Collateral Damage

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Cheap theatrix @Metro Arts Presents

‘Collateral Damage’

A theatrical response to a painting by Matt Sesow

‘Ten of Phoenin's finest playwrights wit in response to the

emotionally charged war painting, Collateral Damage, (a living hel) ,

by Washington D.C. painter Matt Sesow. In addlion, Matt Sesow's

‘work wll bein exhibit the theatre gallary before and during all of performances

The Playwrights The Directors Gordon Giles Brenda Edwards Dan R. Hitt Frank Gonzalez Judith Eisenberg Raymond shurtz Jeffrey Holden Chuck Hinckley FemandoTeson Laird Palmer Gerry King Karie Rae Pesserillo Linda King Tne actors Michael McGregor Nick Newberry Danielle Addison Cale Richarson ‘Susan Simpson Lafave Sue Baker ‘Tracee Rohde Renee Simms Selina Cupell Cur Stetter Raymond Shurtz, Maggie Donnelly Femando Teson Tom Wooler Jessica Forrister

April 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th Where: Metro Arts Institute 1700 N. 7th Ave. (Just North of McDowell)

Time: April 1st - 6:30pm for opening exhibit of Matt Sesow’s paintings

8:00pm - theatrical performance of ‘Collateral Damage’. All other dates — 7:00pm exhibit

8:00pm theatrical performance of ‘Collateral Damage’ Tickets: $10 for adults $8 for students Reservations: (602) 258-4798 or cheaptheatrix@earthlink.net

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Art of war

Playwrights explore politics through painting, acting

PLAY.

‘Collateral

Damage’ Where: Metro Arts Institdte, 1700 N. ‘Seventh Ave., Phoenix When: Opens Friday, runs 8 p.m. ‘Thursday- ‘Saturday through Apri 16 How much: $10, ‘$8 for students Pa

By CHRIS PAGE Get Out e

¢ interrupt the regularly

scheduled coverage of the

Michael Jackson trial to bring you the following reminder:

‘There's still a war going on.

Nearly two years after President Bush. declared major combat operations over in Iraq, Valley playwright and director ‘Raymond Shurtz is contributing a wartime wake-up call with “Collateral Damage,” a theater production staging 10 plays, each 10 minutes long, written in response to a painting by Washington, D.C., artist Matt Sesow, exploring the ancillary effects of war.

“We've started to let our guard down a bit,” Shurtz says. “I want to keep the dialogue going.”

For the show, Shurtz, penned “American Eagle,” a piece of magical realism in which a mother prepares an eagle for family dinner.

Brenda Edwards’ “Wifedom” interweaves stories of wives from Iraq and Middle America with military spouses.

‘And Tom Wooler contributed a piece that finds television family the Cleavers (Leave It to Beaver") debating the war in Iraq,

“Ldidn't want it to be an antiwar

‘See WAR, Page 39 >

Photo Cris Page Selina Cupell plays a dog hovering over an tragi corpse (played hy Femando Teson) in rehearsals for a short play by Renee Simms, 2s part of “Collateral Damage.”

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WAR

> Continued from Page 38

show,” Shurtz says, “but I'm sure it has Its artistic protest.”

Shurtz— who co-founded Playwrights Workshop Theatre and, besides teaching drama at Metro Arts charter school, runs his own Cheap ‘Theatrix company — has a history of creating conceptual collective theater Pieces like this one, In 2002, he enlarged an artwork by French painter Balthus and invited five playwrights to write around it

This time, he scoured historical war Paintings before stumbling onto a Web site of Sesow’s war-themed paintings, “As soon as I saw them,” Shurtz says, “T immediately responded.”

Sesow, 38, 1s a former software ‘engineer for IBM who has established himself as a self-taught painter, He's known both for a childhood accident ‘with a landing airplane that resulted in the amputation of an arm and for Colorful, powerful abstract paintings that channel the artist’ inner demons and anger.

‘Sesow says he created “Collateral Damage (Living Helly" to shine a light on the grief and pain of war,

“The idea,” he says, "was a family caught in some bombing campaign.”

Coflins are lined up in a corner, and severed arms holding scimitars —a nod to Baghdad's “Hands of Victory” arches —lloat above. The artist's emotions, he says, are on full display in his exploration of death and suffering.

“Iwas traveling back from a solo show in Atlanta, and some guy stopped me and asked if was in the military, fT had just gotten back from Iraq, because Tm missing an arm and my hair Is cut short,” he says. “As a soclety, we have a {ot of feeling for those who are suffering,

—TheArs

Twant to give a tribute to the troops,"

‘The painter says he spent a week working on the large-format “Collateral Damage,” and that the 8-by-9-foot painting filed the floor of his cramped studio apartment. Sesow says he ‘accepted the alrhast pro bono Commission (Shurtz paid the cost of materials and for Sesow’s flight to come ‘0 opening night of the show; the piece will go on sale for $2,000 after the show Closes) because he's impressed by the artistic boldness of Shurtz and the Participating playwrights,

“The historical significance of taking a chance on something like this during a Nar is pretty ballsy,” Sesow says, “Sometimes we like to wait to see how Uuings shake out before we form our opinions on them.”

Shurtz expects audiences anticipating an evening of screaming, “Embedded"-style agitprop will be surprised by the varied tone of the plays resented in “Collateral Damage."

One poignant piece comes from Metro Arts humanities teacher Renee Simms, 38, who juxtaposes a news conference asking Americans to stop donating food {o military bomb-snifing dogs with a ‘Scene in which an Iraqi family dog, loose in the city after her home was desiroyed, contemplates eating a human corpse,

Other plays explore wartime Journalists, soldiers assigned to identify bodies and, in Chuck Hinckley’s “Chili Cheese Fries,” a soldier dealing with his frst kill — his interpreter and guide,

‘Shurtz says bringing the show together has sparked lively debate among cast members, and he hopes discussion continues with audiences. A self-described pacifist, Shurtz says the show has helped him further formulate hhis own opinions.

“Usually, when I don't know,” he says, “Tll do theater to find out.”