The Trojan Women Project - Parts I, II, III

I. Behind Their Eyes - Lincoln - May 2003 II. The Afghan Women - Oct. 2003 III. Behind Their Eyes - Chicago - Jan. 2004

The Angels Theatre Company originally set out to adapt a Greek story, The Trojan Women, a play about women and war. We hoped to update it, so the action would take place in modern times and reflect the women of Afghanistan. About the same time we found out about Emmy and Peabody award winning playwright, William Mastrosimone’s script, The Afghan Women, which we ended up producing in October 2003. We began to meet the Afghan people in our own small city and ask them questions about their experiences. As an ensemble of actors, we decided to investigate the stories we kept hearing from those Afghan men and women. We heard stories of treks over mountain passes, teaching in secret, fingers severed in market places, violent deaths of children and family, and disappeared relatives. We saw videos that included murders of men and women in football stadiums. We listened to the news in a new way. We started looking at the similarities and differences between the Afghan and American cultures. We met people right here in our American Midwest, who were working diligently to help friends and families living in Afghanistan to rebuild their ravaged country. One of our mentors is in Kabul now working on the new constitution. We are so honored to have this circle of friends. Behind Their Eyes is our small attempt to educate beyond the media. Our way of sharing the passion of the Afghan people who were willing to trust us with their stories of suffering, loss, survival and tenacity. These stories are not adventure stories; although, most have escapes that Hollywood would envy. These stories are about day-to-day hope, survival, trust, spirituality and learning encountered by the people of Afghanistan today as they work to release their families and communities from the strangle hold of the Taliban. The learning is on the most basic level—people to people, student to teacher, woman to woman, friend to friend. Behind Their Eyes is our way of nurturing the friendships that grew out of a theatrical question and have grown into a human lesson. The question remains for all of us - How do we share and understand the experiences of others in a world where it's so easy to turn away? How do we have our voices heard through the cacophony of media? Do our individual voices matter?