“Third Country”, written by Suehyla El-Attar, is a new play based on events in Clarkston, GA. The play tells the story of Nura, a new refugee in a small Southern town.
“WELCOME!!!” yells Sasha, an indelicate and exaggerated smile plastered across her face as she introduces the new Somalian refugee Nura to her new house in the small town in Georgia.
Sasha, played by Marcie Millard, has a manner that is just a bit too enthusiastic. Nura has arrived in her “third country,” her ultimate site of resettlement after fleeing her first country, to a refugee camp in a second country, to avoid violence and persecution. Sasha’s cheery exterior is made to conceal the desperation of Nura’s situation, and the effect is disconcerting but wonderful.
From its early moments, “Third Country,” the new play at Horizon Theatre, in Little Five Points, aims to wrestle head-on with difficulties of life in multicultural “Sidington, GA,” a city modeled on Clarkston, GA. The play draws directly on interviews that playwright Suehyla El-Attar held with residents of real-life Clarkston in the last year.
“I’d say the main struggle is trying to understand what home is for everybody,” she said. “When you have many people in a small space there will be challenges.”
Like Sasha’s overly exaggerated smile, El-Attar’s play is a touch more excited than it probably should be. Sasha cares on a personal level for the influx of refugees coming into her city, unlike her boss Mary Margaret, who has taught herself not to care enough. This struggle to find a balance between providing support and promoting self-sufficiency, in an off-balance situation, is the central struggle of the play.
Sasha is a new refugee resettlement caseworker, happy and excited to meet Nura and introduce her to the country. Nura is wondrous and warm, and serves as the moral compass of the play. She trembles at the sounds of video-game violence in her neighbor’s apartment, and literally glows when speaking of her dream to be a teacher, and cheers like a child at her first visit to a Braves game.
While Mary Margaret and Sasha wrestle with maintaining a safe distance with their clients, Malcolm, the insipid mayor of the small Georgia town, cannot seem to assure Assad, a long-term resident, Sudanese community leader and soccer enthusiast, and Charlie, a sympathetic grocery store manager that he is able to handle the changes occurring in his town.
Though the play accurately portrays many aspects of Clarkston life, it is a bit lacking in actual intrigue. The main conflicts reside off-stage, instigated by unseen characters: a malevolent city police officer and a pestering New York Times journalist. Clever tricks with staging, particularly in moments when solitary characters like Hassan and Nura are on-stage alone facing the difficulties of life in Sidington, keep the play creative and entertaining to the end.
It all seems a little bit too well-packaged. The ending is tidy and neat and the conflicts are a little bit too easily resolved. The emotional effect of the play is substantial, and the writing is consistently clever and engaging, but the overall depth of the play reaches only surface-level, and that is a shame.
But throughout the play, the characters are likeable and easily recognized by anyone who has spent time here in Clarkston. It’s easy to forgive a few easy, simplistic love stories, some cheeky jokes, and a shy avoidance of the more difficult struggles and complications here in Clarkston, because the play is satisfying, well-written, and fun, and the actors and crew deliver a fresh-faced and unblinking portrayal of the challenges and rewards of working and living in Clarkston.
“Third Country” is well worth your time, and especially if you live or participate in the rich Clarkston community, this play is a must-see. The play also features discussion sessions after each showing that are hosted by local refugee serving organizations. For tickets, call 404.584.7450 or visit tickets.horizontheatre.com.
The Broadway 