After a meeting with the executive director at the Atlas Performing Arts, Doug Yeuell, we had a chance to watch a play that I have been reflecting on since. Just like most of the meetings that we had had before this, I got to see how paths vary from the completion of college education all the way to a career. These conversations helped take away the anxiety around pursuing a career in the arts. The play that we watched was Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World written by Yussef El Guindi.
With my new perception of a career in the arts I took in the content of the play in a deeper way than I had expected. More often than not, I find it hard to relate with most things in the mainstream media. That made connecting with this play was special.
The main character was conflicted between two women. The first was Gamila, to whom he was engaged to for ten moths and the other was Sheri an American who he had been in a relationship with for a month. At different points of the play Musa’s roommate who had left to fulfill a pilgrimage to Mecca would appear and share insight with the audience on the journey of going to another country where everything is foreign.
For me, Gamila and Sheri were symbolism for my life here in the United States. I feel conflicted like Musa everyday when faced with decisions. I gauge whether to rely on the perspective that I have known all my life or dare to try something new. There is a comfort that is in falling back to what is familiar. In most cases the outcome can be predicted which makes me feel safe. I relate safety with good things so my brain will reward me for good. I would place Gamila as a symbol for this. On the other hand, I could make the decision to go for something unpredictable with the risk of failure or getting hurt. Letting go of what I have known all my life and embracing change with unknown consequences. Sheri symbolized this for me. The interaction with my schoolmates from different cultures and backgrounds also keeps me wondering. “Do they really want to know me? Are they just curious?” These are questions that I ask myself about new interactions. My brain will reward me with adrenaline as I seek out the unknown.
The hard pressed message was a reminder that I can’t have both at the same time.I would like to make myself believe that either way I win but the truth is whichever one I win will mean I lose the other. This is where I related to Musa’s roommate who communicated that either way it is important to always be grateful. For being able to have a choice is a blessing in itself.
It was interesting to see my daily struggles being communicated in a very simple way through art. What was more intriguing was the discussion that we had as a class afterward that reminded me of everyone’s unique perspectives and what messages different people drew from the play. For some it was the nature of the romantic relationship, others the depiction of Egyptian or Muslim culture and for others it was the engagement of the young African American high school students among the audience. It felt democratic in a way observing an experience of the people acted by the people who go through this experience for all people to see.