We saw His “Replika” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1976, and himself, and excerpts from his work on Dante, at La Mama that year. When we visited years later Warshaw, we made it as an important part of that visit to see his Teatr Studio, in that Stalinist Wedding-Cake of a building in the “Palace of Culture.”

Also, reading his obituary, we understand a little better his background. He was born in Rzeszow, a place we visited to see the ruins of what was once a tremendous Rabbinic Court. Though not Jewish, Szaina, with a name that might have shown Jewish influence, knew because of his youth experiences about the terrible loss, not only to Jewry, but to Poland itself. After the war he studied theater in Krakow - the main city of what was once Western Galizzia. A place full of memories from what was once a flourishing Jewish culture center. Though Nazis destroyed the Synagogues and killed the people, they did not touch the tomb of the Remuh - Rabbi Moshe Iserless - that survived thus, and is still to be seen with the 400 year old tree that sprouted from under the tombstone. Even the Catholics in town regard the place as holly - so no-one, not even the Nazis, dared to destroy that part of the cemetery that was the center of the Jewish part of town.

Five Catholic Priests, Professors at the Jagelonian University, established a Hebraic studies department in this city that had no Jews left. It was for the locals to study Hebrew in order to try to revive some of the past glory. When I visited there for a three week stay with a group of students from NYU, one of the professors gave me a new book that was a compilation of the archives of the old Krakow headquarter of the local Bnei Brith organization. I delivered the material to the Washington DC headquarters. It is these Professors that helped create a row of Jewish style restaurant in that Kazimiresz part of town - on the Street where there are the remains of the Remuh. The local Poles played there Jewish Klezmer music. I was one evening astonished seeing Elie Wiesel “Kibitzing” a game of chess in one of these restaurants - the one called Ariel.

The theater revival had also to do with an attempt at revival of the Jewish culture. Krakow has thus what was seen as a strong innovative streak of theater. Very dark in its content but quite lively and spirited in the way it is staged. It was this sort of theater, some based in Krakow and some in Warshaw, that brought into existence the modern theater of the seventies. Grotowski, Kantor, Sjaina were very different pillars of this phenomenon.

The obituary also mentions the town of Nowa Hutta, and Sjaina’s Teatr Ludowy. We were there, and what was even more interesting, at a festival in Krakow, I remember a performing visit from that place. Another theater was Crikot.

So, please read the obituary, and be inspired that from all that darkness sprouted unbelievable art. This was the pain that had to find an outlet - and if you like it or not - that was real theater and real self sacrificing performance.
People like Ellen Stewart and Richard Schechner can still testify to the spirit of these people that were active in the 60s and 70s, and left their influence on the modern stage. As it is extremely well described in the obituary - theater is not about words but about acting. Szaina knew to bring out that pain with nearly no words altogether - and he communicated that pain directly to our hearts. Surely, later on others wrote and staged pieces with more wording, but the Grotowsky method has become part of theater education. In our review of the “Persians” at Sienna college in Albany, New York, I was aware that Dr. Mahmood Karimi Hakak, an Iranian, had studied with Richard Schechner, and thus introduced some of the elements of stage design that originated with this sort of theater.

Further, as the UN deals now with the question of what is Genocide, and we just had an event at the UN on the topic on June 26th, with the UnderSecretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka making the opening introduction, it should indeed be considered as educational imperative the viewing of the filmed performance of Szajna’s Replika, as he suggested himself.

We were invited by Dawoud the  “Renegade Sufi” musician to the gallery/alcohol-free club “Chappel of Sacred Mirrors,” but as I came late, I missed not only his performance but also presentations by a team that was connected to the “Biosphere” experiment in Arizona. Nevertheless, the evening was not a loss at all - (a) I had a chance to see the terrific work by the place’s founder Alex Grey, and even more, having chatted with him for a while I found that not only is he steeped in yoga and what I define as matters of the soul, but to my real surprise in matters of sustainability for the future - that what we call Sustainable Development. He plans to build his new venture, to be opened in 2009, according to the guidliness of the best available technology of concervation techniques and sustainable energy systems. With the influence he has in certain circles, it is clear that his place has potential to become a showcase for sustainability as well. We hope to be able to update you on the progress of the new endeavour.

The place is in effect a very interesting gallery on its own. When there is an event held in the place it becomes interesting on many other levels as well.

Without us trying to present in depth the art, we will nevertheless publicize some of the upcoming events, so those of our readers that reside in metropolitan New York can take advantage of thie information. Would like to mention
that I met last night folks that came to town from places as far as Montreal (last night it was yoga affectionados), with a visit to the gallery on their must-do list.

Know Hope – Tel Aviv, Israel

21-year-old Know Hope was born in California and currently resides in Tel Aviv, Israel. Wise beyond his years, the young artist has been working in the streets since his teens, as well as participating in exhibitions in Israel and the US. “I can’t exactly say what kind of social conscience I have, but I do like to think that I react to my surroundings, from some point of observing and suggesting recollections and some sort of subtle commentary on what I pick up,” he says. “From these observations, I try to figure out the most basic and even simplistic components and aspects that compose our reality and the forms of communication/miscommunication that are happening all around us at any given time.”

Know Hope is inspired by “the awkward struggle of everyday life as a common denominator and as something that happens in real time. The idea that everything is temporary, both physically and metaphorically. Electricity poles and their power lines, and the personification of those elements. Everyday urban surroundings.” Through his work, he hopes “to move heavy hearts at least one inch to the side by confessing that I’m petrified and secretly in love with the world.”

An interview with Asbestos is featured in ALARM Magazine Issue #31, on newsstands now. For a preview of the article online, visit ALARM Magazine Asbestos Interview and for TAKE A DEEP BREATH exhibition event announcements.

Visit www.imeem.com for official coverage of TAKE A DEEP BREATH, exclusive photos, videos, featured artist playlists, including original music by The Dark, and preview of new artworks.

Tune in to Culture Shock Radio www.cultureshocknyc.com and listen to an exclusive interview with Asbestos, airing Monday, June 23, 2008. The inaugural series, The Art and Music Connection, focuses on the intrinsic connections between art and music. Listen to Asbestos’ soundtrack of the city streets, discover how he first encountered graffiti, what music influences his art, and more, only on Culture Shock Radio.

ABOUT CARMICHAEL GALLERY

Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art exhibits international, emerging artists, with an emphasis on underground, pop, outsider, lowbrow, street art and graffiti inspired work. After moving to Los Angeles in September 2006, husband and wife duo Seth and Elisa Carmichael began to curate shows in various locations around the city, frequently converting raw retail spaces, high-end luxury lofts, and other non-traditional spaces into alternative galleries.

In August 2007, the co-curators secured a permanent space on La Brea Avenue in West Hollywood, CA, and opened Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art as an exhibition space for presenting emerging art from around the world.

Carmichael Gallery is located at 1257 N. La Brea Avenue, on the SW corner of La Brea and Fountain, West Hollywood, CA 90038.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and by appointment.

For more information, please visit our website www.carmichaelgallery.com, email:  art at carmichaelgallery.com, or call 323.969.0600.

Upcoming Exhibitions
Malicious Descent (July 12 - July 27, 2008)
Featuring Blinky, Daniel Fleres, Josh Taylor, Downtimer and Zoso

Move A Head (August 2 - Aug 24, 2008)
The Art of Amandalynn

You’ve Been Wasting Your Time (August 16 - September 14, 2008)
Featuring Flip, Hush and Other

Oddzoo (September 6 - Sept 28, 2008)

Download the official press release (PDF)

The Sixth Annual Explorers Club Film Festival - Celebrating the Spirit of Exploration

June 13-14, 2008

46 East 70th Street, New York City, NY 120021

SCREENING SCHEDULE

For reservations, please call 212-628-8383 or email  reservations at explorers.org.

(See below for ticket pricing.)

FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 13

OPENING NIGHT (tickets $40)

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Registration

7:00 pm - 7:30 pm Introduction and discussion with Norman Dyhrenfurth HON’62

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Screening of THE CONQUEST OF EVEREST

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm Reception

THE CONQUEST OF EVEREST (90 minutes) - The classic 1953 feature documentary of the British expedition to Mt. Everest, led by Sir John Hunt, which culminated in Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay’s historic summit. The film details how the peak was discovered and named, and outlines the previous attempts to reach its summit, beginning in 1922. It takes viewers into the complex planning before the victorious climb, and then accompanies the mountaineers and their Sherpa guides on the actual expedition. Both The New York Times and Time magazine named it one of the ten best films of the year and it received a “Best Documentary” Academy Award nomination as well as a British Academy Award. Directed by George Lowe.

The film will be introduced by Norman Dyhrenfurth, Honorary Explorers Club Fellow, who led the first successful American team to Mt. Everest, having spent three years on the organization and fundraising of this privately-mounted venture. Mr. Dyhrenfurth is coming from his home in Austria as the festival’s honored guest.

SATURDAY, JUNE 14

MORNING SESSION (tickets $20)

9:00 am - 9:30 am Registration

9:30 am - 12:30 pm Program

RETURN TO PENGUIN CITY (Best Science Exploration Film - 48 minutes) - A fascinating, wonderfully told documentary about the Adelie penguins of Antarctica, with the science that was missing from “March of the Penguins.” Researchers Viola Toniolo and Grant Ballard discover that rapid climate changes may not only affect the penguins ability to survive, but it could also have major repercussions well beyond this distant corner of the world. Produced and directed by Lloyd Fales, who will introduce the film.

DOG GONE ADDICTION (Best Adventure Film - 67 minutes) - Hang onto your dog team and join three women competing in the grueling Yukon Quest dog sled race. A young Canadian mother, a Polish adventurer and an Alaska dog sled veteran test their limits and the limits of their huskies through 1,000 miles of sub-zero Yukon and Alaska terrain. This spirited and uplifting account of what can be achieved when you face your fears reveals why the lesser-known Yukon Quest is considered by many to be the toughest dog sled race on earth. Produced and Directed by Becky Bristow, who will introduce the film.

ICE CHALLENGER (Best Film by an Explorers Club Member - 48 minutes) - The first crossing of the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia in a land-based vehicle. An Explorers Club Flag Expedition by British adventurer Steve Brooks in his Snowbird 6 vehicle, which must be capable of driving on the frozen ice, crossing the open sea, mounting and leaving huge frozen ice pans - all in -40 degree weather. Written and produced by Celia Carey Meyer. Directed by Sean Davison.

AFTERNOON SESSION (tickets $25)

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm Registration

1:30 pm - 5:30 pm Program

PRIZE OF THE POLE (Best Expedition Film - 78 minutes) - An unforgettable film about the darker angels of Robert Peary’s nature - the rarely examined story of his secret Eskimo wife and family and his highly controversial transport of young Eskimos to New York for anthropological study — all told through the odyssey of the renowned polar explorer’s Eskimo great-grandson, who travels to America in search of one lost boy’s fate. A riveting, heart-breaking tale eloquently told by filmmaker Staffan Julen.

STRANGE DAYS ON PLANET EARTH: DIRTY SECRETS (Best Environmental Film - 55 minutes) - The fifth episode of this renowned National Geographic series, produced by the Sea Studios Foundation. Beautifully written and photographed, “Dirty Secrets” propels the audience into a new set of compelling environmental mysteries and inspiring solutions, revealing the strange and often unpredictable consequences of the pollutants we pour into our waters. Produced and directed by Rob Whttlesey. Narrated by Edward Norton. Executive Producer Mark Shelley will introduce the film.

GREENPEACE: MAKING A STAND (Special Jury Award - 48 minutes) - With dramatic action footage, still photographs, lively interviews with unforgettable characters, evocative period and contemporary music, “Greenpeace: Making a Stand” explores what inspires people to risk their lives for their beliefs - to sail a ship into a nuclear test zone, to get between a pod of whales and an explosive harpoon, or to block bulldozers mowing down a forest. This compelling documentary looks at the 35-year evolution of Greenpeace, from the early days of the environmental movement in the 1970s to the front lines of a potentially dangerous campaign in Argentina. Produced and Directed by Leigh Badgley, who will introduce the film.

EVENING SESSION (tickets $30)

6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Registration

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Program

THE THIRD POLE (Best Exploration Film - 89 minutes) - The extraordinary and untold story of husband and wife mountaineers and filmmakers Hettie and Gunter Dyhrenfruth, who in the 1930s mounted private world-class international expeditions to the Himalaya that were milestones in the exploration of its unclimbed and virtually unknown 8,000-meter peaks. Swiss citizens, Hettie and her son, Norman, were in the U.S. in 1939 when war broke out in Europe. Norman went on to become a prominent American mountaineer and filmmaker, organizer of the first American expedition to summit Everest in 1963. Featuring Norman Dyhrenfurth, Reinhold Messner and Sir Christian Bonington. A film by Andreas Nickel and Juergen Czwienk. Norman Dyhrenfurth will introduce the film, along with Andreas Nickel.

POLYNESIA: THE WAYFINDERS (Best People and Culture Film - 47 minutes) - Part of Wade Davis’ brilliant series, Light at the Edge of the World, this film chronicles the Wayfinders of Polynesia, who inhabited the largest culturesphere in human history, spanning one-fifth of the surface of the planet. The navigators could pinpoint tiny islands in the vastness of the Pacific by reading the stars, the winds and the seas swells. However, this culture that once flourished over 25 million square kilometers of ocean has seen much of its history and tradition die out. To preserve Wayfinding, one Hawaiian learns this art form of navigation and designs a traditional Polynesian boat to sail across the islands. Written and Produced by Wade Davis and Andrew Gregg. Directed by Andrew Gregg. National Geographic photographer Chris Rainier will introduce the film.

For reservations, please call 212-628-8383 or email  reservations at explorers.org.

Tickets are priced as follows:

Saturday Morning Session - $20

Saturday Afternoon Session - $25

Saturday Evening Session - $30

All-Day Saturday Pass - $60 (includes all three sessions on Saturday)

All-Festival Pass - $95 (includes all four sessions on Friday and Saturday)

Notes from the Americas Society, the host to an extremely interesting one-night event at New York City Philharmonic’s Hall. That was last night, Friday June 6, 2008. But the event actually started already on Tuesday June 3, 2008, at the Park Avenue home of Americas Society.

We usually go to meetings of a political/economic nature relating what goes on in the Southern half of the Western hemisphere - sometimes there is also an event in Canada that gets looked at by the Americas. But this is not all.
The founders of the organization also understood that culture is an important ingredient of what makes up the politics, and if you are interested in the economics, you might as well get some idea of the culture and the people in whose backyard you intend to set up your operations. Oh yes - like most such institutions, Americas Society has backing in the corporate world. That is why we find it nevertheless justified to look at this extraordinary event that would not have happened in New York unless for the Americas Society.

On Tuesday we saw the Tambuco percussionists with no instruments at all - just their hands - palms, fingers - coaxing out in unison sounds from the top of a simple black table. That is something you can even do now in a music hall as it was done, we are sure, by basic humans eons ago when they developed the sense of music. We just forgot our basic human nature and believe that we must have an expensive Stradivarius or a Steinway and if we do not afford it we think we cannot make music. Do I hint here something about sustainability? I really do not know, but it seems that there always are young folks among us that deviate from the norms we set them and end up being the new composers that will be in due time the new classics - and please no giggling because I am indeed serious of what I write here. The Friday night performance was in ways similar to the two Metropolitan opera performances we reviewed this year - the Satyagraha and the First Emperor. Now Why do I say this?

The Program included in its second half material from a 1939 composition for a pre WWII Hollywood movie “La Noche de las Mayas.” The music evoked Mexican folk tunes that were a new thing for the audience of that time, but much more of common knowledge today. Even so, seeing the music treated by the enthusiastic orchestra led by a pony-tail wagging very enthusiastic young lady, provide also the visual effects of enchantment. As it was in effect a gala evening, the atmosphere was high and the pouring applause brought fore two encores.

The stars were obviously the collection of percussion instruments of the Tambuco-four and the way how they interact among themselves and the way Alondra made them blend with the large orchestra were achievements that deserve repeat performances.

The First Emperor has a gory story-line based on real life. It deals with Qin Shi Huang (Plácido Domingo), “Father of China” (also responsible for those terra cotta soldiers and the Great Wall) - who more then 2300 years ago united the seven warring states under his rule  - he seeks an inspiring, unifying, anthem for his forged empire. He does so amid affairs of dramatic love, betrayal, and death. Unfortunately the love occurs between his childhood friend, the composer Gao Janli (Paul Groves) Who is called “The Shadow” and his daughter, Princess Yueyang (Sarah Coburn) who is inconveniently promised to Qin’s master general, Wang, who conquered the other provinces and, in the process, killed the musicians mother and enslaved his people. The composer agrees to write the anthem after his hunger strike is broken by (the crippled) Princess Yueyang’s mouth-to-mouth feeding attempts. (Love at first regurgitation, it seems.) Princess Yueyang is so inspired by that love that she starts to walk again. The fact that his daughter’s behavior endangers his promise to his general, however, sours Emperor Qin’s joy over her rehabilitation, and the to-be-composed anthem – and in a chain of rambling events leads to the deaths of Yueyang, the general, and Gao Janli who bites his tongue off and spits it at the Emperor before being slain out of pity for his suffering. He gets his ultimate revenge by having made the anthem a “Slave Song” in which he mourns the fate of the conquered peoples of China.

The opera has two acts: Act One - “The Shadow”  and Act II Anthem. It is the brainchild of Tan Dun who is China’s entree to the western opera world. His previous productions include Marco Polo, Peony Pavilion, and Tea.

Much of the opera is made up with Chinese music, sung in English with a cast that half of the principles are genuine Chinese opera performers. Some singing is in Chinese nevertheless. Set designer Fan Yue provided us with very interesting stylized geometrical - linear scenery of intense  coloring at the end, and grays when one sees the men building the wall. There is a Shaman, a Yin-Yan master and to the western audience this provides a lot of visual interest. To the one third of the audience that was Asian, it seems this had special meaning of seeing “their” opera at the Met. But, in all honesty, I do not intend to make this into a review of the music, though I had very interesting discussion with a reviewer for a French musical web-site who was sitting next to me, but I will be rather happier looking at the mind behind this material.

The Libretto by Ha Jin and Tan Dun is based on historical records by Sima Qian (c. 145-85 BCE) and the screenplay “The Legend of the Bloody Zheng” by Lu Wei. (to the uninitiated - Zheng is the musical instrument that was used by the Shadow in the opera.)

Scene I of Act I starts with the Yin-Yan Master singing in Chinese:

More than two thousand years ago
wars ravaged China,
where seven states faced one another
striving for dominance.
Among them the king of Qin was the most powerful.
He wiped out the other six states,
walled the northern border
and unified the land under Heaven.
Thus, he became China’s first ruler -
the First Emperor.

The Chorus chips in later:

Who will be the next
for us to kill,
to burn,
to sacrifice …
so we can stop the barbarians
and build the imperial dream.

Wu ha
The people of Qin are crying.
How many lives must we sacrifice?
Ha wu

The General sings:

But our kingdom is strong
with the mighty wall,
millions of soldiers,
thousands of chariots.
in the art of war we have no rival.
Our army is feared
even to the edge of the sky.

The Emperor is wiser and sings:

Arms can kill the body
but cannot touch the soul,
and light can dispel shadows
but cannot shine without them.

But the Emperor has an obsession in his remembrance of a childhood friend Gao Jianli …
The Shadow hat haunts me wherever I go.
Ten years he and i lived together when
I was a hostage in the state of Zhao.
In a prison cell we, two small boys,
wore shackles and shared
a tattered quilt and a pile of straw.
The Shadow, in the darkness,
played his zheng, striking fiery notes
that set my dreams aflame.
His mother, that gentle soul,
breast-fed me like her own.
Even now I feel her warmth in my bones.

Before we were parted
he promised he would compose
a sublime anthem for me
when I ascend the throne.

The Emperor sends his general to conquer the kingdom of Yan, because that is where the Shadow lives seemingly.
Then I will have my Shadow compose the song, he sings.

When the General brings before the Emperor the captive musician, Gao Jianli tells the Emperor:

Emperor Qin,
your …
your army leveled my village and burned my home;
your horses trampled my mother to death.
How can I call you Brother?
I’d sooner cut off my tongue.

The Emperor’s answer:

Mother!…

She died like many others
and her life paved the way for eternal peace.
Without sacrifice,
how could we set the country in order?

Jianli’s retort:

Pei! (spits at the Emperor)

Your …
your pursuit of order has made you a monster
devouring lives and villages.
Your “peace” is just a pretext
for endless killing.

The Emperor:

No!
Jianli,
I killed only to unify the land,
for unity is the way to peace.
Younger Brother, I need your music
to unite our people,
to feed their hungry souls.

The Emperor gives all sort of decrees: Based on his view that scholars invent words and scripts, spread heresies and invoke ancient stories to mock our success - he decrees - Only our Qin Script is legal. “Seize all books - but those on farming, medicine, and augury. Burn them all!”

From here on, there is the love of the Princess for Jianli, the fury of the General for “What is life with ruined honor?” and eventually death of most of the principles.
The Shadow’s revenge is in the text and music of the anthem he leaves behind for the Emperor’s celebration - it is a slaves’ chorus:

O we are building the dream
to keep out the barbarians.
O we are bearing an eternal curse
that has confused gods and humans.

Lord of Heaven,
how long is this wall?
- Longer than a hundred wars!

Lord of Heaven,
when will our suffering end?
- When water is heavier than sand!

O my dream is a grave near home
where I can lie on a peaceful slope.
O wide and rich is our land
nourished by blood and endless hope.

Lord of Heaven,
how long is this wall?
- Longer than a hundred wars.

Lord of Heaven,
when will our suffering end?
- When water is heavier than sand.

Was it good or bad? The facts are that he founded the Qin dynasty that ruled 221 BCE - 206 BCE or a total of 15 years only. But, he left behind a legacy for a Chinese empire that lasted for 2,000 years. Among his accomplishments in those 15 years were the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall to keep out invaders from the North, the standardization of writing, weights and measures, and currency; a system of roads and fortifications. But he also burned all books from previous regimes.

Now, was this unique, or we can think also about other historic figures - the likes of Hitler, Stalin, and yes - Mao. Is today’s China ready to distance itself from the deeds of Qin or is it still ready to praise his achievements?
Is it possible to find other ways to unite a country by using the power of persuasion rather then the power of the sword? Is the US indeed far away from Qin’s methods?

Are we ready to compare the forces displayed this year on the Metropolitan Opera stage by a Gandhi and a Qin? Is it a coincidence that both these operas were shown during April - May 2008? This in light of other preoccupation by the media looking into various parts of the world where dictatorships justify themselves by pointing at the brutal achievements of attempts at unity? This is not your average set of feelings when you leave an opera performance - but on our website we contend that using your brain power can add to the enjoyment of an operatic experience. Power to the Met of 2008 - mind you - next year the Met will celebrate its 125th year. We look forward to see Doctor Atomic by John Adams. We know nothing about it, but the name is intriguing.

Saturday, May 17, 2008 on http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20…

Greenpeace faces complaint over alleged whale meat theft. {HAH!}

GIFU (Kyodo) Major trucking firm Seino Transportation Co. filed a theft complaint with police Friday against Greenpeace Japan, a day after the conservation group lodged a criminal complaint against 12 crew members of a Japanese whaling ship, alleging they stole whale meat from their contentious catch for the black market. Seino, based in Gifu Prefecture, said a cardboard box of cargo was taken by Greenpeace Japan from its branch office in the city of Aomori.

Seino said the package was one of four boxes sent from Tokyo to Hakodate in southern Hokkaido on April 15. { Was this meat intended as a delicacy for the G8?}

The boxes arrived at Seino’s Aomori office on the morning of April 16. But one of the boxes was missing in the afternoon when Seino was to load them onto a Hokkaido-bound truck, Seino said.

On Thursday, Greenpeace Japan said in Tokyo it had filed the theft complaint with prosecutors. It supplied a box intercepted as evidence. {good for them - BRAVO}

Seino said it has determined the box produced by Greenpeace Japan is the one stolen from its Aomori office. {DOES THE COURT IN JAPAN REQUIRE FURTHER EVIDENCE?}

Greenpeace Japan alleged the 12 crew members of the 8,044-ton Nisshin Maru stole a large amount of whale meat after returning home in April from a government-sponsored research whaling mission. !!!

Aeschylus wrote the original play eight years after having participated in the sea battle of 480 BC, in which 310 Greek Ships under Themistocles beat off the attacking 1200 Persian ships lead by King Xerxes, son of the late King Darius. Xerxes mother appears in the show, Darius’s ghost is acting up also. Aeschylus was on the winning side, so was large part of the audience that saw the play. The Play probes the losers ambitions, the idea of empire, and was probably intended to off-warn similar development in Aeschylus’ own Athens. He achieves his goals of forewarning Athens by presenting a remorseful Xerxes, and by showing his demotion in his openness post-factum, Aeschylus tells generations to come of how war is misery. Dr. Mahmood Karimi-Hakkak explains in the program that in his Siena version, he punctuates scenes with contemporary sounds and imagery, so that by relying on what we know, we can then understand the misery and horrors that Xerxes caused, and how he concludes about himself as “a sad hollow, born to bring home …/ sorrow, sorrow … my heart howling from its bony cage.” But then, on the other hand, to bring the drama even more home to us, when Xerxes finally vanishes under the weight of the shields of the dead, those shields’ backsides turn to us as mirrors - now think - you folks how things are right here in our times!

We see The Persian as a man whose life is devastated by his actions and the effect the fall of his people had to cause his fall, which then effected even further his surviving people. The Editor of this version, Michael Sham, reminds us that Herodotus, the historian, was keen at saying that the World, history itself, as embodied by the Gods, mitigate against imperial designs, an overreaching grasp, an arrogant spirit.

“Xerxes’ recognition that he has gone too far and has angered the gods does not necessarily imply a reclaimed nobility; there is too little time for that.” The cruel end of Xerxes’ monologue reminds us of Oedipus taking the brooches and plunging them into his eyes. That is the spirits lowest ebb. The entropy or time’s arrow, has no return or forgiveness. The Greek tragedy is unidirectional. The play was a warning to the Athenians and to us. We are reminded that we lost our ways in Vietnam, in Iraq, and in Darfur. So, what is our future relation to Iran? Whose posturing in this arena is now tending to reach to the brink?

Again, based on the production’s program - “The Siena production attempts to create a bridge that spans our leaders unquenchable thirst for power and history of their arrogance. It is staged in the tradition of Persian Ta’ziyeh, an annual ritual performed on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hussain, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, to help us remember how swiftly we forget the past and thus allow history to repeat itself. The method uses a theater in the round - with actors occupying the central space. In this form the actors at times break the dramatic illusion and speak directly to the audience.”

The Persians invade Greece - We Watch the Persian court:

Will they come home ? - Time Stretches Thin.
The Whole Fleet Went Down:  No War - Peace Now.

Never Again Silence.
Home Again.

Something Not Human Has Cut Our Forces Down.  The TV camera rolls in.  It was the Greek ship that opened the fight and every Persian ship went down.
Our men died of thirst and hunger.
He c