When people call each other by number, not by name, humanity is seemingly extinguished.
Four women known only numerically to each other embody this loss of humanity as they exist in war torn Liberia during its 1999-2003 civil war. Their plight was depicted in Monday evening's reading of Danai Gurira's play Eclipsed at People's Light and Theatre Company (PLTC).
The war takes a sledgehammer to humanity in the play, yet each woman's story challenges audience members to consider what they would do in similar circumstances. How each woman adapts to brutal, inhumane circumstances is the play's foundation. The many faces of survival are shown in stark dialogue throughout the play, directed by Jade King Carroll.
Each wife is enslaved to an unseen, unnamed rebel commanding officer. Learning to endure the CO's endless sexual needs along with their loss of identity pits the women in a strange hierarchy of forced respect for each other. Wife #1 (played by Erika Hicks) reigns high in a twisted status. Wife #2 (played by Taysha Canales) is pregnant with the CO's child and keeps close track of those 'beneath' her. Wife # 3 (played by Miriam Hyman) has chosen the life of a soldier over that of a concubine. Wife #4 (played by Lupita Nyong'o) enters the group early in the performance and is the catalyst for change as she mourns the loss of her youth and her parents while weighing which wife she most wants to emulate. The strange, unthinkable choices available to these women is captured in a scene where Wife #3 and #4 stand stage right dissecting the reasons to be soldiers, while Wife #1 and Rita stand stage left talking about the possibility that there is a way out.
It is clear that none of the choices offer any real escape, so the women navigate this perilous world in desperate measure. The arrival of Rita (played by Melanye Finister) as one of many Liberian peacemakers who negotiate with rebel commanders creates inroads in giving the women hope. Her job is hard fought and frustrating to its core, but she persists. It offers a glimmer of hope.
Forcing the women to snap out of a uneasy acceptance of their lot, Rita yells, "They treat us like beasts!," and searches for a next step for these women. She explains, "You have to see what your life can be beyond this bondage." Wife #1 flatly replies, "I no know who I is out of war." The soldier Wife #3 barks out her mantra, "At best you work with the system and now the system is war."
Throughout the reading, the powerful performances tread deliberately on the physical and emotional ravages of war and a world turned on its head. Desperation breeds choices that cannot be judged. The playwright offers a robust view of humanity at its worst and then, at the war's end, of humanity hoping to find itself.
Rita notes toward the conclusion of the play, "The war over. Get back to who you was." This haunting suggestion only confirms confusion about identity. Who are these women post-war? They share their real names as they take baby steps into a world seemingly unknown. Going back may not be the answer, but rather, going forward and finding who they will become starts with how they answer the question, Who am I?
All five performances projected depth and power. The precise dialogue and convincing portrayals heavily weighted in Liberian dialect kept the audience on edge as we took the bare knuckled journey through a country at war with itself. A brief question and answer period followed the reading. So authentic were the actresses depictions over a two hour stretch, I found it a little jarring to hear them resume their everyday voices and become soft in their comments while answering audience questions.
PLTC's efforts to reach out to the community and spark discussion using theatrical performance as a catalyst speaks to how it sees its wider role. I was honored to feel the interpretation of this unforgettable work and to think outside my suburban life. I would have liked more time spent on the question and answer portion of the evening. When I attended the first reading of the Community Matters series in February, titled Dispatches from (A)mended America, the discussion portion was longer, allowing for some shared decompression.
In a fitting footnote, Liberia elected a female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in 2005. She was reelected in 2009 to a second term. After years of male driven civil strife, Liberia decided to turn to its women for leadership. It seems more than just.
The reading of Eclipsed was part of PLTC's "Community Matters" series of presentations offered as "an experiment in community engagement." For information on upcoming free performances in this series check out the PLTC site: www.peopleslight.org
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