Original play dramatizes journey from Afghanistan to St. Louis
January 08, 2009

ST. LOUIS, MO – A startling production about the journey of refugee women from Afghanistan to St. Louis debuts at St. Louis University Theatre on May 22, 2009 with nine performances through June 7. Gitana Production Inc. will present “My Heart is Always Shaking: Afghan Women Refugees in St. Louis,” based on an original script by Lee Patton Chiles that follows the journey of Afghan women as they escape the Taliban and begin to build a new life in St. Louis.

The journey from Afghanistan to St. Louis is long and difficult, yet nearly 1,500 Afghans and 6,000 Iranians have made the trip. Many leave behind a long tradition of farming and rural life to join a metropolitan community and start new lives. Gitana Productions, Inc. will bring this journey to life through “My Heart is Always Shaking.” The performance is the eleventh in Gitana’s annual “Faces of Love” program, which focuses on a different culture each year.

The “Faces of Love” program series began its focus on Iran and Afghanistan last fall with a celebration of Persian culture through a poetry contest and a music and poetry performance by Hossein Omoumi, a famed Persian musician, and Fatemah Keshavarz, a professor of Persian literature at Washington University. The series will be concluded with the upcoming play, “My Heart Is Always Shaking: Afghan Women Refugees in St. Louis.”

“When we set out to understand another culture we need to experience it as wholly as possible, using different mediums,” said Cecilia Nadal, producer of Gitana Productions, Inc. “Last year, we explored Persian culture through music, poetry and the Persian cuisine. Through drama, we’ll learn about the hardships and challenges of Afghan women who have made the long and transforming journey from one culture to another. Lee Patton Chiles does a beautiful job of sharing a story that began on the other side of the world but ends right here in St. Louis.”

Chiles, an acclaimed St. Louis playwright, interviewed two-dozen Afghan women who escaped the Taliban and traveled to St. Louis. The women’s stories are woven together to display a clearer picture of what war in Afghanistan means to women who have experienced a life of oppression. It is a story of courage, humor, sorrow and resilience.

“When I was talking with one woman, I noticed her hands were shaking and I asked if she was afraid,” Chiles said. “She told me, ‘Yes. Even here. My heart is always shaking.’ And that told me so much about her and about the journey she is on. I think this is the kind of story that helps us all grow as people and grow in our understanding of humanity.”

“My Heart Is Always Shaking” runs May 22 through June 7 at St. Louis University Theatre, 3733 West Pine Mall, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for students with a valid ID and $8 for children 10 and under. Group discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

Tickets are available by calling 314-721-6556 or at Sameems Afghan Restaurant, 3191 S. Grand Ave. and Screenz, 6680 Delmar Blvd. in University City. Patrons of Sameems restaurant will receive a special ticket discount.

The Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts and the Boeing Employees Charitable Trust have provided funding to support the “Faces of Love From Iran and Afghanistan” events.

Gitana Productions, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural awareness and collaboration by bringing international music, dance and drama to the St. Louis community.  Gitana events present a rarely seen diversity of international and local artists exhibiting an array of traditional and innovative artistic expressions. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556.