The Devil on All Sides and Other Plays

Drama. Translated from the French by Ben Yalom and Michelle Haner. THE DEVIL ON ALL SIDES is the play that brought Melquiot to prominence. Set in the war in ex-Yugoslavia, it tells the story of Lorko Ljevic, a young Serbian man, his wife Elma, a Bosnian, and their family. As the world around them is torn apart, they struggle to maintain humanity and beauty in the midst of internecine violence and degradation. To tell this story, Melquiot shifts seamlessly between the magical and the real, the metaphoric and the concrete, the deeply personal and the universal. The other two works, 'The Unheard of World' and 'Albatross,' are fanciful fairytales with delightful characters, both comic and tragic. And yet they are so much more than the standard 'family' fare encountered in American 'children's theater.' Both are thought-provoking pieces that deal with profound, complex issues such as death, love, dreams, memory, and the nature of existence. They delight audiences both young and old, offering experiences that can truly be shared by all. Ben Yalom is the founder and Co-Artistic Director of foolsFURY Theater, and the FURY Factory festival of ensemble theater. He serves on the board of the Network of Ensemble Theaters. Michelle Haner is an American actress, director, teacher and translator who has worked extensively in both the US and Europe. She is a member of Ensemble Studio Theater-LS, Classical Theatre Lab and foolsFURY, where she heads the company's Contemporary French Plays Program.