IMPACT STATEMENTS & TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR PARTNERS
A MESSAGE FROM FAR AWAY
From Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, Community Partner:
“Over the summer, we had the opportunity to be part of a two-day long celebration to raise public
awareness about the world's displaced children seeking asylum and remaining invisible to most
people. The events, organized by Remote Theater Project, were artistically planned and implemented
in a culturally sensitive manner. The outcome was fantastic! We had many immigrant families with
young children participating in the events. The most important part of the event, to me, as a co-
sponsor, was the storytelling and singing by the young New Mainers. Remote Theater Project created
a community in Portland, Maine, where for a few days we all felt belonged and valued.”
Reza Jalali, Executive Director, Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center
From Mayo Street Arts, Community Partner:
"Mayo Street Arts was delighted to partner with Remote Theater Project on A Message From Far
Away this summer. The event not only allowed Maine-based organizations such as ours to
participate in an exciting international event, it also provided us with a chance to collaborate with
so many incredible immigrant rights and arts nonprofits right here in our own community. What's
more, A Message From Far Away served as a major theme for our work with summer camp student
s, who crafted large papier mâché birds that carried the children's messages of condolence and hope for Little Amal. Many of these students are children of immigrants or have immigrated to Maine themselves. Facilitating an opportunity to reflect on those experiences while empathizing with Little Amal's journey was a tender, heart-warming experience."
Ian Bannon, Executive Director, Mayo Street Arts
GREY ROCK
“Watching the play has changed the way I look at my life.”
“The play was very sad and I felt overwhelmed at the end. However, I went back the next day to watch it for a second time and to listen again to every word said during the play and afterward by the writer/ director. I was very lucky to watch it twice: so many things to learn from it about life and love.”
“Art is very important in people’s lives. People can convey complicated ideas and understand intense emotions through art. Art can also be a political tool against oppression and oppressive authorities.
From Rabbi Yigal Sklarin, Principal Ramaz School
First of all, thank you for opening up your performance to our students at Ramaz.
I am sorry I couldn’t be there in person, but heard it was a moving and meaningful performance. One faculty member told me she cried twice!
From students of Professor Dima Hanna Arabic class at Swarthmore University
“At the end of the play, I saw pride in Palestinians’ eyes and I understood that they wanted more happiness, opportunities and freedom just like all of us. They don’t want sympathy that’s not accompanied with actions because that would be useless. A lot of people who watched the play had the same feelings I had, and that was due to the power of art. Art can make us understand, and feel, the world and the people around us.”
“In the play, I see the importance of creativity and dreams. Yusuf, his friends and neighbors live under the Israeli occupation that burns his soul, but Yusuf continues to build the rocket to travel to the moon. He knows that it’s difficult, yet the more difficult it is, the more determined he is to accomplish it. The rocket symbolized his soul and humanity and the Israeli occupation couldn’t break that. The rocket in the play is just like art in our life; it’s the means through which Yusuf was able to express himself.”