The Theatre of Genocide

Four Plays about Mass Murder in Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, and Armenia

Edited and with an introduction by Robert Skloot

Publication Year: 2008

In this pioneering volume, Robert Skloot brings together four plays—three of which are published here for the first time—that fearlessly explore the face of modern genocide. The scripts deal with the destruction of four targeted populations: Armenians in Lorne Shirinian’s Exile in the Cradle, Cambodians in Catherine Filloux’s Silence of God, Bosnian Muslims in Kitty Felde’s A Patch of Earth, and Rwandan Tutsis in Erik Ehn’s Maria Kizito. Taken together, these four plays erase the boundaries of theatrical realism to present stories that probe the actions of the perpetrators and the suffering of their victims. A major artistic contribution to the study of the history and effects of genocide, this collection carries on the important journey toward understanding the terror and trauma to which the modern world has so often been witness.

Published by: University of Wisconsin Press

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pp. v-

Introduction: “The Light of Dead Stars”

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pp. 3-28

When Raphael Lemkin coined the word “genocide” in 1944, he provided a name for the kind of human savagery with which he had personal experience. Born in Poland at the turn of the twentieth century, he escaped the Nazi invasion and occupation of his country, fleeing to the...

Exile in the Cradle

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pp. 29-73

There have been two productions of Exile in the Cradle, both of which had the same director (Seta Keshishian), producer (Jolanta Izmirliyan), cast and crew (see below). It first played at the Sir John A. Macdonald Theatre in Toronto on April 23, 2006, and played again at the Fairview...

Silence of God

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pp. 74-125

Silence of God had its world premiere at Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in 2002 (commissioned by CATF). It was directed by Jean Randich. Set design was by Markas Henry, lighting by Paul Whitaker, costume design by Daniel...

A Patch of Earth

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pp. 126-177

The play is performed without accents. There is no definable set for this play, since most of the events take place in the mind and memory of Dra¢en Erdemoviμ. Shifts in setting are created with lights and sound...

Maria Kizito

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pp. 178-220

This play meditates on the recent trial and conviction of two Rwandan nuns charged with genocide. They were accused and found guilty of encouraging and facilitating the murder of seven thousand refugees seeking shelter at their convent during Rwanda’s genocide...

Other Plays about Genocide in English

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pp. 221-

Contributors

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pp. 222-226

E-ISBN-13: 9780299224738
Print-ISBN-13: 9780299224745

Publication Year: 2008