Lost on the Road to Baghdad

The Pittsburgh Playback Theatre’s production of “Lost on the Road to Baghdad” on September 12^th, skillfully guided us through the emotions of the current political environment. Director Ronnie Ostfeld has the ability to gather from the audience stories and feelings, and the talented players translated them back into what was sometimes funny, sometimes angry, and at the end, poignant vignettes. The performance was played to a backdrop of colorful doors from the American Friends Service Committee’s (AFSC) “Opening Doors to Democracy” project. The doors were painted by participants at local community fairs with issues and images of democracy.

Somehow we never got to Baghdad, but maybe the whole performance was about being lost and how we move forward in this political climate. The company uses ideas drawn from many art disciplines to express the stories members of the audience come up with.  So a story about how one person goes through the park to a friend’s house when they need to be listened to, lent itself naturally to a fairytale with a player in a red cape and a big bad wolf.  Ideas were expressed in styles such as fairytale, haiku, chorus, fable, a solo and the final thoughts in a prism.

The program was based on the AFSC Listening Project report, “People Count: Listening to Voices for Democracy.” This report is a compilation of the quotes and thoughts of 220 people in Western Pennsylvania on their concerns around security and the cost of war.

Ronnie skillfully opened the event by having the audience acknowledge their sensed safety and comfort in the room and then asked for stories of being listened to and how that felt. Moving on to sharing stories of not being heard, especially by our elected representatives, people talked about frustrations and anger at having their concerns replied to with form letters and the need to elect people who did represent and listen to us. The cast interpreted this in a humorous piece on “de-electing” and trying to dig up a particularly stubborn bush that kept re-rooting itself. The final piece, represented by a prism of the entire audience’s emotions, moved from feelings of despair, anger, fear and frustration, to a recognition of the many things we would like to change and a vision of hope for the future of this country.  

The conversation and dialogue then continued at Enrico Tazza D’ Oro Café, where Amy Enrico supplied us with snacks and wine to help further the discussion. The American Friends Service Committee and Enrico Tazza D’ Oro Café sponsored the event.

The next performance of the Pittsburgh Playhouse Theatre will be at the Frick Art and Historical Center, Reynolds Street, on October 14^th at 8:00pm. The title, “To Bush or Not to Bush, That is the Kerry, Query, Whatever.”

- Scilla Wahrhaftig


"The Road to Baghdad" performers. (Photo by Scilla Wahrhaftig)