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| Mourning Sun by Antu Yacob at ART NY on April 18, 2011 |
Our April 18th reading of MOURNING SUN was a huge success.
We had a standing-room only crowd of 55 audience at ART NY's Bruce Mitchell Room.
And when the reading was over, nobody wanted to leave - everyone wanted to talk about
the play! That's exactly what this series is all about.
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and support this amazing
play and playwright.
Antu and I had a chance to catch up and reflect on the reading. Here's our
online discussion:
MB: What was different/surprising/new in this reading as compared to other readings of the play?
AY: The difference in this reading in comparison to others I've had was that I really heard the piece because I wasn't in the reading. Through the listening and great acting/directing, I was able to hear the cuts that needed to be made as well as recognize what worked for the story.
MB: Why did you write MOURNING SUN? why is this story important to you as a person/as an artist?
AY: I wrote Mourning Sun because my sister is a medical student and was fortunate enough to volunteer at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital a few years ago as part of her studies. The stories she told me of the women she met unsettled and stirred my spirit in a way that altered me forever. All I could think of was that any one of those girls could have been me. It incensed me that this thing is 100% preventable. The information my sister shared with me compelled me to further research fistula and find what customs, what were my own people doing to our own girls and women to create and continually contribute to this epidemic. The script is the result of my research and my way of educating others about what my sisters are going through.
MB: I love love love the way Michael Jackson is so enmeshed in this play - it's the most unique and yet universal thing about the play, I think. Do you love Michael too? Whats your relationship to MJ?
AY: I do love Michael Jackson!!!! My mother cried for a long time when she heard of his passing. His music is so moving, physically and emotionally. When we came to the States, I was 5 years old and I remember him being the only musical artist my mom would let me listen to in the house, he was the first musician I remember listening to. With Mourning Sun I wanted to capture the international phenomenon that he was, still is. I'm not sure if those of us in the States really understand how Michael and his music left a stamp on our planet. I don't think there's a single Ethiopian out there that doesn't love Michael. Ok you get it right, I love Michael LOL.MB: What's next for the play? What's your ultimate goal long term for this story?
AY: I would really like to get this story on its feet, in a theatrical production running in New York, with some of the proceeds donated to the Fistula Foundation. A long-term goal I have for MOURNING SUN is for it to be turned into a film so that the story can reach even more people. I think you and I should talk about the theatrical production and see what we can come up with.
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and support this amazing
play and playwright. Sign up for our email list to keep informed of the next steps
in MOURNING SUN's development as Antu Yacob tries to get it up and on its
feet in NYC.
MB
