The Arab Israeli Cookbook - (Aurora New Plays) by Robin Soans (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>Play based on verbatim accounts of life in Israel and the occupied territories which has been performed internationally. Using the metaphor of food and the sharing of meals, the play explores what the Arabs and Jews have in common and what divides them. Involves the cooking of food on stage. An accompanying colour cookery book gives the recipes, photos of the people interviewed and background to the project.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><i>The Arab-Israeli Cookbook</i> is a drama created from the everyday realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a research trip to the occupied territories and Israel by the writer Robin Soans and directors Rimi Brihi and Tim Roseman, they met and interviewed people drawn from the widest possible background of culture class and creed. The one unifying feature of these meetings was that the subjects were cooking their daily meals and discussing their daily lives. Involves cooking on stage. The play has received many productions and is used for the study of conflict resolution. A companion colour cookery book of the same name gives the recipes, photos of the people interviewed and background to the project.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"I pray for peace".</p><p>The final line of <em>The Arab-Israeli Cookbook</em> poignantly sums up playwright Robin Soans' attitude to the Intifada (or civil war) in Israel.</p><p><br></p><p>Following his trip, he has put together a collage created from the interviews and building to an impressively detailed overview of Israeli attitudes towards the end of 2003. The ensemble cast of eight actors play a couple of dozen parts between them ranging from the banal to the inspirational.</p><p>So many are sure to prove unforgettable, such as Yaakov (Keith Bartlett) a Jewish bus driver on Route 25 who watched a colleague's bus explode. It says much about life in Israel today that the interviewees between them talk of no fewer than six separate suicide bombings.</p><p>The dedication to the country on all sides is notable. Whether it is the loud American immigrant, Rena (Amanda Boxer), the Greek Orthodox Idan (Daniel Pirrie) or a group of camp Arabs surrounding Fattiyah (Abigail Thaw), the mother of a martyr and watching the death of her son on television, they love their country. The real problem is that the country that they all love, is perceived differently by almost every one living there.</p><p>The mixture of comedy, as typified by a camp, bickering gay couple, and terrifying drama sums up Israel today.</p><p>As a separate metaphor, Soans introduces cookery lessons for his audience. Despite the cooking and the occasional flippancies, this is a deeply serious work that gets to the heart of the experience of living in Israel today. It may sound easy to visit a country for three weeks, get some quotes and ask a superb ensemble of actors to deliver them. The art is in turning this into a play and maintaining political balance.</p><p>It is likely that Jews will regard <em>The Arab-Israeli Cookbook</em> as biased towards the Arabs, Arabs towards the Jews and Christians will feel left out. Surely, that is a microcosm of the country and as such is proof of the success of the playwright.</p><p><em>The Arab-Israeli Cookbook</em> sounds unusual and is. It seeps into the consciousness of the viewer and subtly makes them understand all sides of the argument. Like the meals that are cooked and described, it will leave its audience (give or take a few, not very well-served, vegetarians) satisfied. It might even make a contribution towards the peace that almost all Israelis pray for.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Reviewer: </strong> Philip Fisher British Theatre Guide</p><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>Robin Soans (born 20 June 1946) is an actor, and a playwright specialising in verbatim and documentary plays. These plays include Across the Divide (2007); A State Affair (2000) which looked at life on a Bradford estate, [1] produced by Out of Joint theatre company; The Arab Israeli Cookbook (Gate Theatre 2004); Talking to Terrorists (Out of Joint theatre company and Royal Court Theatre);[2] Life After Scandal (Hampstead Theatre); and Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage (Out of Joint theatre company, National Theatre Wales, Arcola Theatre, and Sherman Cymru).[3] Other plays include Bet Noir (Young Vic 1986); Sinners and Saints (The Croydon Warehouse) and Will and Testament (The Oval House). He wrote Mixed Up North for LAMDA theatre school in 2008, [4] about a youth theatre group created as a means to unite divided racial communities in the Lancashire mill town of Burnley; in 2009 it was performed professionally in a co-production between Out of Joint theatre company and Bolton Octagon Theatre. As an actor, he has appeared at The National Theatre, The Royal Court, The Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare's Globe. He also starred in Bill Douglas's epic film of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, Comrade
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