Below is my Playwright's Note for the program of Mortal Folly Theatre's production of Over Here for the 2014 NYC International Fringe Festival. I am reproducing it here as the play is getting a fair amount of press, and I am frequently asked about it in relation to current events.
I hate that this play is timely again.
When I first started writing it, in the Spring of 2003, I was responding to both what was happening in the Middle East and what was going on and what had happened in New York City. I had hoped that the play would become a period piece, and that one day people would look at it and say, "yeah, that stuff that they're talking about, that was actually happening at the time."
I hate that I am writing this note as a war is going on again, and that if these characters were real, they would be less likely to meet today than they would have been in 2002. I hate that this program note might be outdated by the time the show opens, because by then things could get worse.
All that said, the fact that this is timely means that what I was trying to do when I wrote it, to tell a human story about friendship between people who are painted by their respective cultures and the world at large to be adversaries, has become that much more important. It is also a story about PTSD and what it does to our interactions with those associated with the trauma. But more than that, it is about friendship.
We need first and foremost to see the humanity in each other. The working title of this play was "B'Shalom," which is Hebrew for "In Peace." I hope that one day soon, people will look at this play and be able to look at the situations described as history never to be repeated. I hope that they will be able to look at it from a place of peace.
b'Shalom,
Meron Langsner
There have been several articles about this production. Links are below.
Review of Over Here in FringeReview UK
Review of Over Here by Martin Denton in NY Theater Now
Review of Over Here by James Armstrong
"Mortal Folly Theatre to Bring Over Here to NYC Fringe" - Broadway World
"Interview: Over Here at the 2014 NYC International Fringe Festival" - Indie Theater Now
Bridging Middle East Borders at the Fringe - The Jewish Week Blog
"Echoes of Gaza at the Fringe" (Includes preview of Over Here) - The Jewish Week
NYC Fringe 2014 Group Interview (PodCast) - Indie Theater Now
"Brandeis Alum's Play About Israeli-Palestinian Friendship Performed at NYC International Fringe Festival" - The Brandeis Hoot
‘Over Here’ explores friendship after 9/11, conflict in the Middle East - The Tufts Daily
Projection Art created by OMTA for this production can be seen at this URL: http://omta.co/2014/over-here-art/
Over Here is available on Indie Theater Now
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