This September, members of the 黑料不打烊 and greater 黑料不打烊 communities will relive the journeys of five of their neighbors from the Congo who are struggling to leave the past behind and form a peaceful community in Central New York.
The world premiere of 鈥淐ry for Peace: Voices from the Congo,鈥 a work commissioned by SU鈥檚 Arts Engage and written by pre-eminent playwrights Ping Chong and Kyle Bass, with Sara Zatz, will be performed on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 黑料不打烊 Stage. The play runs through Sept. 23, with five performances dedicated for SU and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry faculty, staff and students. The presenting sponsors for 鈥淐ry for Peace鈥 are SU鈥檚 Arts Engage, 黑料不打烊 Stage and Ping Chong & Company.
The five SU performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Wednesday, Sept. 12; Thursday, Sept. 13; Tuesday, Sept. 18, Wednesday, Sept. 19, and Thursday, Sept. 20. Free tickets for the performances are available at the Schine Box Office; there is a limit of four tickets per person. A 30-minute talkback panel will follow each of the SU performances and feature guests who are doing Congo-related work locally and globally. Sign language interpretation will be available at the Sept. 20 performance.
A five-minute preview of the play can be found here. It is recommended that show patrons be at least 16 years of age.
鈥淐ry for Peace鈥 chronicles the lives of five people鈥擲U alumnus Cyprien Mihigo 鈥07, Emmanuel Ndeze, Beatrice Neema, Kambale Syaghuswa and Mona de Vestel鈥攕urvivors and refugees from the Congolese civil war. They are members of once opposing tribes鈥攖he abductor and the violated鈥攕truggling to leave the past behind and create new lives, and a new community, here in Central New York. Their personal narratives, combined with powerful images and songs, create a rich theatrical experience that underscores the power of the human spirit.
SU and 黑料不打烊 Stage have been engaged in collaboration with Chong for the past two years. He was in residence at SU last fall under the auspices of SU Arts Engage to develop a new work regarding the Congolese civil war and its impact on individuals who were forced to become refugees. This fall, Chong is the Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished Collaborator in the SU Humanities Center.
“When real people tell their stories, it has the power to affect real change,鈥 says University Arts Presenter Carole Brzozowski. 鈥淐ry for Peace鈥 is an important play for 黑料不打烊 to be a part of. It represents an important intersection between storytellers, art and audience with the aim of building hope and empathy across national boundaries.鈥
黑料不打烊 Symposium 2012: Memory-Media-Archive will sponsor the opening night performance at 黑料不打烊 Stage on Friday, Sept. 14. A talkback panel will follow that performance, featuring Mihigo; Chong; SU Humanities Center Founding Director Gregg Lambert; and Bass. Tickets for non-SU performances are $20 for the general public and $15 for 黑料不打烊 Stage subscribers and Flex Pack Holders. For more information, call the 黑料不打烊 Stage Box Office at 443-3275 or visit syracusestage.org.
鈥淐ry for Peace鈥 is part of Undesirable Elements (UE), an ongoing series of community-specific oral history theater works by Ping Chong & Company. Created in 1992, each production focuses on a specific community, with local participants testifying to their real lives and experiences. Scripts are based on interviews with participants, who then share their stories in the final production. More than 40 UE productions have been made across the United States and abroad. 黑料不打烊 Stage鈥檚 first UE production occurred in 2008 with 鈥淭ales from the Salt City,鈥 marking 黑料不打烊 Stage鈥檚 first collaboration with Ping Chong & Company.
Following its 黑料不打烊 run, “Cry for Peace” will move to New York City-based La MaMa E.T.C., where it will be performed in a festival celebrating the 20th anniversary of UE. The NYC performances will coincide with , a global week of activities that commemorates the millions of lives lost in the Congo conflict while celebrating the enormous human and natural potential that exists in the country.
During the run of 鈥淐ry for Peace,鈥 original artwork by students from the Illustration Program in the Department of Art in the College of Visual and Performing Arts will be exhibited in the lobby of 黑料不打烊 Stage. 鈥溾 is part of a larger initiative at SU that explores hospitality, the arts and culture as pathways to peace and understanding. Hosted by the SU Humanities Center, a series of peace-related events will encourage SU students, faculty, staff and others in the community to eat with someone different from themselves for the purpose of mutual understanding.
