OUR STORY
The H.E.A.T Collective
www.heatcollective.org uses healing, education, activism and theatre for personal and social change.
At the intersection of theatre, drama therapy, research, and human rights, we offer workshops in performance and peacebuilding, playwriting, voice, ensemble building and puppet making. We create performances of socially engaged theatre that provoke thought
and conversation.
For peace to be possible first it needs to be imagined.
My Heart is in the East is a socially engaged theatre piece that has been inspired by years of research, travel and art making. The play is a duet performed by two actors who play many roles, including 10 puppets from diverse
times and corners of the world.
Inspired by poetry, puppets, dynamic characters and personal stories, Jessica Litwaks’ play
My Heart is in the East takes the audience on a journey through time and place to deepen the experience of today’s conflicts and history’s relationship with peace. The audience travels from present day New York City to the Middle East and back in time
to the 11th Century where and Jews and Muslims related in peace through the exchange of poetry and language.
As part of her research Jessica spent time in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and Israel, performing, teaching workshops, building puppets and meeting people who would eventually became part of the fabric of the play itself.
AT THE HEART OF OUR STORY
After each performance the audience participates in two post show events. They are invited to participate in a poetry contest based on the contests in Ancient Spain, which are represented in the play. Then they are asked to engage in a guided
discussion about the possibility of peacebuilding through the arts and the potential of using history as a model for peace and justice.
This is the true heart of the project; the engagement of conversation, the listening to the other, the chance for our perspective to shift. The theatre is the inspiration, the ACTION is with those gathered, with the potential that peace may be
possible. Each post performance discussion will be hosted by a select guest panel of experts who will add their knowledge and lead the audience through their own exploration of what peace means to them and how they can become engaged in personal or social
transformation.
Imagination thrives within art, freedom and expression. The HEAT Collective seeks to inspire the imagination and ignite the spark for peace in individuals so they can share and be active within their communities.
In Development of the project the HEAT Collective hosted a reading and discussion of the work-in-progress script. The event was open to the public and drew a diverse group who engaged in the play, the poetry contest and the post reading discussion.
The event was a success and fueled the fire to continue to build this project so it can be seen and felt by more people in our community and beyond.
Comments from reading at La Mama December 12th 2014
“Your play is….so personal, deeply generous. Artistically sculpted, but felt unfiltered. You are a complex mirror and in that complexity you invite us to examine our attitudes, our preconceptions. That is a step towards peacebuilding."
"Congratulations on creating such a beautiful and brave work of art. It was an honour to hear it and to be a part of the evening. You do have an amazing ability to create community. I can’t wait to see the full production."
Our invitation to you is this... help us imagine the play into being so we can create the space for stories, discussion, listening and the inspiration of your ideas about possibilities for peace in a world that needs our imagination.
www.facebook.com/heatcollective
The Team! Director: Sabrina Peck, Dramaturg: Cobine Gillitt, Designers: Sidd Joag, Lucrecia Briceno, Jane Shaw, Stage Manager: Tammy Kremer, Co- Producer: Debra Driscoll, Playwright: Jessica Litwak,
Performers: Ankur Rathee and Jessica Litwak
