Tom Block’s Oud Player on the Tel rehearses in advance of November 8 opening at HERE (photo courtesy Tom Block)
OUD PLAYER ON THE TEL
HERE Arts Center
145 Sixth Ave.
Tuesday – Sunday, November 8-24, $35-$150
www.oudplayeronthetel.com
here.org
Playwright, author, and philosopher Tom Block delves into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the concept of coexistence in his new drama, Oud Player on the Tel, running November 8-24 at HERE Arts Center.
Presented by the International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM), the seventy-minute show is set in the Middle East in 1947, right before the establishment of the State of Israel. Block details the relationship between two families, Palestinian olive farmers and Jewish refugees, that takes a turn when a member of each clan changes their name to Herb Gordon and, in true Romeo and Juliet style, a young member from each falls in love with each other.
The play is directed by Jesica Garrou and features Mark Quiles as Amir, Mark Peters as Melke, Isaiah Stavchansky as Moritz, Hari Bhaskar as Mahmud, Maya Koshaba as Rashida, Inji El Gammmal as Fatima, and Jennifer Tulchin as Shoshana. The set is designed by Richie Oullette, with lighting by Riva Fairhall, costumes by Cathy Small, and choreography by Hala Shah. The original score is by Rachid Halihal, who appears as the oud player.
Block, the founding executive director and recording secretary of IHRAM, has written such books as Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity and The Fool Returns, which explore connections between Jewish and Islamic mysticism.
“Oud Player on the Tel is a historically based piece that hopes to open a doorway to conversation by using absurdism, humor, and much history to tell an ugly truth,” Block told twi-ny. “We’ve had a couple readings and in both cases, people came in loaded for bear, and they left scratching their heads. It does find nuance in the middle of this geopolitical nightmare.”