Love & War in Tripoli…

Kudos and congrats to the brave and talented cast of “Love & War on the Rooftop: A Tripolitan Tale.” Last night, I had the pleasure of going with a few of my students from the American University of Beirut to see this unique play — which brings together former militiamen from Sunni and Alawite communities in Tripoli. This impressive theatrical endeavor is a rare example of reconciliation in Lebanon. In their radical transformation from snipers to players on the stage, these young actors embody and project the cathartic power of acting and theatre. One of the Sunni actors (who threw his first bomb when he was 13) noted: “I didn’t want to take part in it. The politicians who exploited us taught us that these [the Alawites] are our enemies, but I had never seen them or dealt with them. But all those ideas changed when I came down and met them.” In the words of director Lucien Bourjeil: “At the end, they are the protagonists. Not them as actors, them as people in real life. And the journey they are going through is from being a fighter in a mini civil war to an actor.” As a playwright, I felt inspired by the committed performances of these gifted young theatre artists–and I’ll be thinking of them today while trying to finish my new play…