Summary of the Fear of Breathing by Lafferty, Sherlock and Wood

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Each new morn.New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face (qtd in Lawson, Sandra. 2013) In the eighty-five pages play, Lafferty, Sherlock, and Wood exert their utmost effort to document, organize, and reconstruct a collage of verbatim testimonies, reports, and interviews eyewitnesses of the Syrian Revolution .The interviews were conducted by Laffery in collaboration with veteran war correspondents: Sherlock and Wood. Lafferty and colleagues conducted interviews incognito with ordinary people, activists, businesspersons, defectors, Free Syrian Army soldiers, and medical staff. Subsequently, Lafftery not only edited and adapted the play for theatre performance, but also directed it. The three compliers risked their personal safety and arranged to be covertly smuggled into the Syrian precarious land. Were they caught, they would have been, unquestionably, exposed to the horrendous Syrian torture, killing machine. The Assad regime banned Western media, and journalists no longer had any immunity. They could have been a legitimate target of any attack. At the onset of the play, the readers are warned that the characters are real and the stories they relate are true. The play is a creative fusion of modern journalism and drama. (Sinéad 2012).The play is a visceral historical documentation of the Syrian Revolution. The play starts with a recitation of a poem entitled: “Another Martyr Rises” by Omar Al Khani –a Syrian Revolution Coordinators’ Union Secretary General. This is followed by information about the Finborough Theatre cast and projects and the resume of actors and their roles in the play.The play is divided into two acts: Act I from page 25-53; Act II is from 54-85. There are 21scene... ... middle of paper ... ... "The Fear of Breathing: Stories from the Syrian Revolution (Oberon Modern Plays) [Paperback]." The Fear of Breathing: Stories from the Syrian Revolution (Oberon Modern Plays): Ruth Sherlock, Paul Wood, Zoe Lafferty: 9781849434195: Amazon.com: Books. © 1996-2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or Its Affiliates, n.d. Web. 14 May 2013. . Lawson, Sandra. "The Fear of Breathing Stories from the Syrian Revolution." Rev. of The Fear of Breathing. n.d.: n. pag. Playstosee. © 2011 ARV Tech. Web. 15 May 2013. . Sinéad. "The Fear of Breathing." Rev. of The Fear of Breathing. Web log post. Http://www.sineadkeegan.com. Copyright © 2011 - 2013 Sinead Keegan., 7 Aug. 2012. Web. .

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