University of Iowa’s Book Wings crosses continents to connect artists, audiences

A collaboration between writers and actors at the University of Iowa and countries around the world is off to Africa.

In its fourth year, Book Wings - annual live performance of new plays by writers in Iowa and the partner country - will expand to South Africa.

The UI's International Writing Program will partner with the University of Cape Town, African Arts Institute, and Artscape Theatre Centre to present Book Wings South Africa. Performances will be livestreamed to audiences in both countries and at watch parties around the world. A live talk back session after the performance will allow artists to interact with the reactions of global viewers.

The program's first performance in 2012 was a collaboration between the UI and the Moscow Art Theatre School. The partnership with Russia continued in 2013 and 2014 and grew through collaborations with the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre in China and the University of Baghdad in Iraq.

'It grows out of the original spark of the project, which was improving bilateral relations between us and Russia,” International Writing Program director Christopher Merrill said. 'Though political complications between our two countries are enormous, it was our feeling trying to connect with Russian artists would be not only interesting but give us some ideas.”

The relationships built between the UI and the Moscow Art Theatre School continue, he said, even as relations between the U.S. and Russian governments have gotten more tense.

'Sparks get created between the two theaters,” he said. 'It also gives different audiences a chance to see how artists from different countries deal with issues.”

Each of the 20 commissioned plays from the three years of the Moscow partnership are being gathered into an eBook that will be available for free on the Book Wings website, iwp.uiowa.edu/programs/book-wings. The book, which is planned for release some time in January, also will feature a guide to the technical specifications for livestreaming the performances, so that other theaters and universities can replicate the project.

For this year's partnership with South Africa, Book Wings will stage six new plays, each commissioned for the project on the central theme of 'Release.” The plays are:

l The Disappointment by Keith Josef Adkins (US)

l Sicawa Street by Katori Hall (US)

l Invisible Eden by Mandla Mbothwe (South Africa)

l Blood Pastoral by Wessel Pretorius (South Africa)

l Waiting for Marcel by Peter Ullian (US)

l What We Wish For by Mike van Graan (South Africa)

The theme was chosen to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. Each play will take on a different aspect and understanding of the idea of release.

Merrill said he thinks American audiences will be able to relate to the South African stories, even across cultural and international borders.

'Given the events in Ferguson and New York and the protests, it suddenly does seem more timely,” he said. 'I think an integral part of the project is the talk back that happens after the performance in Iowa City and Cape Town and from the watch parties.”

The live performance and watch parties will be March 10. Iowa audiences can watch from the UI's Theatre Building, while audience members can watch online anywhere. More details on live viewing locations will be announced later.

Book Wings is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the the U.S. Department of State, the UI's Department of Theatre Arts, the Virtual Writing University, Information Technology Services, and UITV.