Hope ultimately
at heart of Theater 
Project production

BRUNSWICK — In the spring of 1975 in Lebanon, there was an attempt on the life of Pierre Gemayel, the leader of Lebanon’s Phalangist party. His followers, Maronite Christians and members of his party, thought Palestinians were responsible and attacked a bus full of Palestinians, killing the passengers. This signaled the beginning of Lebanon’s long civil war, which split the country along sectarian lines, essentially between Muslim and Christian militias. This is the setting of Wajdi Mouawad’s play, “Scorched,” which opens Sept. 25, at The Theater Project, 14 School St., Brunswick.

Tickets are pay-what-you-want, with $18 suggested. 

Directed by Al Miller, who lived and worked in Lebanon between 1960 and 1972, the play focuses on a family’s search for identity. The mother, Nawal Marwan, seeks her son who was taken from her at birth. Nawal’s daughter, Janine, raised in Montreal with her twin brother, Simon, seeks the roots of her mother’s story, after Nawal’s death.

“The play is not about Lebanon’s civil war,” Miller said. “Lebanon is not even mentioned, and I’m sure that is intentional. The playwright, who was born and raised in Lebanon until his secondary school years, when his family moved to Paris, has obviously set the play in the Middle East but is not telling a Middle Eastern story. What I find in the story is the Oedipus myth recycled into our time. The incidents in the play could happen anywhere there is civil or internecine war, which, unfortunately includes many parts of the third world.”

In the course of the play, Janine slowly learns her mother’s story and Nawal gets closer and closer to finding her son. These parallel searches lead to a revelation that requires further retribution or forgiveness. This conundrum is at the heart of the play, according to Miller.

His interest in the Middle East has continued during his decades with The Theater Project, leading him to return annually for the last few years to teach workshops and visit friends. “It is partly the setting of the story that drew me to “Scorched,” but, more than that, the issue the play raises in a contemporary setting. That issue is  —  how do we stop a cycle of retribution? This is a recurring concept we confront in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Rwanda … the list goes on,” Miller said.

Though “Scorched” deals with violence, it has love at its center. Miller finds the play hopeful, which he believes is essential. “If we’re left without hope, why go on?” he asked. “Theater can deal with wrenching human issues and give them a perspective difficult to imagine without artifice or metaphor. One of the roles of art is provide perspective. Another is to stimulate thought. We can use more of both,” Miller said.

“Scorched” features adult content, language and themes.

“Scorched” opens at The Theater Project on Friday, Sept. 25, and plays for three weekends, closing Oct. 11. Curtain is  8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. For tickets or FMI, go to www.theaterproject.com, contact 729-8584, or visit 14 School St.