LR - War Stories Staged

In the performance War Stories Staged, the students of a “page to stage” class acted out scenes based on interviews given by war refugees, as well as a few scenes from A Long Way Gone. The interviews were done over the summer by professors who teach at CCBC. They interviewed international students who experienced war in their home country and now attend CCBC. The interviews consisted of stories from Africa, the Czech Republic, Bosnia, and more. The students in the class listened to the interviews and based on the stories told, wrote scripts to give their best rendition on the horrific events.

The performance was jaw dropping. Before the show began, Professor Julie Lewis, the director and teacher, explained that some of the students had never acted or even been on a stage before the start of the class. All the students did such a professional job; I could not even tell which students she had referred to. There was one scene that brought together all parts of the theater, and I thought was particularly effective. It opened with a dinner setting where a few bachelors from a neighboring town were having a meal with a family. Later the scene changed to those same men, accompanied by others as well, storming in the house and throwing the family out. Without a word of explanation, or even acknowledgement, the men proceeded to burn the house in front of the family. At this time the actors turned their back to the audience and faced the psyche, which was lit red to act as the flames. Also, the crackling of a roaring fire came over the sound system. All the different elements of the scene brought together make this moment stand out to me.

At the beginning of the performance, the actors took their places on stage. They were scattered about, standing in different position and poses as they gave us a preview of the show to come. At the very end, the actors resumed these same positions and closed the show with some final statements and thought provoking questions. I had such a rise in emotion when I realized how these stage directions mirrors my own interactions with the tragedy and loss all the people in the world feel during a time of war. I am only glimpsing the terrible things that happen as I watch this performance or read A Long Way Gone. For about an hour I was able to sympathize with these people running from war and attempt to understand the pain they went through. But at the end of the performance, or movie, or book I return to my simple and pleasant life. I have not helped and nothing in the world has changed. I can only hope one day I will take advantage of the opportunity to make a difference for someone in such dire need.