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I love a ballad in print alife... (Iraqi Shakespeare troupe)
San Jose Mercury News ^ | 15 Mar. 2012 | Karl Kahler

Posted on 03/16/2012 12:19:40 AM PDT by ash-housewares

To be or not to be on a plane from Iraq to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this midsummer -- that is the $30,000 question.

Proving that the whole world truly is a stage, a Bay Area-educated English and drama professor has assembled a college troupe of Shakespearean actors in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, that has been invited to perform at the showcase for all things Bard in Ashland, Ore. But as Oregon is many leagues from Iraq, and it costs numerous ducats to fly there, the professor is seeking the public's help to raise the money to transport 10 Iraqi Othellos, Hamlets and Lady Macbeths.

"To me, and to my group of students, Shakespeare is the top tier of accomplishments," said Peter Friedrich, who studied English and drama at Santa Clara University and has a master of fine arts in acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, communicating by email from Iraq. "There's the prestige of that, but I'm sure by now they are also addicted to the humor, action and wit that pulse through every line."

One of his students at the American University of Iraq, 20-year-old Huda Hamid of Babylon, said, "Performing Shakespeare taught me to do challenging work that I thought I would never be able to do."

Hamid, who is studying business administration and hopes to be an agent for a rock band, added, "And some themes related to honor, pride and prejudice are similar to life here. Going to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is like a dream come to life."

Such stuff as dreams are made on, but the dream has yet to come true. Friedrich estimates he needs to raise $3,000 per student to get them halfway around the world, but seeking such assistance from local officials became a comedy of errors...

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: ashland; kickstarter; kurdistan; shakespeare
No endorsement implied, but an interesting light-news article about a Silicon Valley guy who moved to northern Iraq and wants to bring a field trip to the festival's July performances in Ashland, Ore. Particularly interesting is that, assuming the kids are any good, the largest Shakespeare event out west is rather ambivalent about hosting them.

The young thespians study at AUI in Sulaymaniyah, a long-time target of postdoc leftists who blog about dastardly neocon conspiracies.

1 posted on 03/16/2012 12:19:46 AM PDT by ash-housewares
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To: ash-housewares

Bump


2 posted on 03/16/2012 1:27:49 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: ash-housewares; nickcarraway
The 3 Little Pigs in Shakespeare Style
3 posted on 03/16/2012 3:58:29 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: ash-housewares
What a shame.

Iraqis are good people - smart, knowledgeable.

Bush saw great promise in a liberated Iraq.

Democrats destroyed their chances.

4 posted on 03/16/2012 4:04:38 AM PDT by FroggyTheGremlim (Conservative patriots, Rise up!)
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