It may be a dark, rainy Tuesday, Blogfriends, but I have something to brighten your day: a Cast Member Blog! This blog, from cast member Aaron LeKarz, is a look at the historical background of 1001 and some of the background behind the more belief-driven themes of the show. Oh! And there's a Delorean.
Don't forget to purchase your tickets for 1001's closing weekend, this Thursday through Sunday. Buy early and buy often as seating is limited! You can purchase tickets here.
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Besides having an amazing cast full of diverse actors and acting styles, the entire plot and production of "1001" is a mystical unfolding itself. The story, which bleeds reality and fiction in a sort of Delorean-full-of-Arabian-history-books kind of way, is both as amazing to be a part of, as well as fun to watch. It also brings to life many of the real conflicts of the Middle East, through interactions in the "present day" portions of the story. I think many people will see the show and then begin to wonder what parts of history are true, and which were preserved based on bias or popularity.
In fact, even in our current society, one of the biggest conflicts we have is, unknown to many, a difference in historical perspective. You see, both the stories of Islam and Judaism start essentially identical. God creates the world, Adam and Eve are the first human beings and on and on. Until you get to Abraham. See this is where the lineage takes a sharp split, one which has cost more lives throughout time than any other historical conflict. In Jewish history, Abraham awaiting a son to be his heir makes a decision which sends a rift through human history.
Abraham's wife Sarah had been barren for most of her life, so Abraham decides (according to the Judeo-Christian view) that he must sleep with a concubine (Hagar) and thus produce an heir, Ishmael. Later, after three angels appear to Abraham and tell him he is to have a child with his wife, Sarah bears a child, Isaac. According to the text, Abraham is 100 years old when this happens. Therefore it isn't actually as rushed as some may have thought for him to have a child with a concubine to be the heir to his nation. Isaac later has several children, one of who, Jacob, becomes known as Israel, whose lineage was God's chosen people.
Abraham's wife Sarah had been barren for most of her life, so Abraham decides (according to the Judeo-Christian view) that he must sleep with a concubine (Hagar) and thus produce an heir, Ishmael. Later, after three angels appear to Abraham and tell him he is to have a child with his wife, Sarah bears a child, Isaac. According to the text, Abraham is 100 years old when this happens. Therefore it isn't actually as rushed as some may have thought for him to have a child with a concubine to be the heir to his nation. Isaac later has several children, one of who, Jacob, becomes known as Israel, whose lineage was God's chosen people.
Now rewind. Imagine that you took the right of "firstborn" to imply the actual first born of Abraham and not the first born of his first marriage. According to Islam, Ishmael had these rights. And as such the infamous sacrificing of Abraham's son to God to show his loyalty would have been Ishmael instead of Isaac on the altar. For those who might not know, he ends up sacrificing a lamb rather than his son, and the son of the story's choosing goes on to become the start of the Jewish or Islamic (known first as Arabian) Nation.
Many people disassociate the conflicts in the "infamous" territory of Gaza with a land allocation from World War II, or the attempt at a cessation of fighting. But truly the battles in Israel have been going on since the times of Isaac and Ishmael, with both the Qur'an, the Bible, and other historical accounts at least agreeing that fighting for territory had always been going on. It is almost silly to think of ideals like peace in the Middle East, because truly short of the second coming of Christ or the islamic Last Judgement neither side would have the interest in throwing their version of the past five thousand years in the fire. Even more, I would be doubtful if, even in the face of whichever the "true" God may be, that even those with opposing viewpoints would clutch onto whatever version of history they have believed their whole life; people are more likely to want to die believing in something than thinking they died having lived in vain.
Thinking about the infamous historical conflict created by a seemingly simple historical detail like "who is the true descendant of Abraham" really comes full circle in a play like "1001" where you get to see both sides of the story told and untold. Ideas of time, history and places being linear dissolves into the thought that maybe all these things are cyclical, continuous or maybe even indescribable by our current natures of understanding. Needless to say, if you are looking for an outstanding play that will make you think about the nature of storytelling and it's part in history, then be sure to see 1001, where you will find the ideas around storytelling unfold in both entertaining and thought-provoking ways.
Many people disassociate the conflicts in the "infamous" territory of Gaza with a land allocation from World War II, or the attempt at a cessation of fighting. But truly the battles in Israel have been going on since the times of Isaac and Ishmael, with both the Qur'an, the Bible, and other historical accounts at least agreeing that fighting for territory had always been going on. It is almost silly to think of ideals like peace in the Middle East, because truly short of the second coming of Christ or the islamic Last Judgement neither side would have the interest in throwing their version of the past five thousand years in the fire. Even more, I would be doubtful if, even in the face of whichever the "true" God may be, that even those with opposing viewpoints would clutch onto whatever version of history they have believed their whole life; people are more likely to want to die believing in something than thinking they died having lived in vain.
Thinking about the infamous historical conflict created by a seemingly simple historical detail like "who is the true descendant of Abraham" really comes full circle in a play like "1001" where you get to see both sides of the story told and untold. Ideas of time, history and places being linear dissolves into the thought that maybe all these things are cyclical, continuous or maybe even indescribable by our current natures of understanding. Needless to say, if you are looking for an outstanding play that will make you think about the nature of storytelling and it's part in history, then be sure to see 1001, where you will find the ideas around storytelling unfold in both entertaining and thought-provoking ways.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Arts Collective at HCC.
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