Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 138

media showed press conferences, protests, and demonstrations to welcome refugees and also to keep them out. Politicians would lie as crowds cheered for their slogans. But nothing was actually changing, except for the anger that kept growing inside of me. I had to extinguish the fire raging inside of me. And driven by that anger, I participated in my first play. Theatre was an odd idea, but the feeling was so great. To know that I did something by standing on that stage, telling my story, was a powerful realization. A tiny play comprising only Syrian women could not change anything, but it helped me. I felt that these stories were mineā€”in every detail and through every tear. The next time I performed I was still a refugee and the situation in Syria had only worsened. But I was not worried. I was excited. I knew what to do when the director asked me to speak about my family. I said that theater is not for entertainment; I had a message to communicate to the audience. My message was anger. I will not forget how it felt when I stood in front of the audience and shouted my anger in their faces. At that exact moment I knew what the theater and art can do; it helped me to use my anger and transformed it into action. It has changed me forever, and for sure it can change others. 137