PLAY AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT EXPOSE THE PLIGHT OF REFUGEES

4th River presents Unintended Consequences and Forgotten Refugee Children: No Return Home

4th River presents Forgotten Refugee Children: No Return Home. Photographs by Khadra Mohammed, Pittsburgh Refugee Center. June 13-22, 2008. Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery, 937 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. Free. Gallery hours are 12 noon – 8 pm daily.

This exhibit was made possible by the contribution of Carlow University’s Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility, Global Ready Nurse and the Multicultural Art Initiative.

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Playback Theatre’s newest play Unintended Consequences, by Paulo Nzambi and directed by Amy Guterson and Roni Ostfield, exposes the present-day heart-breaking plight of refugee Afghani children in Pakistan. 4th River presents The Unintended at 8 pm, Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, and at 2 pm, Sunday, June 15, 2008, at the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery at 937 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

An original work produced in partnership with the Pittsburgh Refugee Center, Unintended Consequences represents the second 4th River collaboration between these two groups and the Three Rivers Arts Festival. In 2007, Pittsburgh Refugee Center Executive Director Khadra Mohammed took a tour of refugee camps, schools and worksites in Pakistan and Afghanistan, facilitated by colleagues at the United Nations. She witnessed children as young as three years old working 12-hour days in factories, with no access to education or health facilities. Upon her return, the Refugee Center commissioned Pittsburgh Playback Theatre to write, produce and perform a play about the plight of these children.

“We have found in the past few years that one of the most effective ways to engage our community is through the arts,” says Mohammed. “We want our community to see refugees as people with individual stories that they connect with. The script, the actor’s nuance of the words, the gesture and the facial expressions bring our refugee stories to life, and to the hearts and minds of our audiences.”

Since 1986, Pittsburgh Playback Theatre has developed interactive performances that are custom-designed to meet the needs of audiences and host institutions. Through its work, Pittsburgh Playback Theatre gives voices to people who cannot or do not easily speak for themselves. Past Playback project topics have included the events of September 11, the Holocaust, the stress of working with terminally ill patients, and HIV prevention and awareness. After each performance of Unintended Consequences, Pittsburgh Playback Theatre Founder Roni Ostfield will conduct workshops that help to foster dialogue among audience members, encouraging reflection on what they just saw on stage.

Tickets for Unintended Consequences are $5, available at www.artsfestival.net or by calling 412.456.6666.

Unintended Consequences will be supported by an exhibition of photographs from Mohammed’s trip titled Forgotten Refugee Children: No Return Home. The exhibition will be on display in the Three Rivers Arts Festival gallery June 13-22, 2008. Gallery hours are 12 noon – 8 pm daily. The gallery is free and open to the public.

Calendar Listings
4th River presents Pittsburgh Playback Theatre in Unintended Consequences by Paulo Nzambi. 8 pm, Friday and Saturday, June 13 & 14, and 2 pm Sunday, June 15, 2008. Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery, 937 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. $10. For tickets, visit www.artsfestival.net or call 412.456.6666.

About the Pittsburgh Refugee Center
The Pittsburgh Refugee Center empowers refugees to become self-sufficient and integrated into their new communities. The work of the PRC is grounded in a service philosophy that encourages and ultimately empowers refugees to take control of their lives by becoming an active participant in planning and managing their own development.

About Pittsburgh Playback Theatre
Pittsburgh Playback Theatre is a professional theatre company that includes some of the most talented actors and directors in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Playback Theatre listens to and reflects the human experience in a way that increases each individual’s sense of community and respect for humanity. Pittsburgh Playback Theatre uses improvisational performance to engage the audience in meaningful dialogue.

About the Three Rivers Arts Festival
4th River is a program of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. The mission of the Three Rivers Arts Festival is to connect the community to the arts. The 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival runs from June 6-22, 2008. For more information, call the Festival at 412.281.8723 or visit our website www.artsfestival.net.