentality, which Najjar said will often lead to the devaluing of people’s lives impacted by war.
“My hope is that they’ll look at the people in this play and not just empathize with them, but think of them as a valuable human being, deserving of dignity and human rights just as equally as anyone else in this country,” he said. “No one deserves to live in war, no one deserves to live in poverty, no one deserves to live in famine, and no one deserves to live in the conflict like the Israeli Palestinian conflict.”
Although "Them" deals with serious themes, humor plays an important role in the story. Characters tease each other, share inside jokes, and steal quiet moments of affection. That levity makes the moments of heartbreak land harder, but it also makes the characters feel alive.
“They’re funny—this play has a lot of humor, some of it is very ribald humor,” he said. “A lot of plays about this topic sometimes are very dirgeful, sorrowful, humorless, and this play has a lot of wonderful humor.”
The production also features live music performed by the Acoustic Pilgrims on traditional Middle Eastern instruments.
“I want [the audience] to enjoy the fact that this is an intimate experience, [the actors and musicians] are truly in your midst and you have an opportunity to connect with them and have a kind of theatrical communion with them.”
"Them" will be performed July 24, 25, 26, 31, Aug. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. The production moves to Portland Aug. 14 through 23. The play is recommended for ages 11 and up. Tickets are available online.
