Student group presents 'Darfur Stories'
Jonathan Crabtree
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: News
The play came together despite the hectic schedule because the "actors have been phenomenal and very dedicated, and my support team and my designers have gone way beyond what normal people might be expected to do in those roles, since we have zero budget." Cogbill said
"There's a lot going on," Cogbill said. "You would think it would be very still with the subject matter, but I think it's actually quite athletic for the actors, just because they're running around so much."
The four actors must transform themselves into a variety of characters, many of which are or are based on real people, who transcend racial, gender and socioeconomic boundaries.
"Darfur Stories" is a collection of 18 scenes that depict events related to Darfur from a variety of perspectives. The play allows an audience member to become emotionally attached to a character only to lose that character a few moments later and connect with a new one. This constant cycling between intense attachment and loss creates an air of uncertainty and adds to the overall tone of the play. The audience member is almost invited to share in the disorienting nature of the reality of the atrocities committed in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The four actors all agreed that "Darfur Stories" had been incredibly challenging.
Melissa Caffrey is a high school senior who has been acting since she was four.
"It's a challenge; especially because these are all really high-stakes characters," she said. There isn't the usual plot curve in the play. The scenes are snippets of climax or peaks of stories, of which there are 18, she said.
"Playing the Janjaweed is hard too," Caffrey said "Is there a side to them that's good?"
The Janjaweed, a militia believed to be sponsored by the Sudanese government, has burned many villages and are accused of responsibility for many of the 400,000 deaths related to the genocide in the Darfur Region.
Cassie Self, a former UA theatre major and mother of three, said she had to realize that many of the Janjaweed really are just living out who they believe they are. Many of them were captured from their villages as little boys and have been trained to kill their entire lives. It's all they know how to be, she said.
"There's a lot going on," Cogbill said. "You would think it would be very still with the subject matter, but I think it's actually quite athletic for the actors, just because they're running around so much."
The four actors must transform themselves into a variety of characters, many of which are or are based on real people, who transcend racial, gender and socioeconomic boundaries.
"Darfur Stories" is a collection of 18 scenes that depict events related to Darfur from a variety of perspectives. The play allows an audience member to become emotionally attached to a character only to lose that character a few moments later and connect with a new one. This constant cycling between intense attachment and loss creates an air of uncertainty and adds to the overall tone of the play. The audience member is almost invited to share in the disorienting nature of the reality of the atrocities committed in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The four actors all agreed that "Darfur Stories" had been incredibly challenging.
Melissa Caffrey is a high school senior who has been acting since she was four.
"It's a challenge; especially because these are all really high-stakes characters," she said. There isn't the usual plot curve in the play. The scenes are snippets of climax or peaks of stories, of which there are 18, she said.
"Playing the Janjaweed is hard too," Caffrey said "Is there a side to them that's good?"
The Janjaweed, a militia believed to be sponsored by the Sudanese government, has burned many villages and are accused of responsibility for many of the 400,000 deaths related to the genocide in the Darfur Region.
Cassie Self, a former UA theatre major and mother of three, said she had to realize that many of the Janjaweed really are just living out who they believe they are. Many of them were captured from their villages as little boys and have been trained to kill their entire lives. It's all they know how to be, she said.
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