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“Enemies” Opens at Central Works

Patricia MiltonBlog, News & Stuff

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We’re in the final throes of rehearsal for Enemies: Foreign and Domestic at Central Works in Berkeley, CA. So much gratitude for the amazing creative team, including Director Gary Graves, and our outstanding cast and crew. I can’t wait for opening!  Here’s my program note:

“The philosopher John Stuart Mill, arguing in 1869 against The Subjection of Women, wrote that the practice of household violence creates the blueprint for a violent foreign policy. In ENEMIES: Foreign and Domestic, we get a glimpse into secret wars practiced at home and abroad.

In the course of my research, I learned that the US has established military presence in 49 of the 54 African states. US Special Ops, including secret assassinations and mercenary training, are carried out worldwide without public knowledge. Having lived in the US during the time of secret wars in Cambodia and El Salvador, among others, I worry about a repetitious cycle of war that accomplishes little, kills and injures many, and produces unintended consequences.

Hold on, though: This is, at heart, a family play. It’s also about fear of “the other” and about the failure to communicate, understand, and connect across seemingly insurmountable barriers. Yet, hope arises. Connection is possible when we examine our part, take responsibility, and let go of the past. With enough self-knowledge, we might even break the cycle.

Mary Karr wrote, ‘A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person.’ With 7.3 billion of us hanging out together on our little planet, that can make for a lot of dysfunction.”

Listen to an interview with director Gary Graves and me, excerpted from Open Air, on KALW Radio.