Betrayed

West Coast Premiere
by George Packer
directed by Robin Stanton
EXTENDED to March 8, 2009!

show length: 1 hour 45 minutes,

Following a successful run in New York, Betrayed is a theatrical adaptation of journalist George Packer’s (author of The Assassin’s Gate: America in Iraq) eye-opening essay in New Yorker magazine. A Sunni and Shi’a Muslim build a rare bond as they face with humor, dignity, and outrage the daily dangers of working for the Americans in Iraq. Joined by a woman who refuses to submit to Islamic law, the men struggle to be heard by their allies while all three fight to realize their dreams and hopes for a new world.

Filled with drama and urgency, Betrayed is, according to Theatremania, “that rare theater experience that commands absolute attention while watching it, and which continues to haunt the viewer long after the play ends.”

Special Panel Discussions

We will be hosting two panel discussions after the final Friday and Saturday performances of Betrayed. Saturday is sold out, but there are still tickets available for Friday evening, featuring Jane Leu, founder and executive director of Upwardly Global, a Bay Area nonprofit working with Iraqi refugees to help them resume their careers in the United States.

"Generates inescapable dramatic force...gripping" - SF Chronicle

"Complex and absorbing...the piece soared" - Contra Costa Times

"Compelling . . . a deeply moving piece of documentary theater." - San Jose Mercury News

read the reviews here
view production photos
read program notes

Media

KQED Forum Interview

On Friday, January 30th at 2009, KQED's "Forum" program hosted journalist and playwright George Packer for an hourlong discussion of his original article and Aurora's production of the play that sprang from it. Click below to listen.

KPFA Interview

Berkeley's own KPFA program Against the Grain interviews George Packer about the Iraqis who work for America, and his experiences writing the article and play based on their experiences.