House, Divided
 La Tempestad
 The Ballad of John Wesley Reed
 Girl Science
 The Allure of Oriental Wisdom
 Memorial Day (formerly Varia)
 Pride of the Lion
 The Dostoyevsky Man


 Monica for Chanukah
 Angie and Arnie Sanguine
 Edward and Ellie Supine
 The Lion Eats His Lunch
 The Lion in His Lair
 The Lion Leaves His Mark
 Prayers


 But Who's Counting?
 Emma Goldman Imagines the Millenium


 Just Before the War Between the Plates
 I Can Handle That


 Talking  with Lee Blessing

...with Tom Coash
...with Mary Fengar Gail
...with Richard Kalinowsky
...with Jamie Pachino
...with David Rambo
...with Jason Sherman
...with Naomi Wallace
...with Tom Gibbons
...with Dick Goldberg

INTERACT: This play is not auto-biographical in any way, but I know you did spend some time teaching at an American School in Cairo. Can you talk a little about what that was like?

COASH: My wife and I lived in Cairo for four years teaching at the American University in Cairo. We loved living in Egypt. The people are really fantastic and we loved the excitement, color, and chaos of Cairo. Contrary to what most Americans think, Cairo is a very safe place to live. Very little crime and the people treat you as their guest. We experienced very little, if any, anti-American sentiment. Only in the media, just as the media here presents the Middle-East in a very negative light. All we hear about in the media here is violence and hate. Picture how other nations would view the USA if their media only reported on the militia groups we have here. Although Cry Havoc addresses some of the negative aspects of Egypt, we found it to be a beautiful country with probably the friendliest people on Earth.

INTERACT: The allure of religious fundamentalism is still a mystery to many Americans, although as it is portrayed in your play and in the more detailed and responsible press reports, fundamentalist groups represent one of the few forces of dissent about a whole range of issues, including government corruption and police brutality - hardly terrorist issues. Do you think there's any likelihood a more mainstream political alternative will arise in moderate countries like Egypt?

COASH: It's odd to me that you seem to think that there isn't any religious fundamentalism in the States. It's rampant here. Turn on the TV or radio any day of the week and check out the religious channels. Think about the church and school prayer type issues, school censorship issues, the abortion clinic bombings, etc. The USA is a hotbed of religious fundamentalism. In Egypt and in most of the Middle-East, dictators run the countries with an iron grip. There are no opposition political parties allowed, at all. So the only organized group beside the government are the mosques. It's a very polarized situation. If you are against the government and want to do anything about it, the mosques are really the only place to turn. And we in the West often think of all Muslims as being fundamentalists. But in reality it's just like here in the States with Christianity or any other religion, the range of practice and belief goes from fundamentalism to those who were raised in a religion but never go to church except on Christmas. There are many, many mosques and Muslim organizations who strive for better things without resorting to violence or being considered fundamentalist. Interestingly, Iran is probably the closest to what you're talking about, where moderate, more secular groups are pushing for less religious oppression. And I think this is because there isn't a dictator there (anymore). I think that we in the West are not helping ourselves by supporting countries ruled by dictators. We made plenty of mistakes doing that in the past, like in Central America, etc. We should think about that. More moderate, mainstream political alternatives are not and will not be tolerated by the governments currently in power.

INTERACT: Clearly homosexuality statistically exists in countries that repress it. Is there an active suppression of sexual minorities in Egypt?

COASH: There is no such thing as a sexual minority. That's how repressed it is. There was a recent case in Egypt that involved about 200 Egyptian gays that were rounded up at a nightclub and then tried for homosexuality. Mass convictions of those without enough pull to get released. Homosexuality is a major no-no and kept very, very quiet by those who are inclined that way.

INTERACT: Is clitoral circumcision still practiced there?

COASH: Female circumcision is still practiced in most of the Middle-East and Africa. It's estimated that more than 90% of Egyptian women are circumcised. This is a huge hot-button topic in Egypt. And one in which the West has caused a lot of problems and ill-will by trying to force our opinions and beliefs on a population. A very colonial attitude. Some years ago due to Western pressure, circumcision was outlawed with the result that instead of doctors doing it and perhaps talking people into not doing it, now barbers, mid-wives, etc. do it in tents at festivals with often horrendous results. A program of letting doctors perform less radical circumcisions while educating the population would be likely be a more effective, long-range deterrent.

INTERACT: As was the case in an earlier play we did this season about Africa, Lee Blessing's Going to St. Ives, the impact of the colonial empire is still an issue. Is colonial rule still an issue between Egyptians and British expatriates living in modern day Cairo?

COASH: Yes, there are still bad feelings about English colonialism in Egypt. Not like in places like Algeria, etc. but definitely some residual hard feelings, but not among the Muslims. It's the Coptic Christians who were screwed over by British policies. The Brits had a policy of divide and conquer in their colonial outposts. Previous to their occupation, the Copts had much more power and influence, the English gave all government and power positions to the Muslims, thereby embittering the Copts who had assumed that the English being Christians would probably favor them.

INTERACT: To what extent did you feel this impact living there?

COASH: We really didn't feel much impact from post-colonial hard feelings. Only in the food. The Middle-Eastern countries that were under French influence have much superior cuisine!

INTERACT: It is interesting that you chose to make your protagonist British rather than American. Is there a reason?

COASH: One of the reasons I chose English characters was the fact that England had been the colonial power here. Many Egyptians grow up in English type schools, studying English literature, and speaking with English accents. They are then often bitterly disappointed when they arrive in England and are discriminated against. Funnily enough, even though France wasn't in power here, almost all upper-class Egyptians speak French. In the not too distant past, many upper-class Egyptians only spoke French and not Arabic.

INTERACT: Life on the street has an active impact on the characters living in their apartment in your play - not only because when they venture out they are at risk but because sounds and smells of daily life intrude. How different is this from life in a city here?

COASH: Cairo is wild, exotic, chaotic, LOUD city that constantly intrudes on you whether you are out in the street or in your flat. To me that was a great charm. The major difference though between living there and in the States, is that it was much safer to live there. You can walk anywhere in Cairo day or night and be completely safe. It was only when we traveled in Europe or the States that we had to remind ourselves to watch our bags or be careful what neighborhood we were walking in, etc. I would often go to McDonalds with my students and they would go put their purses on the table and then go up to order.

INTERACT: Thwarted love is at the heart of your play, as much as politics are, between the men and also between the British Consular official and, well, apparently everyone. To what extent do you see the deeply personal playing a significant role in the abjectly political? Does every political decision have behind it a motive like Bush saying of Saddam Hussein that "he tried to kill my daddy"?

COASH: I think most politics are personal. How can they not be? And most of our personal feelings about these things are dictated by what we read/see in the media. Even though we think we get free, unbiased reporting here in the States, we don't. It's a joke. It was a great eye-opener to daily be exposed to another culture's media. If all Americans could see ourselves through the eyes of outside media we might begin to understand ourselves and others better. Americans are incredibly egocentric and it hurts us.

INTERACT: We're proud to be the theatre doing the world premiere of this play. What's next for you? What's next for this play?

COASH: I've been lucky with this play so far. There are several productions scheduled around the country. It's very exciting. But I'm very glad that the premiere is at the Interact as I've always admired their mission of doing new plays that have something to say to and about our society. As for me, I have several irons in the fire. I just finished directing a short film and I'm adapting another of my plays that will be shot in the Spring. I'm also in the middle of writing a new play. I love writing plays as it allows me to hang out with all these really great theatre people.

INTERACT: Thanks, Tom.