Just the Facts
All knowledge that is about human society, and not about the natural world, is historical knowledge, and therefore rests upon judgment and interpretation. This is not to say that facts or data are nonexistent, but that facts get their importance from what is made of them in interpretation… for interpretations depend very much on who the interpreter is, who he or she is addressing, what his or her purpose is, at what historical moment the interpretation takes place.
— Edward W. Saïd
I suppose it takes chutzpah for a theatre company to program a play that deals with Israel/Palestine issues. Based on what I’ve seen of public reactions to any piece of media that touches upon what goes on in the land sandwiched between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, I can understand the trepidation. Some people don’t want to talk about it at all; some people bristle at anything that could even be perceived as criticism of either side.
I am working with the Great Canadian Theatre Company right now on a play called Facts. It’s the world premiere of a script by Arthur Milner, and it maps some broad strokes of Israeli-Palestinian politics on to a murder mystery involving an Isreali detective, a Palestinian detective, a Jewish settler, and the murder of an archaeologist who was trying to prove that King David never existed. If you’re not up to speed on Jewish history and culture, the implication here is that this archaeologist was murdered over his claim that Jews have no historical claim to the land on which their nation currently sits.
On the surface, it’s the kind of theatre I love to be part of: political and opinionated. With the current pressure being placed on Israel by the US government over Israel’s expansion of settlements, it is also VERY timely and topical. It is difficult to color the play as pro-Zionist, which runs somewhat against the grain of popular opinion in North America. And while I don’t think the play is particularly inflammatory, it is certain to get some audience members riled up because, at its heart, it puts a Palestinian in a room with a man who believes without question that God gave every square inch of Israel to Jews. I welcome the discussion, and even the argument. But I have no control over how the audience will respond to the play, and that makes me a little anxious — especially since I’m playing the hard-line Jewish settler.
The only thing I have complete control over is my job as an actor, which is to embody my character to the full extent and intent set forth by the director and the playwright. This means that no amount of discussion or debate with any audience member, on any side of the issue — no matter how persuasive or convincing — can sway me from the course of my work. It mustn’t. I tell myself this now because I am anticipating post-show discussions and talk-backs where I will be called upon to defend the things my character says and does.
There is a reason the play is called Facts, and I think that reason has a lot to do with the quote at the top of this post. What I think Arthur Milner has cleverly done with his script is demonstrate how people cling to things that they claim are true (whether they can prove them or not), and how the utter certainty of those beliefs can lead to disaster. The effects of this are deeply visible in the play, and I anticipate strong reactions from our audience as well. As we barrel through our last days of technical rehearsals and into our opening week, I’m wondering if we’ll talk about the abstracted themes of the play, or if we’ll end up trying to “fix” the Middle East at every talk-back session.
We simply won’t know until you come and tell us.
Tags: Arthur Milner, Facts, GCTC, Kris Joseph
