Back of the Throat
By Yussef El Guindi
Directed by Mickey Handwerger
With Pete Garvey, Chris Haley, Mark Hildebrand, Dan Kavannaugh, Becki Placella, Niji Ramunas, Alicia Sweeney
March 6-15, 2009

Back of the Throat is the tale of a visit by two government officials, which soon devolves into a full-blown, no-holds-barred probe. Khaled, an Arab-American writer and the focus of their inquiry, finds himself suddenly accused of possible ties to terrorists. AS the interrogation proceeds, the officials reveal their evidence. But is it evidence, or ave innocent events been distorted through the lends of paranoid suspicion? Back of the Throat confronts bureaucratic euphemisms like "person of interest" and "extraordinary rendition" with the frightening relaity they aim to obscure.

Director’s Notes

If anything’s been lost amidst the rhetoric of the “war on terror,” it’s the human dimension. We talk about the intangibles, things like “rights,” “evil” and “freedom,” but lose track of how things like 9/11 and the paranoia that followed affect everyday people in everyday situations.

And so, it seemed incredibly fitting that, for a season in which we aim to explore the effects of military and ideological conflict on everyday people, we chose Back of the Throat as our opening play. Arab-American writer Yussef El Guindi presents us with an uncomfortable, up-close confrontation with what it’s like to be on the other end of post-9/11 hysterics through the eyes of an everyday Arab-American who is not only an American citizen, but an award-winning writer.

In this darkly rendered portrait of our current American condition in a time of war, Back of the Throat brilliantly captures a nightmarish vision of the consequences of unbridled authority, power without wisdom, and fear-driven law enforcement, the form of law enforcement we Americans for so long refused to openly question, with the opening of the Guantanamo Bay prison facility and the horrific images of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It examines how our assumptions about the content of our character are sometimes summarized not only by the color of our skin, but by the seemingly meaningless objects we collect, and how in the name of national security we sometimes find ourselves least secure.

Back of the Throat makes us confront our own feelings and fears about our government’s actions in a post-9/11 society, even as it forces us to consider the varied complexities involved in our government's crackdown on terrorism. And while the play’s conclusion confirms certain horrific facts about our culture post-9/11, it still leaves enough room to spark some debate on how our country, or any “free” country for that matter, should deal with “persons of interest” and “enemy combatants.”

REVIEWS
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"Back of the Throat" a Dark Comedy for our Time
By Teddy Delfs/The Evening Capital
March 18, 2009

First question: What does the title "Back of the Throat" mean? The answers comes two minutes into this dark comedy that exposes our fears about terrorism. Two U.S. government agents visit the apartment of Khaled, an Arab-American writer, for what is supposed to be an "informal" interview after a terrorist attack. The agents discuss how to pronounce Khaled's name, and on of them explains the correct sound must come from the back of the throat. The remark is more sarcastic that explanatory, and it left me with a chill that lasted throughout the performance.

All remaining questions - and there are many - allow for much speculation and interesting discussion to grow out of this gripping look at the paranoia that preoccupied our country after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The topic has provided plenty of fodder for Arab-American playwright Yussef El Guindi, who, in addition to "Back of the Throat," has written a number of works designed to challenge our stereotypes of the Arab world.

Performed over the past two weekends, "Back of the Throat" was the season opener for Dignity Players. It was the first of four productions, each of which will examine the effect of military and ideological conflict on everyday people.

The play takes us through Khaled's interrogation, which begins benignly and progresses to a brutal ending. In only 90 minutes, the habits of Khaled's simple lifestyle turn into suspicious ideiosyncrasies, which then become alleged terrorist connections. It is a startling look at the "interviewing" techniques of two agents who cleverly and diabolically play off each other as they interpret and reinterpret Khaled's lifestyle.

Action is suspended while previous interviews with a librarian, a former girlfriend, and an exotic dancer are slipped in to ease the tension, add some comic relief and help the audience understand the possible contect for the agents' suspicions. Another supopsed terrorist wanders through, suggesting both innocence and comlicity.

Byt he time "Back of the Throat" drew to a close, I appreciated distortion better than ever. The facts and perceptions about Khaled's life were twisted and reshaped, causing the audience, once so sure of his innocence, to question his involvement. Even more disturbing though was watching two government agents - people we employ to protect us - completely disregard Khaled's cicil liberties.

The cast and director were uniformly strong. Chris Haley as Khaled made me feel his disbelief, unease and horror as his life was dissected by the agents. As Agent Bartlett, Mark Hildebrand was a commanding pressence who seemed like a friend but merged into a foe. Alicia Sweeney, who played the exotic dancer, expertly cavorted around the stage while willingly offering her verison of a possible encounter with Khaled.

Director Mickey Handwerger has led and moved the actors around the set so that each movement seemed natural and expcted. It was a commendable outing for this company and a thought-provoking experience.

Dignity Players Stages Arab-American's Post 9/11 Predicament
By Mary Johnon/The Baltimore Sun
March 15, 2009

Founded on the belief in the inherent dignity of everyone, Dignity Players begins its fifth season at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis continuing its mission of presenting plays that focus on social justice. This season's opening production of Arab-American playwright Yussef El Guindi's Back of the Throat illustrates the effects of the U.S. Patriot Act on Arab-American citizens.

In this dark, sometimes comic drama examing post 9/11 attitudes toward Muslims, protagonist Arab-American writer Khaled is visited by two initially friendly but puzzling government officials, who become menacingly probing and later abusive toward an astonished Khaled, who discovers that he is the focus of a government inquiry into his alleged terrorist ties.

Dignity's founder Mickey Handwerger directs this 90-minute prodcution without intermission, instantly commanding our attention and holding us riveted as tension mounts in Khaled's ominous situation - relieved only by a few darkly humorous interchanges. Handwerger has assembeld a group of gifted actors headed by Chris Haley as Khaled and visiting government agents played by Mark Hildebrand as Bartlett and Dan Kavannaugh as Carl. Supporting this trio are four actors perfectly suited to their roles: Peter Garvey as Asfoor, Niji Ramunas as librarian Shelley, Becki Placella as ex-girlfrind Beth, and Alicia Sweeney as club dancer Jean.

Starring is his fourth Dignity produciton, Haley proves his versatility as a rather naive writer welcoming his government vistors before being drawn into a cat-and-mouse game that reduces him to a bewildered American citizen asserting his rights only to discover that he has none as he confronts a circumstantial nightmare.

Kavannaugh's government agent Carl seems a dolt who becomes increasingly menacing - his manner grows more rough and his large size enhances the effect.

Amusingly, the agents give Khaled an evaluation form assuring him that they've had "training putting people at ease" and that his opinion is important to them, while politely voicing their "appreciation for filling out the form later."

Hildebrand's agent Bartlett has an understanding of Arab culture. He ask Khaled how to pronounce his name correctly, commenting, "It's that back-of-the-throat thing." At first seeming gentler and more thoughtful than his colleague, Hildebrand's Bartlett indicates his eagerness to inflict torture.

The evidence against Khaled is a combination of what they've found in his apartment that indicates his interest in Islam, politics and pornography, along with suspicion of his involvement with terrorists, suggested by Khaled's former girlfriend and a librarian.

Actor Peter Garvey makes his Dignity debut as the enigmatic Asfoor, who is caught in the paranoia climate encountered by Arab-speaking Muslims, unable to communicate in English.

Ramunas plays librarian Shelley, whose attempts to befriend Khaled alternate with her suspecting his involvement in a terrorist plot with Asfoor, which she has a duty to report.

Placella plays Phaled's ex-girlfriend Beth, whose suspicion that he was having an affair motivated her to follow him to discover meetings with a strange man and woman. Now Beth fulfills her patriotic duty by informing the government.

In a memorable Dignity debut as club dancer Jean, lithe Alicia Sweeney heats up the stage with her steamy pole and lap dancing.