Saeed Al-Thumali - 2015 Audience

November, 2015

When I first heard about Weaving and what it was about, my reactions were kind of mixed. One of the biggest questions in my mind was "How would these stories affect women who were not christian" because from what I have heard of Weaving was that it was stories of woman in the bible.

Nonetheless, I went with a lot of enthusiasm. One thing that caught me off guard when I was watching the show was how relatable all the stories were to women of all backgrounds and all different religions, especially in Islam and how woman are treated (and are still treated to this day.) I remember a lot of these women's stories echoing in the back of my mind and how most of those stories were very similar to the issues a lot of women face today. 

Another great example of how this play was meant to empower all women were two things: using sign language while the actors spoke their lines, and the diversity of the cast. Normally in the theater department at Gonzaga, at least from the plays I have seen, I have never seen a diverse cast of characters. It was very smart of the director to recognize this and to have the great range of actor she did. Because if the play is about women, it should include all different kinds of women (or at least attempt to have a diverse cast.) The sign language was also a highlight for me, because I have never seen a show done like that before and I thought it was a great way to get all kinds of people involved.