The World is Not With Us
...en distribution of wealth in the world, more than a half-century long bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians, a rise in global terrorism and the trade policies of the United States were some of the issues questioned and challenged among characters. Through “lively” discussions, the playwrights successfully made the overriding theme evident: peace is the only solution in times of turmoil and suffering. Omnium Gatherum especially delivered this message with an impartial approach to the effect that extremely biased views were presented on both sides through an excellent mix between fact and fiction. This model of presenting facts truly distinguished the success of this play among many other 9/11 related productions. In helping to deliver the main message of the production – peace and humanity – the use of props during the epilogue was extremely effective in pasting together the various scenes into a unified production. As the characters finished their meal and started to dance, one piece among the props became hard to ignore – the tree standing on the center of the empty dining table. It was pale, naked, lifeless, yet artistically branching off in all directions, looking for any possible suggestions for meaning. The tree created a powerful image because it did not only represent the unfortunate victims of the 9/11 tragedy. However it also symbolized humanity, resembling the branches, and entertained the concept of all races putting aside their differences of background, culture, and religion because we all originate from one “root”. Confetti was another prop that elevated the closing scene into a splendid climax. Yet behind its beauty, the flickering colourless confetti inevitably reminded the audience of the horrifying moment when the twin towers collapsed and brought down thousands of innocent people with it. During the epilogue, all loose ends were tied and the use of symbolic props created strong contrasting images for a perplexed audience to ponder. Omnium Gatherum was indeed a gathering of “peculiar souls”, one in which each stereotypical character at the table was the beholder of a unique, distinct ideology. Among them, Khalid, the protagonist and hero of the play, portrayed by Nigel Shawn Williams, was the ideal messenger. Based on the infamous Palestinian scholar and activist, Edward Said, Khalid was the only character who possessed ...