The Afghanistan Project

Talia had the amazing opportunity to travel to Afghanistan to research her next play. She is the first playwright to be part of the Canadian Forces Artists Program (formally known as the War Artists Program). During the first and second world wars and the Korean War, this program was made up of visual artists only. Alex Colville during the second world war is the most famous example. The program ended after the Korean War, but was revived in 2001. Every other year, artists of all disciplines are invited to apply with a project specifically centered on some aspect of our Armed Forces. In 2010, Talia was one of ten artists from across the country from a variety of disciplines.

After visiting Afghanistan and being introduced to every aspect of our mission there, Talia continues to interview soldiers and civilians who have been on deployments there, as well as those left behind to wait for their safe return. The stories are as varied as the people involved. There is enough material there to write about for a decade. The first play to come out of the series she is planning will have a public reading as part of the program in 2012.

To see several photo albums Talia created after this trip, please follow these links:
Album 1   |   Album 2   |   Album 3   |   Album 4

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