9 Parts of Desire

Last Thursday I went to opening night of 9 Parts of Desire at the York Arena Theater. It is a play by Heather Raffo, which she performed as a one-woman show. In Western's production, six women took on the nine varying characters, which include a doctor, intellectual, expatriate, and a young American woman, to name a few. The York Arena Theater is a black box theater, and the actors performed in the middle of the room surrounded by the audience. I love black box theaters, and thought it was the perfect choice for such an intimate play.

All of the actors in the play did a spectacular job of truly embodying the women they were portraying, and their heart-felt portrayals made it seem like you were a part of the characters' stories. One of the best parts of the event actually occurred after the play, when they held a talk-back with the actors and director. One audience member brought up that he was very impressed with the women's accents, and they revealed that they had worked with the family that owns Tiffany's Liquor on their authenticity. The family was actually in the audience, and it was touching to see them speak with the women about the relationship they had developed. The family had emigrated to the US 40 years ago. They said that the play was more than they could have imagined, and they saw themselves and their friends from Iraq in the characters. (I'm sorry I don't have their names in here, I am sure they are in the program, but I don't currently have it with me!)

Attached is a interview with Heather Raffo, with clips of her performing in 9 Parts of Desire: