Fringe News
Fringe News
Summerworks 2016 and Lace Productions present The Unbelievers, the inaugural production from Lace Productions (LACE). Written by acclaimed playwright Hannah Rittner (Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominee, 2014-5), this urgent story is a tangible, human look at the real-world genocide of the Yazidi community, perpetrated by ISIS. Presented in the BMO Incubator space at the Theatre Centre, The Unbelievers runs August 5 to 14, 2016.
Orli, a conflict journalist, is thrust into captivity at the hands of ISIS. Sanaa is a young Yazidi woman who has experienced trauma very few could imagine. Trapped in a dark room with a pool of light as the only evidence of an outside world, these two women must grapple with the harsh realities of womanhood, extremism, and human trafficking. Is their escape inevitable, or is it even possible?
Featuring Sarah Baskin (Three Women Mourn The Apocalypse) as Orli and Shadi Shahkhalili (The Melville Boys) as Sanaa, The Unbelievers is directed by Marina McClure (Three Women Mourn The Apocalypse) with scenography by Anahita Dehbonehie (DORA Award Nominee 2014, Vitals), and assistant direction by Laura Levin (Director, MA/PhD Program at York University).
“I tell stories that challenge our expectations of what it means to be a woman in the world today and throughout history, says playwright Hannah Rittner. “In my view, these stories have the greatest potential for restorative change.”
As part of this inaugural production, LACE is thrilled to announce the attendance of Rozin Hanjool (Women’s Affairs Manager, Yazda) and Nadia Murad (Yazidi woman and Nobel Peace Prize nominee) at a performance of The Unbelievers on August 6th, 2016. Preparations and fundraising are also underway for an ancillary event at The Koffler Centre for the Arts to precede that evening’s performance. To help us reach our goal of $5000 visit our Fund What You Can page. Additionally, LACE will be joining Murad and Yazda at the Parliament of Canada the week of July 17th, as part of ongoing advocacy for the Yazidi people.
“I am profoundly honoured to be invited to stand alongside Nadia Murad and the Yazda team in Parliament,” Rittner said. “I wrote The Unbelievers because I was enraged by the injustice and felt compelled to hold the pain of this shattered people... I'm so moved by the opportunity to support this cause alongside Nadia.”
Lace Productions The Unbelievers – part of Summerworks 2016
Written by HANNAH RITTNER
Directed by MARINA McCLURE
Featuring SARAH BASKIN and SHADI SHAHKHALILI
Scenography by ANAHITA DEHBONEHIE
Assistant Director LAURA LEVIN
Associate Producer JOANNE WILLIAMS
The Theatre Centre: BMO Incubator 1115 Queen St West
Friday, August 5th, 6:45pm
Saturday, August 6th, 10:30pm
Sunday, August 7th, 5:15pm
Monday, August 8th, 10:30pm
Thursday, August 11th, 4:00pm
Saturday, August 13th, 12:00pm
Sunday, August 14th, 4:45pm
Tickets: 416-320-5779 or visit Summerworks.ca
Facebook: @laceproductionsca
Twitter: @LaceProds
Instagram: @LaceProductions
#UnbelieversSW
ABOUT LACE PRODUCTIONS
In the spirit of lace, its history, and means of combining elements, LACE Productions (LACE) is a company that prizes the collaboration of the performer with the writer, both in films and plays. At LACE, our mission is to put women of intersecting identities at the centre of epic experiences. We believe firmly in the fusion of art and politics as a force for change, with a particular interest in the complexity of femininity and how it can elicit grand questions of existence.
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ABOUT YAZDA
Yazda was established August 2014 by Yazidi Americans following the campaign of ethnic cleansing and sexual enslavement that was conducted by the self-declared “Islamic State” (IS) militants. This campaign was part of a project of attempted genocide that sought to eradicate the Yazidi religion from the region. Yazda was formed to respond to the various needs of the displaced and traumatized Yazidi community. Yazda is active in most areas inhabited by Yazidis in Iraq. It has a U.S.-based board of directors and an Iraq-based management team for in-country work, where it primarily functions as a local NGO. The opening night box office revenue from The Unbelievers will be donated to Yazda. Please visit http://www.yazda.org for more information and ways to donate, and visit Nadia’s Facebook page and Twitter feed #StandforYazdiWomen
2016-07-19
SummerWorks: The Unbelievers