Time Out

I took the month of August off - except for Kickstarter I've done nothing with The Land. Instead I've been of service and support to members of my family who really needed me through difficult times. On the other side now, in bed with a nasty cold, thanks to Genevieve, my youngest daughter who plays Catherine in The Land and is not affected by the aforementioned problems..As Fall approaches with chilly nights and shorter days, I'm reminded of the fleeting nature of time - right now I feel there is none to waste and it's time to get back into rehearsal and on the road.We need help - not so much but enough to stay on our feet through the winter, while we oil the machine. Hope you'll log onto Kickstarter, check out our page and pledge! There's a link two posts below!

The Land

As Autumn approaches, it's time to take The Land back into rehearsals - we are hoping to do a few regional shows this season and are asking for your help - please log onto Kickstarter (link in post below) and help us raise the funds we need to do so! Only a $1.00 minimum pledge - less than your morning latte! $10.00 or more gets you our poster (see top of this page) and big virtual hugs for assisting us in getting this crucial message out there via the potent medium of theatre!

Santa Fe

We are working on booking a Santa Fe venue for early September. Luckily for us prices are much lower there than here (go figure) and we'll be able to put on the play for a lot less and make a little money to give away! We are looking for a rehearsal space that will enable us to work with our set and perfect our tech. These are the small details we've not had time, nor the right space, to concentrate on during past rehearsals. These details are critical to the play and once we nail them, we'll be ready to go to the next level ; a serious producer. Right now we have wardrobe, props and a commited cast .We still need money for materials to build a very simple, portable set that can travel and the cost of rehearsal space (unless someone donates one) and the deposit for our show in Santa Fe plus travel expenses. Our goal is to raise $2500 by September 30th! Please help us by donating here on the blog via our paypal link! Your names will be included in our program notes and any donation of $150.00 includes 2 tickets to our show in Santa Fe! We've already accomplished so much with your help and cannot tell you how much it is appreciated by all of us. Thank you.

The Land Updates

Thanks to everyone who made our show at the TCA last Saturday night, possible. To all our sponsors and everyone who came to see the play - thanks so much! A new play is a continuing process; each time we perform it, we discover new ways to tweak it and make it better. We'll go back into rehearsal soon to iron out some problems and make a few changes. Next stop, Santa Fe - with help from a very talented and insightful Director who will be working with us to take this play to another level. Brooke Wilding has generously offered to get involved by consulting with me and giving notes to the cast Although we covered our expenses at the TCA, we made no money which means the cast performed for free and there was nothing left over to give away. I am now raising funds again - and I urge everyone to donate what they can. I realise this is a difficult subject but it's vital we tell this story and do what we can to help all the courageous people in the Holy Land who are putting their lives on the line for positive change! Please help us have this play seen by as many American audiences possible! You can donate right here on the blog via paypal!

Program ads

The Land program still has a few spots available! Business card size ads are $50.00.You can pay here on the blog via paypal and send a pdf/logo to my email listed on the right of the page - scroll down a bit!
Deadline Tues July 6th

Blue Rose

A country song I co-wrote with my best friend, Amanda blue Leigh, Blue Rose, is a fitting ending to The Land. Amanda's gorgeous vocals are backed by some amazing musicians, including Alan Pasqua, Steve Holly, Tony Cedrus, Dan Hovey and ...that's enough -I sound like I'm name dropping! Produced by my old homie and dear friend, Keith Lentin, it's our tribute to the women of the world who are bringing the feminine principal back into balance! You can listen to it here!http://amandablueleigh.com/onelove.html

Special Thanks

As we go into our final week of rehearsals. I'd like to thank all of you who made this production of The Land possible. After cancelling Kickstarter (which never really kicked off - is this subject really that taboo?) I was gifted with enough money from a dear friend, to get this baby back into rehearsals and on the TCA stage. I still needed to raise additional funds however and am doing so with program ad sales and sponsorships. Out of the $964 pledged on Kickstarter, I received a little under $500 - I want to thank those people who gave what they could, so very much! Your names will be in our program and you are all angels to us! I'll be out on the street again today, selling as many ads as I can - I'm a one woman operation. After a misunderstanding regarding what Producers actually do, I decided to produce this show myself, having plenty experience in the area w/music events. We are still gifting Vista Paz 10%. After a day of sales work, I'll be heading to another long rehearsal. Once the curtain comes up and the lights create magic on stage, it all appears effortless and easy, but the truth of the matter is tons of hard work goes into making a play. The actors especially work so hard and are so drained emotionally by the end of rehearsal - I marvel at their capacity to give that much of themselves! My daughter Genevieve and Christopher Heron both deserve accolades for the extra hours they are putting into this play! Christopher is choreographing and co-directing the war scenes and his work is sensitive and brilliant! My daughter brings visceral and emotional insight to all the characters, the women most especially! Not only is she a very talented actress, she is a fantastic facilitator of the process. I'm grateful to them both and to the rest of my amazing "no drama" cast - Ana Chavez, Ruth Fahrbach, Dylan Trachtman, Gus Chinland, David Perez, Benjamin Tietelbaum, Anpo Cash, Kiki Siebenaler, Lisa Lastra, Nicole Scotto, Khalil and his niece, the precious Majdolene Kweis - I could not have done it without you! Arron Shiver also gets a special thank you for the work he has done with Ana and Ruth in his Monday acting class. To my friend Fossie Graham who is flying in from back east for a second time to assist me - honey you are a jewel ! Billy Shapiro, your generous offer of assistance and advice was taken to heart and is so appreciated! It's a much better play because of you! Iris Keltz, your friendship, knowledge and support is invaluable-and finally, a big thank you hug to Micha Kurtz, my inspiration and touchstone! Micha, this is for you and all who stand together courageously against the walls of fascism!

Why Should We Care?

With disasters mounting around the globe - the Gulf oil spill, 98,000 troops headed to Afghanistan, a rumoured imminent US/Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facility and on and on, why should we care about the ongoing conflict between the Jews and Palestinian Arabs in the Holy Land? It is my firm belief that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is fed and nurtured by an ongoing political agenda that has its roots in the Great Game of the 19th Century and is essentially a tactic of diversion from a far more sinister, Global colonial agenda that threatens the freedom of all humanity. Please support our efforts by donating via paypal right here on our blog - no amount is too little! And if you live in or around Taos, don't miss our return to the TCA on July 10th at 8pm. 10% of our proceeds go to Grassroots Jerusalem - see Micha in the video above and visit their site via our links.

The Land Sponsorship Details

Those who saw The Land workshop production at the TCA last December, will not be seeing the same play this time around. I have spent these past six months, revising and rewriting this piece. It is now a complete work; a fully developed Three Act play that will hold up, I believe, as a dramatic piece, regardless of the topic it covers. We are currently selling sponsorships for our program and are also accepting them via paypal, online. Ad rates are $50.00 (business card size) $100 (includes 2 tickets) $250 (4 tickets) $500 (8 tickets) All sponsors will be acknowledged in our program and any donations above $100.00 include 2 tickets to our upcoming performance on July 10th at the TCA. Please be generous! This is a large cast (12) who need to be compensated for their hard work, and we'd like to give as much as possible to Grassroots Jerusalem, who are doing crucial work on the ground in Jerusalem, as well as Visa Paz Taos, both of whom will receive 10% each of our profits. We'll also be doing a dinner ticket promotion with the Love Apple for the night of the event. Stay tuned for details here!

Logos/pdf files should be in to us by July 1st. Ditto funds!

Use our paypal button on the top of this page or
Make checks payable to
Lynne Robinson/The Land
P.O. Box 3451
Taos N.M. 97571

Please email files to Krystina Siebenaler
kikishakti@gmail.com

Rehearsals

The rehearsals are so inspiring! The cast I've assembled for this production is really strong, so directing The Land, this time around, I'm giving the actors quite a bit of freedom to collaborate with me to give these characters new life. We've been rehearsing the play scene by scene these past couple of weeks, but next week, we'll begin doing run throughs. The process is exhilarating, exhausting, frustrating and rewarding. Just like painting, at a certain point one just has to stop. When is the painting finished? We've turned the play upside down and inside out -it bears little resemblance to its first incarnation last December; it's fleshed out, developed, cast members rearranged and characters re-envisioned and reworked. Obviously the subject matter couldn't be more timely, but more importantly, I feel it now holds its own as a theatrical piece: A human drama played out against the backdrop of War. It might take place in Palestine/Israel, but the story is universal and applies to us all. Please donate via our paypal account and help us bring The Land to a theatre near you. All our sponsors will be acknowledged in our program and any donation above $100, receives two tickets to our upcoming performance at the TCA here in Taos on July 10th. We give 10% of all proceeds to Grassroots Jerusalem and will gift 10% of the TCA show to Vista Paz Taos. The Land gives 10% locally wherever we stage the play.

Dedication

It's been a crazy couple of weeks here since Dennis Hopper passed on May 29th. As a family member of my oldest, closest friends here in Taos, Dennis was someone my children and I saw on Christmas Eve in a very un-Hollywood context, on and off for many years. Last year, as I watered the garden outside Human Line Studio on Bent Street, where I worked at the time, Dennis was attending the Summer Of Love opening at the Parks Gallery next door. When he saw me, he came over and asked if he could hang out for a bit and smoke his cigar, away from the fray. He left for a minute, to find his son, Henry and the three of us spent about fifteen minutes chatting about nothing much until we were joined by his brother David, his late wife, Mary and the photographer, Lisa Law. The subject turned to the old Mabel Dodge House days and his predilection for guns. "A myth!There were no guns!" Deadpanned Dennis."Not what I've heard!" I retorted.His bright blue eyes twinkled, "I've got a gun story!" He chuckled.He became quite animated as he described the night he'd come down into the Plaza after a long poker game which involved a lot of alcohol and a few tabs of LSD. The old tree in the middle of the Plaza, at the time, had appeared monstrous under the combined influence of drugs and booze, and Dennis' response had been to simply shoot it. Shots fired, he returned his gun to his pocket to find himself handcuffed and marched off to jail. The ending to his story does not jive with that of the family member who bailed him out, but rather involved the wife of a famous country singer who drove him to Las Vegas. Perhaps that did in fact happen later, but the true facts are far less romantic and far more disturbing. The Taos cops beat the living crap outa him. As he was telling his tale, others began to make their way over to the wall where we sat, and I watched Dennis shut down. Looking at his watch he realised he was late for his second Hopper At The Harwood appearance and said goodbye. As he was leaving, I told him a mutual friend was playing in Albuquerque the next week. He brightened as he asked the date. That was the last time I saw Dennis. I hear he did go to see the gig in Albuquerque the following weekend and that he had a little time with our friend. I've spent these past two weeks with members of his family and close friends. He has been very much around. In the aftermath of his moving and very private funeral, a few of us have gathered here and there sharing memories, tears and lots of laughs, as we celebrate this extraordinary man, who touched the lives of so many. As I rehearse The Land in the evenings, I'm calling on his generous spirit to guide and inspire me - this upcoming performance is dedicated to his memory. A brave and brilliant artist, Dennis knew that in order to make great art, one cannot be afraid to step over the edge; He continually and courageously revisited places he had already healed, in order to make authentic, powerful work. As a family member and a friend, he was kind, generous and loyal. He made amends to those he had hurt and was a wonderful, loving father to his children. He is missed but his bright light shines on.

A Sad Day For Humanity

The Israeli Attack on the Peace Activists/Gaza Convoy was an act of aggression that exposes the Zionist Regime's moral decadence. I have spent this Memorial Weekend supporting family and friends here in Taos, who have lost one near and dear. Death is a comfort to one who has suffered terminal illness, and to their loved ones who have witnessed the long and brave struggle, but when death is inflicted on the innocent through violent execution and terror, no one wins. I have shed many tears these past two days; for the one who passed over from suffering into peace, and for those souls disembodied by this ongoing cycle of violence, seemingly without end. Please help us take The Land on the road this Fall, and donate via our paypal button. 10% of our proceeds goes to Grassroots Jerusalem, a coalition of young Israeli and Palestinian activists who need our help to ensure their voices and actions are heard above the cacophony of war machinery.

The Feast Of Weeks

Shavuot completes the counting of the omer, or the seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot. The Feast Of Weeks, called Pentecost by the Greeks, celebrates the giving of the Torah, by Moses at Sinai. As we remember the awesome ethical and moral code for living in society, Moses was inspired to gift to his followers, let's not forget that the Mystics tell us, that Seven Noahide Laws were given to all of humanity at that time. As we Jews celebrate our Teacher of Blessed Memory, let's recall the most important commandment of all. Love Thy Neighbor. Please help us get the Truth out about the terrible injustice in The Land! Donate to our production! 10% to Grassroots Jerusalem - visit them on the web via our links!

Casting

I cast two roles tonight. Tamara the Israeli mother will be played by Ruth Fahrbach and Lisa Lastra will play one of the radical Jewish Settler women and one of the women in the Gaza scene. Anpo Cash has vacated those role due to time constraints, but we are hoping and praying we can keep her on as Hagar! Tomorrow I audition a couple of actors for two other roles I'm re-casting. I find that the casting is of major importance, especially in a play like this one. I'm thinking out of the box here too. My intention is to have an ensemble cast that is not only professional and polished, but also a group of like minded souls working for the same cause. And having fun! Because theatre is also about play and making magic, even when the subject matter is as serious as that of The Land. Keep checking back here for new updates and donate if you can! 10% of all funds we raise goes to Grassroots Jerusalem.

The Land In Production

Well things are starting to move - tonight I'll be at the rehearsal studio w/Ana Chavez who plays Amirah in The Land. A few women are coming in to read for the part of Tamara. I'm also recasting two other female roles and one, perhaps two of our soldiers. I have decided to direct the play myself this time around. I'll have the extremely talented Arron Shiver coming in to consult, but trust my vision and my core cast members, who are so present and committed, I implicitly trust their input as well. Also, a little improv, in my opinion, keeps things alive! I'm bashing all stereo-types to bits in my casting - look for some big surprises on stage. I'll let you all know how it goes, right here on the blog. Keep reading and please donate! Those who have come over from Kickstarter - thank you so very much. To those of you still undecided, please consider transferring the funds you pledged there to our paypal account, here. We are still raising money for another show in Santa Fe, one in Albuquerque and one in Boulder, in the Fall. We then have our sights set on NYC! Please help us take The Land on the Road! Peace&Love

A Big Thank You

And a virtual hug to those of you who are rechanneling the Kickstarter funds, here via paypal.
Allegra Huston mentioned in a message to me last week, that she thought it would be a bit like "herding cats", which got a good laugh and perhaps a few more grey hairs as well! Truth is, we are counting on those funds as part of the money raised to produce The Land at the TCA this July 10th! If you have not yet done so, please hit the donate button to the right of this post! Every little bit counts! And again, thank you so much - you all know who you are - to the awesome backers who are staying with us for the long haul!
Namaste

The Land Rehearsals

The newly revised play goes into rehearsal next week. I'm recasting a couple of roles and am very excited about this new production. Last time around, I allowed myself to be swayed by the opinions of others regarding both the script and the direction. This time, I'm confident in both my writing and vision and have decided to keep the production - sets, costumes - super simple so nothing distracts from the message I'm attempting to get across. A lot of time, energy and money was frittered away last year - which will not happen this time. I'll also be directing this production with a little consulting help from Arron Shiver. Many of the former cast are still involved and their commitment is heartwarming. There will be a few surprises - I'm continuing to think out of the box and avoid stereotypes as far as casting these actors is concerned. I am also getting ready for an emotional ride - one thing I know from experience, is that the intense subject matter we deal with in The Land, carries over into real time. Hopefully we can harness that energy and use it to give the very best performance possible! Please donate any little bit you can - we are still continuing to raise funds for misc. expenses and a few more shows in the Fall!

A Thought About Fund Raising

Kickstarter didn't work out for us - but somehow, we managed to make quite a chunk of our goal independently. I found I had more success one on one with people - people were more willing to help out after talking to me about the play. Others came forward after seeing or hearing about the workshop productions last December. Still others told me they'd rather donate privately than on a public, internet site - something I quite understand.The extraordinary generosity of a few friends has humbled me. Because of them, we now have enough to cover the costs of our July performance. We'll continue to raise the last 25% of the funding needed to take this play out of Taos and ultimately to NYC - always our main focus! The money we charge at the door will pay the cast and crew and 10% of everything we raise, goes to Grassroots Jerusalem, our eyes and ears on the ground.

Kickstarter Funding Cancelled

I've cancelled funding on Kickstarter - all pledges will be returned and hopefully re-channeled here via paypal! We are already seeing donations thanks to a few early birds! I'll be posting here often now that we are ready to go back into rehearsals with the revised script. Most of the original cast will remain with a few new additions. Thanks again for all the interest and support -and please donate to help us make our goal!

75% Funded

We are well on our way - The Land in its revised form will be back on the TCA stage for one performance Saturday, July 10th! We are still raising the funding needed to cover misc. expenses and a couple of out-of-town shows. Please donate! $10.00 bucks might mean two less cups of coffee this week, but it would mean you've helped to get a critical message out into the world via the potent medium of theatre!

The Land Is Raising Funds Here

Unsuccessful on Kickstarter, The Land has raised enough funding via generous donors, to go into rehearsal at the end of May for one performance at the TCA in Taos on July 10th!

We are still raising money for misc. expenses and a second show in Santa Fe. There is a paypal button on the top right hand side of this blog. We are asking everyone we know to donate 10.00 or 20.00 dollars - more if you can - in order to take this play on the road this Fall! Please be generous - your names will all be included in our program - and 10% of all money raised by ticket sales will go to Grassroots Jerusalem. Thanks to all who have stood by us in solidarity.

One Love

Tax Time

Looking at The Land page on Kickstarter today I noticed we have a few sneaky pledgers putting in more money! This is great news - good to know there are people with a conscience who understand we are all connected - what happens in the Middle East affects us all - nothing is too far away not to care about! I am so grateful to all of you standing with me and encouraging me to continue with fund raising. If our goal is not met, I'll still try to find a way to finance this play, but I'm hoping once taxes are done, more people will come forward with $10.00, $20.00 each. If you've not yet taken a look at the blog or trailer on Kickstarter, please do! And thanks again to those of you who have been so steadfast and generous!

The Land Mentioned! March/April Horsefly

The Land on Kickstarter has a final deadline! Time is short! In one month, $7000.00 needs to be raised in order for me to get the funding needed to bring this play back to life. I've revised it so that it will play much stronger than in its workshop mode, and will require less in the way of props and have smoother transitions scene to scene. I am feeling very excited about the future of this project. There are things happening behind the scenes that are promising. Meanwhile, I've taken on a writing job this Summer, on top of the regular gigs I have, that will also require a bit of attention. The Kinky Friedman documentary will begin filming again this Fall. So I am thankfully busy. However, The Land is my baby - the project closest to my heart, and I am determined to get it out there and seen by as many people as possible. In Steve Long's great Horsefly piece this month (The Case For Democracy In Israel) he notes that "In light of the recent controversy around Lynne Robinson's play, The Land, it is wonderful to see them (The Taos Jewish Center) reaching out to the community to join the conversation." If in the three months since the play was staged at the TCA and seen by less than 1% of Taos' population, we have been able to accomplish so much, imagine the impact this play could have in larger cities all over the world! Please help me get it there! Log onto Kickstarter and give as much or as little as you can afford! You will be part of a bright new movement for real, sustainable peace!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

Kickstarting The Land

We really need to move this thing now - it's sitting below a thousand dollars and I wonder why people are not copping to the timeliness of this piece? I'm startled that more (Jews especially) people have not come forward at this time. I see others generating enormous support for light entertainment - but The Land is seemingly untouchable. Why? Is the subject matter, the graphic violence (a fact of life on a daily basis in the Occupied Territories) the anguish of women attempting to lead normal lives in the midst of such insanity - is it just too much for the average, sheltered American ? We must become responsible for our collective actions if we are to grow and evolve as human beings. In order to heal ancient wounds, we must first look at them and acknowledge the scars we all bear! In writing this play, I dug deeply into my own collective and personal pain, in order to give authenticity to the characters I had created. Now as I revise The Land, I discover more dark corners, even I was afraid to explore the first time around. This play is my prayer for peace and reconciliation between a people long separated by conquest and time. There are those who believe the solution to the violence in the region, is a "divorce" between Israel and Palestine. I believe rather, in a "marriage", and this is what The Land is about! Please log onto Kickstarter and pledge! Every bit helps! If 350 people put in $10.00 a piece over the next month, The Land will be funded and back on its feet! Let's do it!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

Passover Wishes

As we Jews get ready to celebrate the ancient Festival of Passover, which commemorates the first successful Democratic uprising against tyranny, let the Spirit of this Universal Message of Freedom spread to all corners of the earth where people still are enslaved by injustice, slavery, crimes against humanity and the tyranny of War. May all be free, may all know peace and may Jerusalem be a free city, embracing ALL her citizens!

Very Special Thanks

We want to say a very special thank you to David Nichols and Arron Shiver. Arron came in a few times to coach our actors, a few of whom also attended his Monday night acting classes. Arron gave us some really good, important feedback and helped us in many ways. David, an Oscar winning set designer, read the play and agreed to come to the theatre during Tech, to lend us his amazing eye. Thank you so much, both of you.

The Ladies Of The Land

It's Women's Month on The Land so I've moved Micha to the bottom of the page (for the time being - we love you Micha!) and Ana and Anpo are at the top. Ana Chavez played the Palestinian Amirah, and is a singer, an actress, and a New Mexican traditional healer. Find out more about her in the link below. Anpo Cash is an Apache-Blackfoot mother, wife and actress who played three roles in the workshop production, including Hagar! Gen's been moved here from Kickstarter and soon we'll have a gallery of videos! The trailer is up at Kickstarter now! Enjoy!

http://taosrocks.com/

Kickstarter

We need to get to $1000.00 this weekend - $240.00 needed to get there! Spread the word, talk to everyone you know and let's keep this moving!

The Land Stirs More Controversy In Taos

The Land is the subject of the Editors Message in Hakol (the Taos Jewish Center's newsletter) this month! It's posted here - please go to page 2. Never mind that I upset them so much, they couldn't even get my name right - this is great news! As my late mother was fond of saying, "it's when they stop talking about you, that you need to worry!" To Karl's credit, he did attempt to calm down the controversy stirred by the TJC founder, Carmi Plaut in his Taos News Op-Ed, attacking the play, last January, by assuring them (TJC) that in fact, my intentions were and ARE to bring about peaceful resolution to the conflict through understanding and compassion for both sides. No matter, this old fear-ridden paradigm is dead. It's time for new ideas to bring light to this ancient conflict.

Or here and download Hakol
Page 2
http://www.taosjewishcenter.org/

What If?

What if the Palestinians are really descendants of the remnant who remained in The Land after the Roman Conquest? What if the Zionist movement was co-opted by a broader, Euro-American agenda that intended to get as many Jews into one small area as possible? What if the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and Israeli Jews is a set-up to divide, conquer, weaken, numb and blind people to the truth? What if the Arab world (who care nothing for the Palestinian 'problem') is not innocent in these matters? The Land takes on all of this and more! Please help me raise the money I need to get this play back on its feet and seen by as many people as possible! Together we can change the paradigm AND the picture on the ground!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

The Land Trailer

I've brought Krystina Siebenaler into the mix - she's directing the editing process with Peter Walker. Making a video trailer of a play shot with video, is no easy feat, but now that Kiki is at the helm, I've no doubt we'll get something that will generate a little interest. It's going to take awhile longer, so please bear with us and be patient! Krystina is an award winning, short film maker and my partner on another project that has been in the works for a few years -a documentary about Kinky Friedman - Finding Kinky, see our trailer here.
http://findingkinky.blogspot.com/

Women's Month On The Land At Kickstarter

Tonight there is finally video up on the Kickstarter site! I was beginning to feel like the boy who cried wolf! My youngest daughter, the very talented Genevieve Oswald (she was married one week after we staged the play) was I felt, the appropriate person to introduce you to The Land. The Land is after all about women taking the reigns of power and turning the tide from war to peace. Who better than my daughter to speak for me, the writer of this play about two mothers? This month is International Women's month and over the next few weeks, you'll meet a few of the extraordinary women who helped me bring this play to life! Genevieve is an actor, yoga practitioner and teacher (she co-owns Shree Yoga studio here in Taos) and more importantly, a good human being. I'm very proud of her and was honored to have her in the cast. Genevieve brought depth and breadth to the roles of Catherine and the Shekinah. She was also my sounding board and my trusted advisor throughout the entire process - beginning with the writing of the first drafts, right up until we got it on the boards! I'm so grateful to her.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

Next week Ana Chavez who played Amirah, will be speaking about The Land with Anpo Cash who took on the roles of Hagar, a Zionist settler radical and a Gazan woman under siege!

Creative Activism

We live in extraordinary times - we can communicate with people across the globe at the speed of light, we have access to information like never before and never before have we, as a human race been in a position to take the reins of our Destiny in hand and shift the tide toward global peace and harmony. Artists have always been way-showers; cartographers of worlds yet to be traversed. Now more than ever before, artists have the unique opportunity to co-create with creation, a new and brighter future for all of our children. Because essentially art breeds compassion in that it shows us who we are and who we are becoming. I consider myself a creative activist. I'm a poet, painter and writer who believes I was given these gifts to serve a greater good. Money has never been my objective - I could care less about the next best new thing! But I care a great deal about those who live in perpetual suffering. That's why I wrote The Land and that's why I am here asking you to assist me in bringing attention to the ancient wounds at the core of this conflict so that we can begin to move forward with compassion, understanding and love. Because the fear, trauma and terror on both sides is too real to ignore and too embedded to approach without these attributes. Video will be up starting later today!

Log on to Kickstarter and pledge - $10.00 from you will enable me to spread awareness and change the picture on the ground!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

Video Delay

There's been a delay with the video due to a technical glich. Peter Walker assures me we'll have it by the weekend. Can't push the river...

What Makes The Land So Special

I believe my play is especially relevant because it doesn't take sides, shows the conflict from both points of view, doesn't shy away from graphic depictions of the very real violence (perpetrated on both sides,) but most importantly, it seeks common ground and finds it in the traumatic wounding both these people have endured. It is also a love story between a Muslim man and Christian woman and a story of friendship between two women - Israeli and Palestinian - that grows in spite of deep and mutual, mistrust. After our second performance at the TCA, David Behrstock had gathered the cast on the stage for final notes. At one point I looked around and saw Khalil Khweis and Micha Kurz - both born and raised in Jerusalem - Khalil's family are from the Mount Of Olives, Micha from West Jerusalem - but two very different Jerusalems. The show was over, the actors were emotionally and physically exhausted and there they sat, two homeboys, arms around one another's shoulders, talking and laughing as if they had known one another forever and nothing had ever come between the bond they shared. I thought to myself in that moment, if it can happen here, in Taos, it can happen in Jerusalem! Please log onto Kickstarter and join me in making it happen, by pledging as much as you can!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

In Solidarity

On Saturday evening over three thousand Palestinian and Israeli activists joined together to protest house evictions, demolitions and the building of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. The American press paid little attention, but this is a very positive development. Micha Kurz co-founder of Grassroots Jerusalem is on the ground in Jerusalem and he tells me that the IDF are not discriminating between Israelis and Palestinians with their use of tear gas and rubber bullets. This is precisely how change began in South Africa. A few thousand protesting at Cape Town University (I was there) became millions demanding freedom in a very short time span. My personal experience coming of age during South Africa's apartheid years and consequently years of exile, gives me a unique point of view regarding the situation in Israel. My play, The Land is a reflection of the growing grassroots movement in Israel/Palestine and supports the coming together of all the people of the region, against on-going colonialism and political agendas that have prevented a peaceful solution. The Land reveals the hidden roots of the conflict and supports the people on both sides of the divide who seek Peace for themselves and their children. In solidarity, The Land donates 10% to Grassroots Jerusalem.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

Political Theatre

Having never written a play does not mean I am a stranger to the theatre. I am not. I had the privilege of being around great theatre in South Africa - observing close hand Athol Fugard's process, from conception, through development and to completion. I was lucky enough to be there when he wrote and directed the first production of Boesman and Lena, at The Space in Cape Town. I've always had friends in the theatre and my mother was a trained actress who never acted professionally. I am told she was quite gifted. My daughter, Genevieve appears to carry the gene. She had a major role in the workshop production of The Land, and she'll make an appearance on Kickstarter, next week. I was also fortunate enough to be sent to a private, Anglican school where Drama was a mandatory subject. That classical education at an early age, ingrained in me a great love of words and the magic they can conjure. I loved Drama and had some talent for it, but my rebellious spirit rejected further formal education at sixteen when the road of life became my teacher. Along the way I've been blessed by a few great mentors, my own late, father being one of them. Brilliant and evolved human beings, these men and women saw me and nurtured my mind and spiritual awareness. I am indebted to them for the knowledge I was given. This play was born from years of immersion in a Poetic tradition that follows a classical theme. Years of reading classic literature, poetry and the Greeks, paid off as I crafted this story for the stage. The Land has a classical theme but it is completely modern and falls into the genre of Political Theatre, although I don't see it as being political at all!

Retracing My Steps

If you haven't noticed, I've been working on the text on Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land Videos are being shot this weekend, with a few of the cast members from the original workshop production of The Land. The short trailer for the play is also in the editing process for a March 10th release right here, on the blog and on You Tube. I have also been working on revisions on the play itself. Seeing it on its feet, has enabled me to work on a few rough edges, awkward transitions and verbiage. It also helped me to see what worked and in doing so, gave me the confidence I lacked, going in the first time. After all I had no theatre experience and writing a play was a bit of a stretch for someone who has only completed one novel which sits collecting dust, and considers poetry her path - a much shorter writing form, unless one is creating epics. While writing The Land last year at this time, I fell in love with play writing! I came to it naturally and easily. It was as if the play waited for me to write it. And in the best parts - the parts I've left intact, it shows. I'm treading carefully as I cut things out and move scenes around, staying true to that place of love that inspired and continues to inspire me. I don't think this will be the only play I write, but it may well be the most important. Retracing my steps and doing these revisions has been an interesting process. I hate doing revisions, so I find all kinds of distractions to keep me from the job, but once I get to it, I can't tear myself from the page. Nights bleed into days. Last night I was up going through pages until the wee hours. Tonight I'm going to read through the pile and make corrections. Tomorrow I'll type. That's probably why I procrastinate. If I wrote on the computer it would certainly save me time, but would it still have soul? Something about the pen to paper... Off to work now, but wanted to keep everyone updated. Oh, I'm thinking of having a private showing of the video of the entire play, on the blog for all the Kickstarter backers as an extra reward!

Voices From The Ground

http://www.en.justjlm.org/

Laying Low

The Land is keeping a low profile for the time being. Video is being cut and I am waiting for the pitch clips by various cast members, plus trailer before I begin this fundraising in earnest. Hang in there with us for just a little bit longer!

The World We All Live In

The world we live in has become a global village - thanks to the web, we can all see how interconnected we are. What happens in the Middle East can no longer be ignored as something too far away to affect us - the time of hiding heads in the sand has passed.It is clear that the agenda in the ME, is a Global agenda that we cannot afford to support, knowing our individual freedom is at stake. Politics and power breed corruption and can no longer be counted on to bring change. Change will come from the people at the Grassroots level, once they understand that they, indeed have the power. It is my firm conviction, that women will be in the forefront of these coming Global shifts in awareness. Women, mothers especially do not want to keep burying their children as a result of another futile war. I am asking all my friends, especially my women friends, to help me raise the funds I need, to have this play seen by as many people possible! Please log onto Kickstarter.com and pledge as much (or as little) as you can!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

A Tale Of Three Cities

One of the issues that The Land takes on is the frightening and dangerous Fundamentalist element that dwells at the root of the crisis: Religion. Not spirituality. That is another matter, but Religion in all it's different attire can become problematic when people start taking allegorical stories, literally. Fortunately, more people are waking up. Unfortunately modern Crusaders, Saracens and Ottoman hoards are still hammering at the gates of Jerusalem. In Israel right now, with the aid of Christian Fundamentalists, world wide, the radical Settler Element has taken over. Together, these bible thumping zealots, are rousing up their followers with the millennial pattern of end of world scenarios, and preparing them for the imminent arrival of a Jesus-like saviour. Islam, the third aspect of the Western Trinity, is portrayed as the Devil in the way of the Redemption. On the other side,Extremist Islamic doctrine (not all of Islam) embraces both of its elders but neatly qualifies their place in God's scheme of things and insists that Mohamed was the Last Prophet, who is also due for a second coming, under the guise of The Thirteenth Imam. The major problem of course, is the site of the Judeo/Christian timeline, happens in the place where the Al-Aksa mosque stands. The alleged location of Abraham's aborted sacrifice of Isaac and the location of the First and Second Temple Compounds of the Ancient Kingdom of Judah. As if that were not enough, it is rumoured (some point to another mosque in the area) to be the spot from which Mohamed ascended to the Heavens on his winged steed. The chaos that is ensuing over archaeological digging and land grabbing , combined with the collective expectation of Divine intervention is not surprising. In revising my working script, I've continued to portray all this, in the most real, shocking and immediate way possible. I've also tried to do it with humour and tenderness. This subject provided me with great and inspiring fodder for a classic, dramatic tragedy, while also enabling me to bring a little attention to a very worthy and important cause. Please help us help Grassroots Jerusalem.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1152809.html

Iris Keltz in The Electronic Intifada

Iris Keltz has a piece about Shuhada Street here !http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11096.shtml

Please share the link. Iris is brilliant and has a personal history with the Palestinian Territories. She also courageously came to my defense in a letter to The Taos News, during the aftermath of the The Land's workshop production in Taos.

Shuhada Street

Hebron's Shuhada Street is the scene of ongoing demonstrations by Israeli and Palestinian activists protesting the destruction of a once vital market place, and demanding it be reopened! One of the scenes in The Land is based on Micha Kurz' experience there as an IDF soldier during the Second Intifada. Breaking The Silence was born out of that. Above, Micha on the ground earlier this week. Help us help him and Grassroots Jerusalem! Please log onto Kickstarter and pledge!http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/402359860/the-land

The New York Times

Sunday's edition had a great article that proves we are on the right track! The Land addresses one of the most important issues of our day !

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/theater/21webcritics.html

3% Funded On Kickstarter!

We are slowly gathering momentum on Kickstarter.com. Thanks to all who have come forward and pledged, we are now 3% funded. Considering we launched less than a week ago, this is good news! Please keep the site bookmarked and check back in the next week for video footage from the TCA performances! And log on to Kickstarter.com and pledge!

The Land Trailer

We'll have some video up in the next couple of weeks, edited and shot by Peter Walker. Keep checking back for updates. The Land is on the move!

Bank Holiday/President's Day

It's a crapshoot, but I'm rolling the dice!

Propaganda on both sides of the divide - disenfranchised Palestinians, traumatised by the Nakba and Israeli might - fear-ridden Jews haunted by centuries of persecution - colliding in time/space - each, a perfect reflection of the other. One people divided by Political Agendas - the only way out is Peace, Love and Understanding. It's too late for the blame game. Accusation creates more accusation, feeding the cycle of violence. Neither are blameless but who are we to judge? We can only help if we come from a place of compassion and forgiveness. This is the message of The Land. It brings to light the fears that have driven each side of this hopeless war. Please help us spread the word. Log on to Kickstarter, and pledge!

Happy Valentine's Day

We launched our Kickstarter project tonight http://kck.st/aUC6j6 and got our first backer less than two hours after lift-off! Please take a look and give what you can! The minimum is $10.00.

Another backer this morning! Please log on to Kickstarter.com and pledge to our very important project!

The Process

Taking on the Israeli/Palestinian catastrophe (which is also the English translation of Nakba) is no small feat. I began writing this play in the year 2000, with Dorit Rivlin-Rak, who had come to me with a concept and asked for help fleshing it out. Dorit envisioned it as a performance piece with two women, in their kitchens going about their daily rounds; making the same food, doing laundry, reading the paper -essentially doing the things women do everyday. Tasks that are part of the natural order of things in a woman's world. At one point Dorit (also an amazing actor) had an Iranian actor friend fly in from L.A. to play the Palestinian role. The rehearsals were intense. The Muslim and the Jew moving past all commonality (Islam and Judaism are so similar, after all) to find the rage, the fear and the grief created by tragic, historical misunderstanding. I was moved but also shaken by what came out of those workshops. Ultimately, Dorit wanted to direct the piece, so she brought in Cynthia Straus ( to play the Israeli,) whom I met at that time. For some reason, Dorit and I set the project aside. She soon returned to Israel and it remained in a file buried under others for a decade. When Operation Cast Lead devastated the Gaza Strip in 2008/9, I dug out the notebooks and began a draft, keeping Dorit's concept and the monologues we had written together, at the core of the play. I laughed and cried as I wrote - certain parts rolled off my pen as I tapped deep into my subconscious; my buried and ingrained Jewishness. The long and tragic history written in my DNA. I had long believed the Palestinians were the remnant who had stayed in the land after Rome enslaved so many of us; selling us into an endless and heartbreaking Exile. Much longer than the Babylonian Diaspora which lasted less than a century. Living in New Mexico most of my adult life has also brought me in close contact with Crypto-Jewry, the descendants of Sephardi conversos. I approached the character of the Palistinian woman (whom I named Amirah) from this point of view. I drew on my historical knowledge of the territory the Greeks and Romans called Palestina, after the Philistines who occupied Gaza in Biblical times. I thought about the invaders who came later; the Crusaders and Islamic armies of the Prophet. I considered their influence; both the brutal imposition of their creeds, but also the good that they brought. My Palestinian characters were born from this place. This consideration. One day, after I'd completed the third draft, I ran into Cynthia Straus. I asked her to read it, in hopes I could have her play Tamara, a role written with her in mind, because of her history with the project. We spent a couple of months working before bringing in Ana Chavez a New Mexican with roots in Spain. I felt that she could identify with Amirah totally. I was determined to cast the play with actors who came from diverse racial backgrounds; specifically from people who had known genocide, exile and both collective and /or personal suffering. The actors in the cast of The Land are Native American, Hispanic, Anglo, Palestinian, Israeli, Chinese and American Jews. The role of Ahmed took longest to cast-no one wanted to play him. He was too hot to touch. Finally Christopher Heron appeared. Christopher comes from a theatrical family background and is a fabulously gifted actor. He also spent time in Morocco and was familiar with Islamic culture. Khalil Khweis who plays his father, was comfortable with him right away. A good sign. Khalil's niece, Majdolene Khweis (her parents, Ziad and Heyam were my Palestinian consultants while writing) was early on, picked to play Leila, Amirah's daughter. The actor who was to play Daniel, dropped out at the last minute, so Gus Chinlund (originally one of the IDF soldiers) replaced him. Two days later Gus' mother passed away. It was as if the intensity of the piece was but a microcosm of the macrocosm of the collective human drama. Gus brought his grieving into the part and gave Daniel depth and weight. There was a bittersweet irony to these circumstances. Cynthia (who as Tamara is mother to Daniel) and Gus (both with Chicago/NY) backgrounds have been close friends since they were teenagers. She was able, both as friend and actor, to ground and anchor the sensitive situation. My daughter Genevieve was cast as Catherine, an American, Christian journalist who falls in love with Ahmed. She also plays the role of the Shekinah, the feminine aspect of G-d In Exile. Mother and daughter working together on the most mundane level can be a challenge, but asking your daughter, the actor , to go to the deepest parts of herself can become a war in itself. I called in Arron Shiver whom I had tried to coax into playing Ahmed prior to Christopher's arrival, to work with Cynthia and Genevieve, coaching them and helping develop their characters. I also brought in David Behrstock to co-direct (I'd never directed a play) and to play the role Gus had vacated. Alan Tafoya had long been committed to the role of the fierce, Druze soldier, Anpo Cash and Krystyna Siebenaler were cast as Chorus members who also play the roles of Sarah and Hagar in a scene with the Shekinah. As we rehearsed, the emotional fallout from the play began to manifest in personal dramas. Our band of cast and crew grew to resemble the Israeli/Palestine crisis in miniature. There is no way to take on this issue day in, day out without it affecting one's entire life. Even as we all understood what was happening, the process was not without moments of total insanity - escalating tempers and outbursts were not uncommon toward the end of our rehearsal period. But the show must go on. And it did because the passion and commitment of this cast was unquestionable and I could not have done this without them. I think when we go back to rehearse a few revisions, it'll be a lot smoother, but one can't expect to inhabit these characters and their worlds, without taking on a few of their traits which are rooted in centuries of conflict. I know, because as I wrote them, I went through every single emotion that they bear.

Horsefly Article

A piece I wrote (which was badly edited by the paper) about Goldstone's report, Breaking The Silence and The Land. Hopefully, crappy edit aside, you can still catch my drift...

http://www.taosdaily.com/index.php?fuseaction=home.viewarticle&article_id=3307

Taos News Archives

A link to the Taos News archives and Tempo article - on top, scroll down from 'main' to Tempo , date Dec 10, 09. If you bring up the following three weeks (after December 10th, ) and go to Parallax and letters (in Tempo section) you can read all the responses this controversial and provocative play has generated in our very liberal and sophisticated little town...

http://taosnews.nm.ussrv17.newsmemory.com/index.php

Caveat

Reading over my last post, I thought I should clarify a thing or two. Firstly, the gallery job I was laid off from - or did I quit? Hard to tell in hindsight, but I believe it was a bit of both. My heart was no longer in it. Five days a week doing routine work, is tough for any creative soul, let alone one who is working five nights on top of the days. At a certain point, once the candle has burned down on both ends, one makes a choice. I chose The Land. I'm very grateful for that job however, as it provided me with the means to jumpstart this project. Secondly, lest I sounded on the brink of doom, let me assure you this is not the case. I was immediately hired by a former employer part time (two days) and I freelance for a few publications so money is trickling in, keeping me alive with a roof over my head for the time being! More importantly, I have time for grant writing, fund raising and working on revisions. Hoping the video footage gets cut this week and I can launch my Kickstarter project next. Do not fear, you'll be the first to know! We are counting on you all to dig deep into your pockets and fork up a big $10.00 bill at the very least!

A Wing And A Prayer

Because my vision was so strong and the urgency of the situation in the Holy Land, so apparent, I was determined to waste no time getting this play on its feet so that I could revise and refine it, in order to take it on the road. No one was willing to produce a play by a first-time playwright, let alone one with such controversial subject matter. So with $500.00 dollars raised from selling program ads, and money from my hourly wage at a gallery (a job I was laid off from the day after our second performance) I booked two nights at the TCA here in Taos and began rehearsing the actors and working around the clock to promote the project. KTAO radio advanced me ad time for spots cut by my talented son, Joshua Cunningham ( http://www.concentratedefforts.com/live/) and Southside Printing allowed me to pay half for printing programs, agreeing to be paid the balance after the show. The sets and costumes were put together by Christopher Heron, the play's Art Director Stacey Huddleston (http://www.humanlinestudio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:stacey-huddleston-neo-southwestern-woman-artist&catid=36:about-stacey-huddleston&Itemid=74) who provided us with furniture and odds and ends from her home, and Becky at Pieces, a local consignment shop. Ivan G'Vera lent his muscle and his eye (schlepping heavy objects and video taping.) I had storyboarded the entire play, so the set and wardrobe design was basically paint by numbers. My daughter Genevieve co-owns a yoga studio (Shree Yoga) and I still owe her for the rehearsal time. All but one of the actors and crew - Lyn-Li Pugh (Props) Fossie Graham (Stage Manager and provider of combat gear) donated their time and talent - Fossie even paid for her flight to get here, ran into a snow bank on her way up from the airport and still managed to do her job like a pro! What a trooper! The two performances covered most of the costs of the theatre time, food, beverages and miscellaneous stuff (for the play) and the light tech (the fabulous Juniper Purinton) and if it were not for an anonymous patron, I would still be freaking out over the balance due to radio and printing. After all was said and done,I was out around $2500.00 of my own money. This is why I am now applying for grants and launching this project on Kickstarter, just as soon as we get some video edited and up. I need to raise $10,000.00 in the next three months, in order to keep the momentum going, to pay for rehearsal time (past and present) and pay Maryanne for the fantastic Shekinah costume, Heyam for the delicious food she made for our wrap party, Stacey for postcards she designed, Christopher and Sean Ratliff for work already done and more to come! I would also like to be able to pay the rest of our wonderful cast and start booking more dates in the region before taking this play East, to NYC! On top of all that, I want to donate three months rent to Grassroots Jerusalem for a Peace House in Jerusalem. Oh, did I mention that I'd also like to pay myself back and thus avoid eviction? I and the entire cast and crew of The Land, hope that you will help!

The Cast

The cast of actors who came together for the play were as eclectic as the people of The Land! Ana Chavez (http://www.taosrocks.com/) a Latina New Mexican with roots in Moorish/Jewish Spain played Amirah, the Palestinian mother of Ahmed (a challenging role, played by the gifted Christopher Heron.) Cynthia Straus (who is Jewish) http://www.cynthiastraus.com/ played Tamara, the conflicted Israeli mother of Daniel, played by Gus Chinlund (who has Chinese and Jewish heritage.) My talented daughter, Genevieve Robinson-Oswald, who is a Jewish Viking (her father is of Nordic descent), played the American (Christian ) journalist Catherine, as well as the intense role of the Shekinah. Khalil Khweis (born and raised on The Mount Of Olives) and his niece, Majdolene Khweis played (not a huge stretch) Palestinians whose lives have been torn asunder by the well meaning but disastrous turn of events, caused by the Balfour Declaration and Zionist zealots. Alan Tafoya http://www.alantafoya.com/ played an Israeli Druze soldier and David Behrstock (himself, of Jewish heritage) owner of The Taos Plaza Theatre and co-director of The Land, took on the role of an Israeli soldier. Anpo Cash (Apache/Blackfoot) and Krystina Siebenaler played radical Jewish settlers and Hamas supporters. They also played the roles of Hagar and Sarah in a scene with the Shekinah. They were part of the three women chorus (with Majdolene Khweis) symbolising the Paleolithic Triple Goddess. A recurring theme in the play which calls to the Eternal Feminine Principal to bring healing to these ancient wounds.

Link To Taos News Interview

http://www.taosnews.com/articles/2009/12/18/news/doc4b216fdbaba4d200361187.prt

Interview from the Taos News December 10 '09, with Lynne Robinson, author of The Land

The Land

In early 2009, after Israel launched Operation Cast Lead, I dug out some notes buried in a drawer for a decade, of I play I had started to write with Dorit Rivlin-Rak, an Israeli Peace Activist, who was living here at the time of the Second Intifada -2000. Dorit had a concept and together we began to flesh it out until, for some reason, we set it aside and it collected dust until last year. I finished the first draft in March of 09 and in July, having the third draft in hand, I began working with Cynthia Straus (who would play the role of Tamara) to develop it further. I also spent many hours talking to my friends, the Khweis family here in Taos, who are Palestinian ex-pats, in order to be certain that I was being fair to both sides, in my quest to find common ground and healing after decades of catastrophe. Angels began appearing, lending their wings to the project. Micha Kurz co-founder of Breaking The Silence and Grassroots Jerusalem, who coached our soldiers and appeared onstage both nights, translating Khalil's exquisite poem of reconciliation, from Arabic into Hebrew. We are donating 10% of The Land proceeds to Grassroots Jerusalem forever! Bob Dylan's office gave the okay to use Highway 61 Revisited in the opening scene, Tsvi Misinai and his amazing project TheEngagement, materialised as if to say YES this is the truth! And this is the time! In December after a month of rehearsal with an eleven member cast, I produced and co-directed (with David Behrstock) a workshop production of the play at the TCA in Taos. I'll use this blog to post updates - we'll be launching a fund raising marathon on Kickstarter in the very near future - meanwhile check out our links and look for us here, there and everywhere!