The Magdalena Project

[helen]

Exile Theatre of Afghanistan
and Bond Street Theatre of New York

present
BEYOND THE MIRROR
at the San Francisco International Arts Festival

A poignant journey through Afghan history

BEYOND THE MIRROR makes its West Coast premiere at the prestigious San Francisco International Arts Festival on Friday & Saturday, May 29 & 30 at 9:00pm, and Sunday, May 31 at 1:00pm at the Cowell Theatre in the Fort Mason Center. Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 in advance, and $16 for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. Multi-show discounts available. For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or purchase online at www.sfiaf.org.

BEYOND THE MIRROR is a physical, musical and visual portrayal of three decades of Afghan life and a desperate search for peace. Woven through family memories and first-hand accounts, traditional dances and live music, physical storytelling and filmed montages, BEYOND THE MIRROR weaves an intricate tapestry of events, both tragic and hopeful.

BEYOND THE MIRROR began in the refugee areas of northern Pakistan in March 2002. Members of Bond Street Theatre, performing for Afghan children in refugee schools in Pakistan, met a dauntless group of Afghan actors who dared to present live theater despite the restrictions and repressions of the times. This group was Exile Theatre. The two companies were immediately drawn to each other's theatrical styles and planned to create a new work together. This plan came to fruition the following year in Kabul and, since that time, has grown into a full length theatre work, BEYOND THE MIRROR, which made its world premiere at the 2nd Afghan Theatre Festival in Kabul in August 2005. Since then, the production has been featured in two festivals in Japan, theatres in Baltimore and New York, and enjoyed extensive media coverage and outstanding reviews.


"The first collaboration between an Afghan and an American theater company, it has a quiet authority, even delicacy, that is truly powerful."
-- Margo Jefferson, The New York Times

"The most stirring, affecting and significant event of the theatre season."
-- Martin Denton, nytheatre.com

The cast of BEYOND THE MIRROR features Anisa Wahab, one of the few women to be accepted as a professional actress in Afghanistan, and a film and television star prior to Taliban rule. Joining her are Meghan Frank, Michael McGuigan, Najibullah Qiam, Quraishi, Jamil Royesh and Matthew Schmidt.

The performance is directed by Joanna Sherman and Mahmoud Salimi. Lighting design is by Jesse Belsky, and set design by Joanna Sherman and Michael McGuigan. Original music is composed and performed on the traditional Afghan rubab by Quraishi, with additional music by Andy Teirstein. Video montages are created by Michael McGuigan, Mahmoud Shah Salimi and Seth Bloom.

Performances of BEYOND THE MIRROR have been made possible in part by a grant from the Ford Foundation and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Ensemble Theatre Collaborations Grant Program, with additional funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (US Department of State).

Exile Theatre was established in 2000 in Peshawar, Pakistan by Afghan theater, film and television artists who were forced to leave during the Taliban regime. Its mission was to rehabilitate the theater arts in exile. They created plays that reflected the social, political and cultural conditions of the Afghan people despite interference by the police. Since their return to Afghanistan, they have become leaders in revitalizing the theatre arts in their country by introducing new, dynamic forms of theatre, film and experimental media. Exile Theatre is the only Afghan theatre group to perform in the U.S.

Bond Street Theatre, founded in 1978, draws on the musical and physical theatre styles from many cultures to create original theatre works. Recipient of a MacArthur Award, the company has also received support from the the Doris Duke and Andrew Mellon Foundations, Theatre Communications Group, New York State Council for the Arts, Trust for Mutual Understanding, ArtsLink, the Riverside Church Sharing Fund, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and others, and has performed in major theatres and festivals worldwide. The company is dedicated to creating theatre that crosses borders and bringing their theatre work to refugee camps and areas of conflict.

"That this piece exists at all is a form of triumph and its own best example of international cooperation and cross-cultural understanding."
-- J. Wynn Rousuck, The Baltimore Sun

www.bondst.org