See the workshop presentation of Petawawa on Sunday March 27th at 1:30pm in the Fermenting Cellar, Distillery District, Toronto. For more information and to reserve your spot contact Caitlin Weld: caitlin@humancargo.ca

Petawawa is an international creation that will explore how the war in Afghanistan is affecting the families of soldiers in combat. The material for the play will come from interviews with Canadian, Afghan and Pakistani families of soldiers. Created in collaboration with Pakistan’s Ajoka Theatreand Kabul’s Foundation for Culture and Civil Society, Petawawa will be created by Canadian, Afghan and Pakistani actors, Canadian playwright Jonathan Garfinkel and Human Cargo’s Artistic Director Christopher Morris. The first creation workshop was with Canadian actors in Petawawa, Ontario, the second creation workshop was with the Pakistani actor in Lahore, Pakistan and the third workshop was in Kabul, Afghanistan. Now in the fourth and final creation workshop in Toronto, Canada the three stories are being brought together to create the final production. When complete it will be performed in English, Dari and Urdu, and will tour to Petawawa, Toronto, Lahore, Islamabad and Kabul.

The North African Youth Exchange will bring Toronto and Paris-based youth of North African descent together to explore their experiences of identity and immigration in a post 9-11-World. Directed by artistic director Christopher Morris, this project will be created over two creation workshops. The first creation workshop will take place in Paris, France in the summer of 2010. For three weeks, four Toronto youth will be billeted with the families of four Parisian youth. During this time, the French youth will share their culture, neighbourhood and city with the Canadian youth. Rehearsals will be led by Christopher Morris and two Human Cargo members, that will enable the youth to turn these experiences into theatre. The second creation workshop will take place in Toronto, Canada in the summer of 2011. For three weeks, four Parisian youth will be billeted with the families of the four Toronto youth. The same cultural and theatrical exchange will take place as did in Paris. By the end of the second workshop, the youth will have created a multi-lingual play that will premiere in Toronto in August, 2011. Following a week of performances in Toronto, it will then tour to Paris where it will run for a week. Participants for the North African Youth Exchange will be chosen in February, 2010. If you are a youth or organisation that’s interested in participating in this project, please contact us by email at info@humancargo.ca.