An Emotional Night

We held the table reading of "I" on Thursday night, October 25 in Seattle. 15 professional actors took the parts of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Justice John Roberts, Nancy Pelosi, John Conyers and the other characters in this true life dramatization of the trial in the Senate. When actor John Fantasia read the part of Khaled el-Masri, in what sounded to me anyway, in a perfect Arabic accent, it was a very emotional moment. In a halting, almost choking whisper, he told of his torture at the hands of the CIA. The brutal abduction, the beating -- and the rape. It made me more determined than ever to make sure that this play is mounted and that it brings pressure on Congress to act and impeach the president. After the reading, no one wanted to leave. In what I hope will be a preview of post-play discussions when the actual production happens, everyone stayed behind for nearly an hour, debating the issues and (as an enormous help to me) discussing how to improve the characterizations and plot points of the piece to maximize its impact. It was a thrilling night.