It's What We Do
History
IWWD was first produced in the 2015 Fringe Festival to sold out audiences and rave reviews. In response to strong interest from the progressive community in Washington DC and around the country, the play returned in the 2017 Capital Fringe Festival. Thank you for your support in helping to ensure our run in Capital Fringe 2017 was a great success!
Following the Fringe Festival run, the 2017 cast reunited to record a video production that was released in January 2018. The video production enables audiences around the world to watch the production as part of an educational program on the Israeli occupation of Palestine, with local panel discussions.
The 2017 theatrical and video productions are enhanced based on playwright and director Pamela Nice’s visit to Palestine and Israel in the Fall of 2016. The perceptions of Palestinians living under occupation have been expanded based on her personal observations from meetings with Palestinians and Israelis.
Notes from the Playwright
“It’s What We Do” was born at a DC Busboys and Poets in the fall of 2013. Former IDF soldier Avner Gvaryahu, of the Israeli organization Breaking the Silence, was speaking about the organization and its new book on IDF soldiers’ testimonies, Our Harsh Logic. I was inspired by his courage in speaking out about the realities of the Israeli occupation. Being a theatre person, I immediately imagined a theatrical production that might bring these soldiers’ testimonies to a wider audience.
The play is drawn directly from the testimonies in the book: all the soldiers’ reflections are verbatim; the enacted stories are ones they tell. I’ve made three composite soldiers who represent varying responses to the harsh occupation policies they enforce: moral indignation, power highs, inner conflict. In a debriefing, they are interviewed by The Voice in the audience, who encourages them to confront what they have done. As they recount their stories, they face their roles as perpetrators of injustice against Palestinian civilians.
We in the audience are challenged just as they are: what are we doing with our awareness of this injustice?
2015 IWWD Production
This production was presented as a part of the 2015 Capital Fringe Festival, a program
of the Washington, DC non-profit Capital Fringe.
Cast
Soldier 1: Sarah ---------------------Olivia Haller
Soldier 2: Avram -------------------- Tariq Triano
Soldier 3: Ilan ------------- Keanu Ross-Cabrera
The Voice -------------------- Dior Ashley Brown
Chorus of Civilians -----------------Jamal Najjab
---------------------------------------Moses Bernal
-------------------------------------Sofia Pellegrino
----------------------------------------Xavier Goytia
--------------------------Izabella and Jaelyn Cruz
Production Staff
Director/Playwright ---------------- Pamela Nice
Stage Manager --------------- Mavonte Johnson
Marketing and PR Consultant -- Seth Morrison
Production Consultant -------------- Omri Malul
