A lot of new work is showing up in the theater world, and mastery of tech allows more productions on stage and streaming. The post-Millennials are possibly the most connected and tech-savvy of the alphabet generations. I am a Boomer and may as well be from the Bronze Age, but I have managed to stay current thanks to my daughter, nieces, and nephews. Dummy in Diaspora is the story of a first-generation Assyrian American, written and performed by Esho Rasho.
Rasho recounts how he discovered his queer identity at a young age and then navigated his parents' social and religious mores. Rasho was born early because his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and suffocating him. "Umbilical chord" is his mantra, repeated when people or situations get on his last nerve. It's mostly a comical touch, used like a talisman to assuage the inner monologue running in his head.
Karina Patel directs Dummy in Diaspora, which is infused with her background as a devised theater artist. Devised is another term for collaboration with colleagues, adding to the dialogue and pacing as the play develops. It is an interesting technique that depends on trust in sharing personal details, as Rasho does. The pacing sometimes lagged while Rasho vapes and argues with his tobacco demon "Nic," but it is a brisk 70-minute show.
Rasho is a compelling storyteller with good emotional range. He recalls conversations with his mother and sister. The cat story is poignant, and Rasho's performance of the sister's dramatic emoting is hilarious. His mother's lessons about pain and an appreciation for hard work are familiar to any first-generation person. His mother also speaks of pain and how the youth of today do not appreciate the relative luxury of life in America.
The clever set is designed by Olivia Volk. The Persian rugs as a cyc wall is one of the most remarkable visuals I have seen recently. The colors and patterns heighten the sense that this is an immigrant story. The set is straightforward and gives an illusion of spaciousness in the smaller Jackalope theater. The lighting by Maaz Ahmed heightens the stream-of-consciousness memory dialogue in Dummy in Diaspora. There are moments of going dark that punctuate critical moments, and the disco scene gave me a bit of deja vu from the '70s.
I watched Rasho talk about his upbringing and realized we have more in common than meets the eye. I am a first-generation Chicagoan descended from the Second Great Migration. Rasho's parents grew up as Assyrian exiles in Iraq and Beirut. In Rasho's telling, they still have the drive to succeed and live with hypervigilance about how suffering and discrimination can resurface. It is the same story for me with my grandparents escaping the terrorism of Jim Crow and racist violence in Louisiana and Georgia. I could relate to what his mother said to him about working hard and enduring pain.
I feel some optimism in hearing stories of the diaspora in America. I felt connected watching the story of a Brown and queer man who grew up in Chicago. I think the story needs some edits for the lagging bits. Perhaps the vaping interludes could be incidental while sharing another tale of young love or Rasho keeping his heritage present with his identity as a young gay man. Since this has a devised element, it can be developed more. Overall, it was an enjoyable 70 minutes that could use some tweaks.
Dummy in Diaspora is playing through March 23 at Jackalope Theatre in the Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway in Edgewater.
For more information on this and other plays in Chicago, please visit www.jackalopetheatre.org and www.theatreinchicago.com.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider supporting Third Coast Review’s arts and culture coverage by making a donation. Please choose the amount that works best for you, and know how much we appreciate your support!