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DocuSign Envelope ID:AD99FE27-E625-45CC-B353-AEE3ADA2F2DA
<br /> American. soldier and in Iraqi girl blogger through the lens of the technologies that connect
<br /> them.
<br /> Y,119)1,41[tells the colliding stories ofMichael, anNfrican American veteran undergoing virtual
<br /> reality therapy for PTSD, and Zaynab, as teenager From Fallu ah blogging during the Iraq war. It
<br /> explores the haunted human American and Iraqi.........1hat shadow the digital surfaces
<br /> through which we wage, view, and recoverfrorn war, YADY,41-1 blends scripted live performance
<br /> with projections developed -ftom the animated landscapes of Virtual Iniq, a virtual-reality
<br /> program based on video-game graphics and developed as a therapy too] fior US veterans
<br /> suffering frorn 11 SE) "I"his production is the only theatrical venture licensed to use this software,
<br /> developed by Skit.) Rizzo, Director of Medical VirtLU11 Reality (VR), and the rest of the Virtual
<br /> Iraq team, For the Institute for C reati ve Techno logics (IC"T), located in the University of Southern
<br /> California in Los Angeles.
<br /> The US military increasingly uses virtual and "mixed-reality" environments both to train
<br /> soldiers disproport ionally drawnfirorn Families with lower incomes kind fewer Opportunities and
<br /> disproportionally people of color......-and to rehabilitate thern. These animated landscapes are
<br /> highly evocative. Ohostly Iraqis, modeled on real people, populate thern.......throwing borribs,
<br /> shopping at an open-air street market, screaming when a car bomb explodes, Immersed in its
<br /> digital world, a user can drive a I I umvee or patrol a market carrying a gun, but cannot occupy the
<br /> viewpoint of this landscape's Iracli figures,
<br /> To date, the learn has workshopped versions of this complex work at UNC Chapel Hill, ART,
<br /> Georgetown's Davis Center for the Pet.-forming Arts, and ICT in LA with Virtual Iraqs design
<br /> tearn. In June 2013, the artists had an Equity showcase at HERE Arts, NYC, 'l'he most recent
<br /> work included aJanuary 2017 workshop at the University of Maryland and a May 2017
<br /> workshop at Georgetown University, both b6cused on StreetSigns' preparation for the world
<br /> premiere production in Chapel Hill September 2017.
<br /> Project Goals: A crucial part of our planning for this prodUCti011 is developing a strategy to
<br /> bringing distinct populations into the audience at the sarnetirne: the communities impacted by
<br /> Americanniflitary service directly ('veterans and their families"); Americans especially impacted
<br /> by events in the middle east (particularly lraqi-Americans); and expatriate Iraqis. N,,trt ol'this
<br /> strategy will be the development, of panels of experts and community leaders to lead post-show
<br /> discussions and engage with and bring to the produotion their own constituencies, Because of its
<br /> small size, StreetSigns has in the past been too often unable to focus beyond the artistic needs of
<br /> a production, sometimes resulting in work of the highest, artistic quality and importance reaching
<br /> only a small audience accustomed to going to the theatre, Making sure that 1ADY41I is produced
<br /> successfully, reaches intended audiences, and has the future life it deserves is demanding Nvork,
<br /> requiring ,a diverse, fiocused, and united tearrl. We believe that there are people who would
<br /> greatly appreciate this production both inside and Outside of the traditional theatre-going
<br /> population, Outreach to and accessibility for the underserved ,ire high priorities in our planning,
<br /> ensuring wide audiences can benefit ("torn seeing the work and then contribute to a conversation
<br /> within our community, We want to be absolutely certain this irnport,,int production reaches those
<br /> for whom it will be most meaningful and healing.
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