"Phoenix in the Holy Land” is a new play by JuPong Lin that strives to transform the agony of witnessing atrocities in Palestine and the surrounding regions into spaces of deep listening and courageous conversations. The play braids together excerpts from the transcripts of the South Africa genocide case against Israel, poetry and the story of three ceasefire activists involved in a small town’s fight to end the assault on Palestinian life. The poets who imbue the play with their humanity include: Refaat Alareer, Dan Almagor, Mahmoud Darwish, Solmaz Sharif, and Lisa Sujair Majaj.
“Phoenix in the Holy Land” was birthed in the crucible of the current nakba in Palestine, the incident that spurred the PeaceBirds project. In November of 2023, we launched the socially-engaged project as artists in residence at Goddard College. Then developed into a one-act play, with the support of the Playwrights Circle of the LAVA Center in Greenfield. Several more poets are featured in the play, as well as the story of one town’s struggle to pass a ceasefire resolution.
The play is being brought to life by a fantastic team of impassioned artists; Director Ash Goverman and Actors Dan Cox, Francesca Hansen-DiBello, Elizabeth LaPrade, Patric Madden, and Charmaine Sutton. Music is composed and performed by Tony Patterson and Charmaine Sutton. Mona Shiber shares her artistry in the installation and set design
"Phoenix in the Holy Land" will open in the Blue Room at CitySpace, Easthampton, on October 12 at 7pm and October 13 at 2pm. An installation of PeaceBirds created by Mona Shiber and JuPong Lin will be open for public viewing on October 11. On Saturday, October 12 from 6:30pm to 7PM, all are welcome to join an optional bagel break-the-fast in observance of Yom Kippur.
Pay It Forward Series at CitySpace
A huge thank you to The LAVA Center where this play was birthed and first read as part of the On the Boards festival.