Heather Raffo

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Heather Raffo

Born Heather Raffo
Flag of the United States Michigan, United States

Heather Raffo (born in Michigan, United States) is an Lucille Lortel Award-winning[1] Iraqi American playwright and actress, best known for her leading role in the one-woman play 9 Parts of Desire.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Her father is Iraqi, a civil engineer and her mother is American,[2] who are both of Christian faith [3] and Heather is a Roman Catholic [4] who grew up in Michigan. Heather holds a BA from the University of Michigan, an MFA from the University of San Diego and she also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Having been born in the United States, she and her family have visited Iraq, in 1974 when she was a little girl and again in 1993.[5]

Raffo credits Ntozake Shange as her most significant artistic influence and has noted her an inspiration to writing her own work after reading For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

[edit] Career

She is most famous for her notable role in the one-woman play 9 Parts of Desire, which has been noted "Profoundly moving! Rated A" by Entertainment Weekly. The play focuses on the lifes of women in her fathers homeland, and was originally thought of in 1993 after a visit to her Iraqi relatives and it was also inspired by Raffo's trip to the Saddam Art Centre in Baghdad where she saw only billboard size portraits of Saddam Hussein. Then in a back room, she saw a painting of a nude woman clinging to a barren tree, she took a photo of the painting, came back to America and has been digesting this painting into a play, a decade later she completed the play, which features monologues by nine highly distinct Iraqi women, all played by herself.

When asked about 9 Parts of Desire, she quotes

"I'd love to hear an American say, 'That Bedouin woman is just like my aunt.' But at the same time, I want American audiences to walk out a little confused, not able to say, 'Oh, I get it,' but rather to understand how difficult it is to grasp the psyche of people who have lived under Saddam for 30 years with American support, then had a war with Iran, resulting in 1.5 million deaths, followed by 13 years of sanctions and two wars under American firepower."

The response to the play drew much media attention to Heather, as she has given numerous public appearances and interviews on American television shows, she has also spoken to the National Press Club, as well as featuring in O Magazine as part of her "Aha Moment". With such major success in London, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington DC, 9 Parts of Desire is currently being translated for international productions in France, Brazil and Turkey. Heather has also been approached by International press about doing stories on her show, but she refused as she didn't want to draw attention to her family in Iraq, as it could lead to dangerous circumstances. [6]

Heather is also one of the six participating writers for the play The Middle East, In Pieces, a play in which displays the current developments in the Middle East and addresses the conflicts in Lebanon, Israel and Iraq.

Her other acting credits include, playing Sarah Woodruff in the world premiere of The French Lieutenant's Woman performed at the Fulton Opera House. The Off-Broadway, Over The River and Through the Woods, the Off Broadway/National Tour of Macbeth where she played Lady Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor as Mistress Page and The Rivals all with The Acting Company. Regionally in theatre productions of the following, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Macbeth, and The Comedy of Errors all with The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

She is currently performing in a play called In Darfur by Winter Miller at New Yorks Public Theatre, revealing the depth of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan [7]. The play was made to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur and help encourage activism.

[edit] Filmography

  • 9 Parts of Desire
  • In Darfur
  • The Middle East, In Pieces

[edit] Awards

  • Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Special Commendation
  • Marian Seldes-Garson Kanin Fellowship for 9 Parts of Desire.
  • Lucille Lortel Award (2005) for Outstanding Solo Show

[edit] Nominations

  • Outer Critics Circle Nomination
  • Drama League nomination for Outstanding Performance

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Envelope - LA Times
  2. ^ http://www.phillyfuture.org/node/2463
  3. ^ http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=798982003
  4. ^ http://www.levantinecenter.org/pages/heatherraffo.html
  5. ^ Heather "9 Parts" Raffo. findarticles.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
  6. ^ Heather "9 Parts" Raffo. findarticles.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
  7. ^ http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A244510

[edit] External links

[edit] Video