Show reframes Middle Eastern women's sexual lives

The lives of nine Iraqi women and their struggles in times of war are being brought to the main stage in Kenan Theatre Company’s production of “9 Parts of Desire,” which opens Thursday night.

Directed by visiting lecturer Peter Friedrich and produced by senior English major Cary Simpson, the show strives to break common misconceptions of Middle Eastern women while highlighting their beauty and strength.

The title, “9 Parts of Desire,” comes from seventh-century Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib’s teaching that there are 10 parts of sexual desire — one was given to man and the other nine to women.

Living in a society that is often unaccepting of femininity, Simpson said each of the women struggles with her sexuality and her definition of being a woman.

He said the show focuses on women’s rights issues.

“I think it’s important not only for students but for American students to see something like this and really think about the implications of our imposing ourselves onto other countries,” Simpson said.

Each Iraqi woman in the play has a distinctive story. Simpson said each lives during a different time or has a specific economic or social standing. Most of the women’s stories are historical fiction, while a couple of them are based on true stories.

Emma Gutt, a freshman dramatic art major, portrays Layla, based on an Iraqi artist who was highly favored by Saddam Hussein. Layla Al-Attar was known for many of her portraits of Hussein, her nude paintings and a mosaic of George H.W. Bush accompanied by the words, “Bush is criminal” that adorned a hotel lobby.

“She is a woman very unlike the Iraqi women that Americans tend to evoke when they think about Middle Eastern women,” Gutt said.

Gutt said Heather Raffo, the playwright, was inspired to write “9 Parts of Desire” after visiting Baghdad and seeing Al-Attar’s work.

Katie Chelena, a junior dramatic art major, plays the role of Mullaya, a woman who is hired to mourn at funerals. Chelena said her character is like a mythical creature and an all-seeing eye, because she has witnessed so much of Iraq’s history.

“I think what’s really special about this beautiful poetic script is that it gives you this vision of humanity in a way that anyone who sees this play can say, ‘I know how that feels’ or ‘I know that person,’” Chelena said.

Simpson said the show is minimalistic — there are few props and a limited set. The performers use rugs that came from Iraq and dress in traditional hijabs and abayas. But despite the minimalism, the play includes intensive choreographed movements.

“It’s very much centered on choreography and movement and just the women themselves,” Simpson said.

In addition to the choreography, the actors also had to do extensive research on their characters.

Actor and ensemble member Mary Stewart Evans, a junior dramatic art major, said the piece required her to have a profound understanding of her character.

“I’ve done other ensemble pieces before, but this one requires a lot of support physically and obviously with the text, too,” Evans said. “I had to learn how to be an ensemble member in a way that required understanding the piece as a whole really deeply.”

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