A playwright and an actor from a highly-regarded Syrian stage group say they went through hell to enter the United States for a series of performances this week.
Playwright Mohammad Al Attar and actor Nanda Mohammad were among eight of the nine cast and crew members who made it into the United States in time for a staging of “While I Was Waiting,” at the prestigious Lincoln Center in New York City.
The Syrian-born group travelled to the U.S. from six different countries in Europe and the Middle East, enduring a frustrating and invasive screening process so they could put on their performance.
“It shouldn’t be like this,” Al Attar told CTV News Channel on Wednesday, hours before he was slated to take the stage for the first time in New York. “The requirements, the demands were at sometimes illogical, insulting,” he said.
He added that the crew largely represents the Syrian diaspora, as they all originated from Syria but most are living in other countries now.
U.S. officials demanded their social media information, and questioned them extensively about whether or not they were terrorists before allowing (most) of them to head to New York. Their German-based lighting designer was denied a visa twice, and ultimately will not be in New York for the performance.
Mohammad said she’s seen a sharp divide in the attitude toward her as a Syrian in the United States.
“I feel the people are really happy to have us here,” she said. “From the government, with the new laws, I don’t feel welcome at all. It’s really both different sides, which is really the reality now here in America.”
The play itself tells the story of a Syrian refugee who relives moments from his life after he is beaten and left in a coma at a security checkpoint near Damascus.
