Political Theatre

There seems to be no shortage of political theatre in New York for which I am grateful. During the last few months I have some really interesting and important work. Tonight I just saw "Miracle In Rwanda". I'm not the only one doing a solo show about Rwanda! I have seen "In Sudan", a play about Darfur, "Goodness" about genocide, "My Name is Rachel Corrie" and "Dai", two plays about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "Stuff Happens" about the war in Iraq, "Speak Truth to Power" about human rights activists and so it goes on. I am grateful that there are many folks out there who are interested in seeing this kind of theatre. There could be many more. I think that some people relate to political theatre the same way they relate to documentaries. They really want to see the documentaries, but then it's a Sunday night and they decide to chose something lighter to just chill out and switch off. But people are often surprised when they do choose to see a documentary or political play as they can often be just as (if not more) gripping, entertaining (for want of a better word), and most likely more inspiring. If it's a good play or film, you are always so glad that you went. I have just finalised a 40-word description of my show and chosen an image. These are probably the most important marketing tools I have right now, and it was so hard to choose words and a picture that would entice people, but not make me feel like I'm compromising my integrity in how I sell the show. It took a while and a lot of input from a real mix of people. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Sharing the stage

This Thursday April 26th at 8pm I will be performing an extract of RASH alongside 6 other performers at the new Rapture cafe in the East Village. I am excited to finally share the stage with others. There will be poets, musicians and actors, and I think it's going to be a really great evening. I also recently learnt that I will be performing in a festival in July for New York-based performers on their way to this year's Edinburgh Fringe. I will be performing for 4 nights in a row in a format similar to the Fringe, where I'll get a chance to practice what it's like to have 15 minutes to set up my stage and do my thing. It's also in a great venue called 59E59 Theatre. They produce the annual Brits Off Broadway series. And I'm all set for this year's Edinburgh Fringe. I will be performing 26 shows from 1-27 August at the wonderful Pleasance Theatre. It will be great to perform in my home country. I have already begun briefing my parents! RASH is an honest portrayal of my life and of course my parents feature in that. They will surely like some bits and perhaps cringe at others. All in the name of art!

RASH outbreak

Well it's going to be a busy week of performances for RASH and I'm really looking forward to trying out the new script for the first time. On Tuesday 3rd April I'm performing along side another amazing 25 women as part of the Emerging Artists Theatre solo show festival "One Woman Standing". There will be a talk back after the performance and folks will be able to share their thoughts on the play. On Wednesday 4th April I will be flying to Durham, North Carolina to perform at Duke University. I will also be speaking to their Arts and Human Rights class during the day. And last but definitely not least, on Sunday 8th April, I will be performing two shows on the same day as part of Tartan Week NY at American Theater of Actors. It's really exciting to be part of a festival promoting all good things Scottish in New York. So do come check out a show. And if you saw one of these shows, I would love to know what you think. RASH is going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August, and your thoughts and ideas will only make the play stronger.

A RASH rewrite

I'm spending the month of March rewriting parts of RASH. I have now done 7 performances of RASH and received really great feedback from folks from all over. In fact, I can't thank enough friends, theatre folk and audience members who have been sharing their thoughts and ideas on the play. You are helping to make this play even stronger. I am realising the difficulties of performing a play to multiple audiences. The people coming to see my show are a mix of folks - from those who are just curious to see the play, to high school and university students, to human rights and humanitarian workers. And so the types of feedback I receive are often quite specific to the needs of the audience. The general public want to see more photos of Rwanda, aid workers prefer to see less images, students want more details about what the life of a human rights observer is like. And feedback varies according to cultural sensibilities. Americans want the gaps filled in, more clarity, a clear beginning, middle and end. Non-Americans like to fill in their own gaps, and are more comfortable with some things being left up in the air. So now, me the writer, I have to distill all of that, listen to the feedback and then ultimately decide what I want to say and how I want to say it. So that's what I'm doing now. It feels good to be writing again but I'm also looking forward to seeing the changes in action. If there are any other writers out there reading this, I am curious to know how you absorb the feedback you get on your material. Look out for the RASH outbreak in April, there are four performances scheduled.

The RASH is spreading

RASH began as a vignette of short monologues based on my personal experience of living in countries in crises. As I began to read these stories to writers, colleagues, friends, family and strangers, I realised there is a thirst to know what it's like to live in conflict zones, to witness human rights abuses, to take risks. And for those who lead similar lives, they see a picture so rarely reflected back at them. So in writing RASH, my first solo play, I have tried not to create a mystique or a halo around this world, but to provide a small glimpse into the life of a human rights/humanitarian worker. RASH is the story of how I ended up in Rwanda after the genocide and how that experience changed my life. I would love to hear from all you folks who have seen it - what did you think? Even if you haven't seen it, do share any thoughts you might have. My eyes and ears are wide open ...

Associate Director

Kieran McLoughlin is a director, writer, performer and movement specialist. As co- founder and co-director of Edinburgh’s performance collective Highway Diner he has made over 7 shows since 2003. Highway Diner was awarded a Fringe First in the Edinburgh 2004 Fringe for the site specific promenade performance ‘Works of Temporary Solace’. Kieran studied at Dartington College of Arts and at the School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam (1999-2002). Studying in Amsterdam he developed a methodology for looking at real-time composition using dancers and musicians, and taught this in universities and colleges in the UK. Alongside this he teaches for several organisations including Scottish Youth Theatre.

Retournees

My mum is a really talented sculptor. She welded this sculpture out of a tin of beans, inspired by pictures I had taken of the mass return of refugees to Rwanda in 1996.