We Swim, We Talk, We Go to War, by Mona Mansour
Projection design (2018)
Directed by Evren Odcikin, Golden Thread Productions, Potrero Stage, San Francisco, CA
While trying to navigate the currents of the Pacific, an Arab-American woman and her nephew, who has enlisted in the military, dive into the murky waters of family, identity, and politics. Adventurous and playful, We Swim takes the form of a literal conversation on stage, and expands into a nuanced dialogue about what it means to be American, Arab, and Arab-American at our current moment in time. Read More.
The production ran from November 17–December 16, 2018.
Creative Team: Hala Baki (assistant director), Cassie Barnes (lighting designer), Kate Boyd (scenic designer), Sara Huddleston (sound designer), Mona Kasra (projection designer), Michelle Mulholland (costume designer), Carla Pantoja (fight choreographer), Slater Penney (movement specialist), Karen Runk (stage manager), Benjamin Shiu (assistant stage manager), Chris Swartzel (technical director), Grisel Torres (production manager). Cast: Tre'Vonne Bell, Joshua Chessin-Yudin, Adam El-Sharkawi, Sarah Nina Hayon.
"HIGHEST RATING! Each time the play, directed by Evren Odcikin, steps out of and then back inside a frame it’s established, it feels like the only possible move the show could make." —San Francisco Chronicle
“Working on a bare-bones unit set designed by Kate Boyd and enhanced by Mona Kasra’s projections, Odcikin has done an impressive job of shaping the conversations.” —George Heymont, My Cultural Landscape
“A poetic visual approach… Feels refreshing from the get-go.” —Jim Gladstone, Bay Area Reporter
“We Swim has an off-handed beauty… Its pleasures are engaging in ways that political theatre rarely is.” —John Wilkins, The Free Audience
Production Photos by David Allen Studio.
Photos by Mona Kasra
