PLAY GUIDE

Education SponSor:G.E. LiGhtinG and appLiancE

production

AboUt The KiTe runnerPLAY GUIDE

This play guide is a standards-based resource designed to enhance your theatre experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning of theatre arts and to encourage essential questions that lead to enduring understandings of the play’s meaning and relevance. Inside you will find history/contextual information, vocabulary and worksheets that lay the groundwork of the story and build anticipation for the performance. Oral discussion and writing prompts encourage your students to reflect upon their impressions and to analyze and relate key ideas to their personal experiences and the world around them. These can easily be adapted to fit most writing objectives. The Bridgework connects theatre elements with ideas for drama activities in the classroom as well as integrated curriculum. We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in any way to best fit the needs of your community of learners. Please feel free to make copies of this guide, or you may download it from our website: ActorsTheatre.org. We hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will give you the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience.

The Kite Runner student matinees and play guides address specific educational objectives:

• Students will identify or describe the use of elements of drama in dramatic works.

• Students will analyze how time, place and ideas are reflected in drama/theatre

• Students will explain how drama/theatre fufills a variety of purposes

If you have any questions or suggestionsregarding our play guides, please contactSteven Rahe, Director of Education, at502-584-1265 ext. 3045.

tabLE of contEntS3 The Kite Runner Synopsis, Characters and Setting

4 About the Author; About the Adaptor

5 In Their Own Words: Khaled Hosseini

and Matthew Spangler

6 An Interview with Humaira Ghilzai,

Cultural Consultant

7 Afghan Diversity and Conflict 8 Afghanistan Timeline 10 Bridging Barriers: An American in Afghanistan

Shares His Take on The Kite Runner

12 Writing Portfolio, Discussion Questions

13 Bridgework

14 Other Reading and Works Cited

15 Glossary of Terms

actors Theatre educationSteven Rahe, Director of EducationJacob Stoebel, Associate Director of EducationJulie Mercurio, Education FellowJane B. Jones, Education Intern/Teaching ArtistChristina Lepri, Education Intern/Teaching ArtistLiz Fentress, Teaching ArtistJessica Leader, Teaching Artist

Play Guide compiled by Alex Connolly, Tara Duffy, Adrien-Alice Hansel, Julie McCormick, Steven Rahe, Jacob Stoebel, Amy Wegener

Graphic Design by John Bowhers and Elissa Shortridge

Special Thanks to Arizona Theatre Company for use of their study guide articles.

the Crawford Charitable Foundation supports education programming for Actors

theatre of Louisville’s 2010-2011 season

the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency,

supports Actors theatre of Louisville with state tax dolars and federal

funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

SynopSiSAmir, an Afghan-American living in San José, Calif., gets a phone call one day which pulls him back into his past in an instant. Growing up as a member of the ethnic Pashtun upper class in Kabul, Afghanistan, Amir lived a life of privilege made possible by his father’s money and his servants’ work. His childhood was spent playing side-by-side with a servant boy named Hassan, a member of the ethnic Hazara people who are looked down upon, even hated, in Afghanistan. In a fateful moment, Amir betrayed his friend and servant, Hassan, and made a decision that haunted him for years to come, long after he and his father left Afghanistan behind because of political turmoil and war.

Years later, the phone call reminds the adult Amir that he cannot outrun his past. He must return to the land of his childhood to try to make amends for what he did so many years ago. But time and politics have drastically changed the Afghanistan of his childhood into a country he barely recognizes. He finds himself up against the same prejudice and evil from which he ran the first time. Will Amir be able to atone for his past?

-from The Kite Runner Play Guide, reprinted with permission of Arizona Theatre Company

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caSt of charactErS

An Afghan boy by a carpet selling stand. Photo by Steve Evans

AmirThirty-nine-year-old Afghan Pashtun who immigrated to America, reflecting on his past and in search for redemption in the present.

Young AmirAmir as a boy living in 1970s Afghanistan. Hassan’s best friend but desperately wants his father’s approval. Twelveyears old. Afghan Pashtun.

AliHassan’s father and Baba’s servant. Afghan Hazara.

AssefAs a twelve-year-old in Act I, he bullies Hassan and Amir. As a thirty-eight-year-old in Act II, he is a member of the Taliban. Afghan Pashtun.

mrs. nguYenVietnamese shop owner in California.

sorAYAGeneral Taheri’s daughter and Amir’s supportive and loving wife. Afghan Pastun.

fAridAmir’s cab driver when he returns to Afghanistan. Former Mujahideen fighter against the Soviets. Afghan Tajik.

sohrAbHassan’s son. Ten years old. Afghan Hazara.

bAbAAmir’s father who is hard to please. In his forties in Act I, fifties by Act II. Afghan Pashtun.

hAssAnYoung Amir’s loyal best friend and servant. Eleven years old. Afghan Hazara.

rAhim khAnBaba’s business partner and friend who reaches out to Amir. Late thirties to early forties in Act I, mid to late sixties in Act II. Afghan Pashtun.

wAli And kAmAlPart of Assef ’s gang in Act I. Afghan Pashtuns.

generAl TAheriFormer military leader who fled Afghanistan to resettle in America but still values traditional Afghan ways. Afghan Pashtun.

dr. schneiderAmerican oncologist of Russian descent.

zAmAnRuns an orphanage just outside of Kabul faced with choices. Afghan Pashtun.

omAr fAisAlA disorganized but kind Pakistani/American immigration attorney.

rAYmond AndrewsA harshly honest American Embassy Official in Pakistan.

SEttinGSpanning place and time from Kabul, Afghanistan in 1973 to San José, Calif. in 2002.

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about thE authorkhaLEd hoSSEiniIn many ways, the life of Amir and the events portrayed in The Kite Runner, reflect author Khaled Hosseini’s own personal story. He was born on March 4th, 1965 in Kabul where The Kite Runner begins. Like the protagonist Amir, Hosseini and his four younger siblings enjoyed a peaceful childhood in the affluent Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the Afghan capital city where kite fighting is a local passion, much like basketball or football here in the United States. Because of his father’s career as a diplomat for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, the family had to move away from Afghanistan to Tehran, and later Paris. It was while the Hosseini family was living abroad that the PDPA (the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) violently took control of the government in 1978, followed by the Soviet invasion. Instead of returning to the war-torn country, the Hosseini family resettled in San José, California, among a growing Afghan refugee population.

Like Baba and Amir, Hosseini’s family had very little when they came to the United States, despite their wealth and status back in Afghanistan. His father, the former diplomat, worked on an assembly line, while his mother, a former teacher of history and Farsi, worked as a waitress at a Denny’s. Taking an example from his hardworking parents, Hosseini applied himself to his studies, graduating from high school, college, and medical school, eventually becoming a doctor. However, he had always loved reading and writing, and was first inspired to try writing novels after reading John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath in his high school English class. He wrote the draft for The Kite Runner in the early morning hours before working longs shifts at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The book was published in 2003 and quickly became a best-seller; its themes of friendship and redemption resonated with readers. While there are many parallels between Hosseini’s and Amir’s lives as far as the setting and the historical events in The Kite Runner, Hosseini says that the plot itself is not autobiographical.

Hosseini continues to write (A Thousand Splendid Suns, 2007), and provides humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through The Khaled Hosseini Foundation. He organized the Foundation after a trip to Afghanistan in 2007 as a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It had been thirty

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner

about thE adaptorMatthEw SpanGLErMatthew Spangler adapted the script for The Kite Runner from Khaled Hosseini’s novel. He is an Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at San Jose State University, where he teaches courses on adaptation. Previous works include a one-actor show of James Joyce’s novel, Dubliners, as well as an adaptation using several short stories by Ernest Hemingway. He also wrote a music-theatre adaptation, Mozart!, based on the composer’s letters. He received his B.A. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, and later a Ph. D. in Performance Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

years since the author had left his native country. Although he wrote a graphic depiction of modern-day Afghanistan in The Kite Runner, he said after seeing the devastation first-hand he realized the situation was worse than what he had imagined. Hosseini currently lives in northern California with his wife and two children.

did you know?Actors Theatre is offering a new

how-to-adapt playwriting residency. adaptation is a ten-session residency

guiding fifth-grade classrooms through the process of turning a modern classic book into a play.

For more information contact us at education@actorstheatre.org

situated to counter some of the stereotypes about Afghanistan: specifically, that it’s a war-torn country of mud huts, poverty, and terrorists. Afghanistan, as the book shows, has an incredibly diverse society—both ethnically as well as politically. Afghanistan can no more be equated with the Taliban than the United States can be equated with the KKK.

After I read the book, in 2005, I contacted Khaled and I asked him what he would think of a stage production that would cover the entire narrative of The Kite Runner. He lives in San Jose and I’m a professor at San Jose State University, where I teach courses in adapting material for the stage. Our proximity was convenient because we were able to meet for the first time at a local Starbucks. He liked the idea of a play, and I guess you might say the rest is history.

-Both interviews are condensed from interviews conducted by Jonathan Crider, PR and Marketing Associate of Arizona Theatre Company

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in thEir own wordS

khaLEd hoSSEiniMr. Hosseini published The Kite Runner, his first novel, in 2003. it quickly became an international sensation. Here, he sets the record straight on whether or not it is autobiographical.

The story of The Kite Runner has always taken precedence over everything else. It is quite a burden for a writer to feel a responsibility to represent his or her own culture and to educate others about it.

My writing always starts from a very personal, intimate place, about human connections, and then expands from there.

I’m asked all the time about how autobiographical this book is. It’s not a memoir by any stretch of imagination, although I have a surprisingly hard time convincing some of my readers of that. You know, there are some parallels within my life and the life of the boy in The Kite Runner. I grew up in Kabul in the same era, I went to the same school, we both were kind of precocious writers, we both love film, loved those early Westerns of the ’60s and ’70s. So there is quite a bit of me in the book. The story line itself, what happens between the boys and the fallout from that, that just—that is all imagination.

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, and Matthew spangler, who adapted the novel as a play, discuss the story, its context and its journey from page to stage.

MatthEw SpanGLEr

Mr. spangler’s adaptation of The Kite Runner has been performed at the san jose Repertory and arizona Theater company. in this interview, he talks about why he thought it would translate as theater, and how he worked with the author to bring it to the stage.

I absolutely loved The Kite Runner from the moment I first read it. This is the rarest of novels in that it contains both a political/historical story as well as a beautifully human story about interpersonal relationships.

amir, in some sense, begs the audience for forgiveness for what he has done.

I knew right away that the book had the potential to make a powerful play. First, the characters are vividly drawn: from Baba’s sometimes authoritarian attitude toward his son, to Assef ’s sociopathic bullying, to Amir’s ruthless narcissism. Second, much of the book’s drama is rooted in the candid and heartfelt nuances of Amir’s first-person narration. So much so, it almost reads like a confessional; Amir, in some sense, begs the audience for forgiveness for what he has done.

One of the things I find most compelling about this novel, and it’s something I’ve tried to replicate in the play, is that it is uniquely

The cover for the novel, The Kite Runner

Afghanistan in global geography

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intErviEw with thE cuLturaL conSuLtantan afGhan aMErican’S takE on the kite runnert

Humaira Ghilzai

actors education recently spoke with Humaira Ghilzai, the cultural consultant for actors Theatre’s production of The Kite Runner. Born in Afghanistan but now living in San Francisco, Ghilzai acts as the chair of the Afghan Friends Network, an organization that seeks to educate and empower Afghans, particularly girls and women. Ghilzai has also worked on previous productions of The Kite Runner. Read more to find out Ghilzai’s role in the production, her own immigrant story and what she hopes audience members realize about Afghanistan after seeing the play.

actors: Can you describe what your role as the Cultural Consultant for The Kite Runner entails?

Humaira: My role is to work with every aspect of the production to make sure everything is culturally accurate. I originally worked with Matthew Spangler on the first version of the play, consulting on language—there are a lot of Dari words. I worked with the director to give the cultural context, to explain the background of how some of these characters lived. I’ve been working with the set and costume designers too. My job is not the creative aspect of the production; I basically look at their ideas and say “Yes, a Pashtun man would wear this hat,” or “No, an Afghan man of that class would not wear this color.” I will be working with the actors on their gestures and their language, especially when they use Dari words.”

“i basically look at their ideas and say ‘Yes, a Pashtun man would wear this hat,’ or ‘no, an afghan man of that class would not wear this color.’ ”

actors: How do you think the Afghan immigrant story, like the one seen in The Kite Runner, is similar to other immigrant stories? How is it different?

Humaira: My husband read the book first and he said to me, “Read this—it’s your family’s story.” I think many Afghan immigrants experienced an element of what’s in The Kite Runner, whether it’s how we left behind our loved ones or how we traveled across the border to get out of the country. There was an active war and people who were living happy lives beforehand were no longer safe nor welcomed within their own country, so they had to leave just to survive.

I want to note that the Afghan immigrants have not just come to the United States, which I think is different from the Ellis Island stories. Afghans went to Pakistan, Iran, Europe, the U.S. and Australia. It was like shattering glass and scattering the pieces all over the world. I think that happens more to war immigrants as opposed to those who immigrated for a better [economic] life.

For example, my family crossed the border to Pakistan and then we went to Germany. My father and three of my siblings were already in the United States, so they sponsored us to come here. My two aunts didn’t have anyone in the U.S., and my father couldn’t sponsor them, so they stayed behind in Germany.

it was like shattering glass and scattering the pieces all over the world.

actors: How do you think students’ perceptions of Afghanistan will be changed after seeing The Kite Runner?

Humaira: I think people don’t understand Afghanistan because what you hear on the news is only the U.S. military effort. What they are going to walk away with is seeing a cultural perception of Afghanistan—that these people have lives and traditions. It will bring a human face to Afghanistan, and the story itself is a global story of two friends where there is a rift and then regret. I think that the idea of redemption is universal.

Hazaras the most oppressed ethnic minority, are the third largest ethnic group, making up nearly a tenth of the overall population. Hazarajat, the area in central Afghanistan where most Hazaras live, is a barren, impoverished region that lacks good roads and schools. Many Hazaras in urban areas, especially before the Soviet invasion, worked as servants for the Pashtun upper-class, like Hassan and Ali in The Kite Runner. Hazaras are often said to be descendents of Genghis Khan’s Mongol army that invaded Afghanistan in the

11th century, due to their Asiatic features like a flatter face and slanted eyes. However, like any ethnic group, not all Hazaras look identical. Hazaras are a religious minority as well; in a country composed predominantly of Sunni Muslims, Hazaras belong to the Shia sect.

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afGhan divErSity and confLicttafghanistan is a mosaic of various ethnic groups and languages. its location, connecting east, West, south and central asia, has made it attractive to conquerors and traders alike, each group contributing to the culture through art, architecture, language and religion. The distinct customs and lifestyles of the three most populous ethnic groups, Pashtun, tajik, and Hazara, demonstrate the multifaceted nature of afghan culture, but their interactions reveal that such diversity can breed tension and conflict, as seen in The Kite Runner.

Pashtuns have dominated Afghan politics and culture since the mid-18th

century, with most of the kings and top leaders coming from this ethnic group. Comprising nearly half of the Afghan population, Pashtuns are both upper

and lower class, live in urban and rural settings, and belong to many distinct tribes, some of which don’t always get along. In The Kite Runner, Amir and

Baba are members of the urban Pashtun upper-class. Pashtuns speak Pashto,

an Indo-European language, which is recognized as one of Afghanistan’s two

official languages.Pashtun father and daughter in Khowst Province, Afghanistan.

tajiks compose much of the middle class as farmers, vendors and mid-level government officials. They make up nearly a third of the total population. Tajiks don’t maintain the same tribal distinctions like Pashtuns, but instead base loyalty on their village or city. Although this group makes up a significant part of Afghan society, there is only one Tajik character in The Kite Runner—Farid, the taxi driver who transports Amir into Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Most Tajiks speak Dari, the Afghan variant of Farsi (Persian), which is another official language of Afghanistan. In a country with nearly 49 distinct languages and dialects, many Afghans speak more than one language, and Dari serves as the common tongue for citizens from distant regions.

A Tajik Man with a traditional hat.

A Hazara Man. Photo by Steve Evans.

These two sects of Islam stem from a disagreement about whom to recognize as a legitimate leader of the religion following the death of the prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. Shias believed that leadership should stay within Muhammad’s family, while Sunnis thought it should be open to the community that surrounded the prophet. As a result, Shias follow the instructions of religious leaders known as imams, believed to be infallible, while Sunni Muslims do not have such a centralized spiritual authority. The two sects of Islam differ not only in leadership but also in the phrasing and performance of central prayers. However, Shia and Sunni Muslims still share many of the basic fundamental beliefs of Islam, such as the oneness of Allah (God) and Muhammad as the ultimate prophet.

Hazaras are part of the Shia sect (about 15% of the overall Afghan population). The majority of Afghans of the other ethnic groups are Sunni Muslims. The Taliban, composed of Sunni extremists and ethnic Pashtun supremacists, view Hazaras as only slightly above animals who should not be considered true Afghans due to their Shia practice of Islam and association with the Mongol invaders. This was most evident in 1998 in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif when Taliban forces took over the city and systematically singled out and killed 2,000 Hazaras and Tajiks. The Kite Runner also depicts violence against Hazaras at the hands of religious and ethnic fanatics.

what’S thE diffErEncE bEtwEEn Shia and Sunni MuSLiMS?

6Th cenTurY bce The Persians conquer ancient Afghanistan and introduce the Farsi/Dari language as well as epic poetry. Although The Shahnameh, the Persian poem that Amir reads to Hassan, was not written until 1000 CE, it stems from the storytelling tradition established in this era.

afGhaniStan tiMELinE

330 bce Alexander the Great, in his conquest of the Persian Empire, invades ancient Afghanistan on his way to the Hindu Kush mountains and India. Hellenistic (Greek) architecture is still found in some northern cities like Mazar-i-Sharif.

1sT cenTurY ce Afghan cities are stops along the Silk Road, a trade route that reached from China to the Mediterranean. Goods from all over the known world travel through and are exchanged in Afghanistan.

652 ce The Arab Conquest of the region establishes Islam as the dominant religion.

1979 The PDPA abolishment of traditional Muslim customs inspires Mujahideen resistance groups to oppose the government. Fearing they will be overthrown, the PDPA allows the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan to maintain Communist dominance.

1989 The Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan after a decade-long conflict that leaves the country devastated.

1992 The PDPA government collapses and the country plunges into civil war as rival Mujahideen factions vie for control of the country. 1996

The Taliban establishes a theocracy based on fundamentalist Islam.

This mosque is a Muslim place of worship. Photo by Steve Evans

Under Taliban rule, women could be violently punished if they did not wear the burqua.

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1220 ce Genghis Khan’s Mongol army invades Afghanistan as its raids travel westward from the Mongolian homeland in the east. At its height, the Mongol Empire streches from the Sea of Japan to the Danube River in Europe.

18Th cenTurY The Durrani Empire, founded and led by Pashtun tribal leaders, establishes Kabul as the capital and unites many regions into a modern Afghan state.

19Th cenTurY Fearing that Afghanistan would invade their colony, India, the British adopt a containment policy towards the country that results in frequent wars and occupations.

1893 The Durand Line Treaty defines the boundaries between Afghanistan and British-controlled India (which then includes Pakistan). This mountainous location serves as the basis for the modern Afghan-Pakistani border and makes policing movement between the two countries difficult.

1946 Kabul University becomes operational as the first modern institution for higher education in Afghanistan and includes faculties in Law, Agriculture, Islamic Studies, Literature, Economics and Pharmacology.

1973 King Zahir’s cousin, Mohammad Daoud Khan, stages a bloodless coup while the king is abroad in Italy and declares Afghanistan a republic.

1978 In the Saur Revolution, the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) violently overthrows the Daoud government, killing the prime minister.

2001 Due to the Taliban’s refusal to hand over Al-Qaeda operatives responsible for the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the U.S. launches an invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and capture Al-Qaeda leaders. Hamid Karzai is selected as the transitional leader and eventually is elected President of Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan continues today and is now the longest-running war in U.S. history.

2010 Large deposits of minerals in Afghanistan, including lithium and copper, are estimated to be worth nearly a trillion dollars. While the full effects of this development remain to be seen, this could potentially transform the Afghan economy and the country’s standing in international politics.

The flag of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan

captain anthony clark is a louisville native currently serving in the rural Khowst Province in eastern afghanistan. He works with afghan community members, primarily Pashtuns, on a daily basis to develop understanding and cooperation between locals and u.s troops. He graciously agreed to take some time to discuss his views on afghan culture, how it is misunderstood, and how The Kite Runner helps bridge cultural barriers.

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bridGinG barriErS:an aMErican in afGaniStan’S takE on the kite runner

CPT Anthony Clark in a Black Hawk helicopter

afghanistan: spanning urban and Rural CPT Clark notes that The Kite Runner is very much about urban Afghanistan, but the country also includes vast rural areas, like the Khowst Province where he is stationed. “Much like in the United States, the difference between rural and urban Afghans is a matter of identity.” He explains that “An Afghan identifies himself first by family, then by village, then by tribe, then by ethnic group, then by region, then by country, then as a Muslim.” In cities, though, tribal affiliation is not as important as in rural areas. CPT Clark points out that the urban Afghans in The Kite Runner heavily reference their ethnic groups in part because tribal affiliations are harder to see than “the more distinguishable ethnic differences.”

With less emphasis on the tribe in Afghan cities, Pashtunwali, the system that Pashtun tribes have used for millennia to govern themselves, is less important in an urban setting than it is in rural regions. In the tribe, the jigra, a council of elders, convenes to make the decisions that will assure the group’s well-being. According to

“i think the popular american misconception is that the only source of identity for afghans is their religion.”

What CPT Clark finds interesting about the story of The Kite Runner is “how it works to confront the various generalizations people have about Afghan history and government.” Although the play focuses on the small urban population of Afghanistan, “it still confronts several stereotypes,” he contends.

One stereotype is that all Afghans live in huts or caves. CPT Clark explains that while almost every Afghan he knows “lives in a mud-brick building he built himself,” city dwellers live in modern concrete buildings. But even those rural mud brick buildings are “rather nice, large, and decently constructed.”

Another stereotype is that all Afghans are violent fundamentalists. Though “most Afghans are very religiously conservative, not everyone is,” CPT Clark explains—and we see this in many characters in The Kite Runner. Moreoever, even the religiously conservative are not what he would consider religious fundamentalists.

CPT Clark believes that The Kite Runner “resonates with so many people because Amir’s story provides a bridge that a Western audience can use to connect to an Afghan society” and because the world and characters of The Kite Runner represent a combination of East and West. Also, Amir deals with major flaws but seeks a way “to atone for those character failings in his past.” The universality of such a journey overcomes cultural barriers.

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A typical home in Khowst Province. Photo by CPT Clark

Khowst City, with a population of 160,000, is the only urban center in Khowst Province. Photo by CPT Clark

Pashtunwali, which literally means “The Way of the Pashtuns,” honor does not just apply to the individual but rather the entire group. So if someone does something dishonorable, the entire tribe is dishonored. Other values include hospitality towards visitors and strangers, and appropriate retaliation for insults to the tribe’s honor.

CPT Clark sees examples of Pashtunwali in The Kite Runner, like General Taheri’s concern for his daughter’s honor and Rahim Khan’s hospitality towards Amir, but for the most part urban Afghans do not strictly follow the tenants of the code. “This is not the case when you step outside the city into areas where people live much like they have for the past 600 years with the exception of automobiles and cell phones,” CPT Clark says. There “the old honor code is still very much alive.”

Another difference between rural and urban Afghanistan is that “urban Afghans are more likely to be less conservative” than their rural counterparts. However, CPT Clark observes that stricter adherence to Islamic guidelines in rural regions “does not equate to the fundamentalism advocated by the Taliban.” In his personal experience, the Taliban “are a collection of a few zealots and a larger number of criminals who use a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam to control the population through fear.”

The taliban “are a collection of a few zealots and a larger number of criminals who use a fundamentalist interpretation of islam to control the population through fear.”

confronting the stereotypes

“I think the popular American misconception is that the only source of identity for Afghans is their religion,” says CPT Clark. Religion is just one of many ways in which Afghans can distinguish one person from another, in addition to family, tribe, village, region and ethnic group.

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pErSonaLThe action of The Kite Runner is centered on Amir’s need to atone for his betrayal of Hassan. Write a personal narrative about a time you failed or wronged a friend. What were the circumstances? Why did you do it? Did you seek forgiveness? What did you learn from this experience? Now write from your friend’s perspective. Try to imagine the same situation from their point of view.

writinG portfoLio

diScuSSion QuEStionSprE-Show QuEStionS1. The Kite Runner is an adaptation of a novel. Can you think of other works that have been adapted from a book into a stage or film production? What about movies that have become plays? Why do you think it happens so often? What are the challenges of adaptation? What other books or movies do you think would make a good play? Which ones do you think would not translate very well on stage? 2. In The Kite Runner, the fact that Amir and Hassan are of different ethnic and religious backgrounds (Pashtun Sunni and Hazara Shia) poses obstacles for their friendship. Can you think of example of other places and/or time periods in which societies have resisted friendships between different ethnicities? Do you think that such resistance exists in the United States today? Why or why not?

3. The Kite Runner portrays Amir and his father immigrating to the United States. Is there an immigrant story in your own family? Did your family ever move from one location to another? What were some of the challenges that you or your family faced due to this move or immigration?

poSt-Show QuEStionS1. Were you surprised by how Afghanistan and Afghans were portrayed in The Kite Runner? Did the play change your view of Afghanistan? How? Did you learn something new about the country and the people?

2. The Kite Runner explores the themes of forgiveness and redemption. Could you relate to Amir? Have you ever needed forgiveness from a friend? How did you go about asking your friend to forgive you? Were you successful? Why or why not?

LitEraryThe Kite Runner is a work of fiction that references actual historical events, like the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban. Research a major political upheaval and/or war and write a fictional short story that heavily features the main characters and plot points

tranSactivEWrite a review of the performance of The Kite Runner that you saw at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Describe what it was like to watch the play, but be sure to write more than just the plot of the play. Think about how the play tells the story. Make the experience come alive for the reader. Use lots of sensory details when describing the play’s elements, like the costumes, lights, props, and music. Also consider how the actors delivered their lines, and how the director realized the vision of the play. Let the reader decide for themselves if the play is worth seeing.

at your dESk activitiES

From Page to stageTake two to three pages from your favorite book and rewrite them as pages in the script of a stage adaptation. What are things that a playwright must deal with that would not have concerned the novelist? Are there things in books that are not possible on stage? Are there moments in books that would be boring in front of an audience, like a narrator telling us everything instead of showing it? Was this process easier or harder

than you thought? Why? Be sure to include the technical elements of theatre in the your stage directions, like what kind of costume the characters are wearing or what the lighting is like on stage.

telling Your story Through Kite designThe kite fighting depicted in The Kite Runner, like other popular sports including basketball and football, is an activity that engages the entire community—everyone watches the competition. Not only does kite fighting hold importance in the community, but also within the family of Amir and Baba and the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Ultimately, it is a way Amir defines his self-worth. Create a rhombus kite divided into 4 sections. Decorate one section to reflect your community, another for your family, another section for your friends, and the final section for yourself.

The following exercises combine creative drama, theatre concepts and core content to connect the theatre experience with drama activities in your classroom.

By exploring drama as a mode of learning, students strengthen skills for creative problem solving, imagination and critical thinking.

bridGEworkbuiLdinG connEctionS bEtwEEn StaGE and cLaSSrooM

on your fEEt activitiES

scene improvThe Kite Runner depicts the Afghan community and includes many large group scenes, like the kite fighting competition, the flea market, and the wedding. Three students start and improvise a scene in one of these three locations. Then other students in the class gradually incorporate themselves as characters in this setting, until the entire class is involved with creating this world. Try it once with speaking and then pick another location and create the scene silently. What changed when you couldn’t speak?

High FlyingKite fighting is a popular pastime in Kabul. Construct your own kite using the instructions from bigwindkites.com/20kids and then fly it. Was it easier or harder than you thought to make and fly the kite?

13Map of Afghanistan

A kite shop in Northern India

croSS-curricuLar connEctionS

HistoryIn recent decades, many Afghans have immigrated to other countries due to war and political unrest. Research Afghan emigration and create a table with the information that you find.

Geography Take the information you found out about the Afghan emigration and represent it visually on a world map by drawing arrows from Afghanistan to the other countries, writing the number above the arrow. Write a paragraph about what trends you observe from mapping it out. Which regions have the most Afghan immigrants? Why do you think that is?

literature In the play, Amir reads to Hassan passages from The Shahnameh, a Persian epic poem about the kings of ancient Persia and the wars they fought. Hassan loved the epic poem so much that he named his son, Sohrab, after one of the main characters. The Kite Runner itself contains epic elements by spanning nearly 30 years, and locales as distant as Pakistan and San José, Calif., and by exploring themes of betrayal and redemption. Research some conventions of epic poetry and write one short chapter in an epic poem about your daily life in school. Topics can be as diverse as trying to open a jammed locker to the terror that comes with a pop quiz!

if you LikEd thE kitE runnEr...bookSAfghanistan: A Short History of its People and Politics by Martin EwansCome Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager’s Story by Said Hyder Akbar & Susan BurtonA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled HosseiniWest of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American Story by Tamim Ansary

fiLMCharlie Wilson’s War (2007) dir. Mike NicholsThe Kite Runner (2007) dir. Marc Forster Afghan Star (2009) dir. Havana Marking

on thE wEbAfghanCooking.net — Humaira Ghilzai’s Afghan food blog

workS citEdBazell, Jennifer et al. The Kite Runner Play Guide. Phoenix: Arizona Theatre Company, 2009.

Print.

Clark, Anthony. Personal Interview. 18 June 2010.

Crider, Jonathan. “About Khaled Hosseini,” Preview: News, Notes and Next from Arizona Theatre Company. 23. 1 (2009). Web.

---. “An Interview with Matthew Spangler,” Preview: News, Notes and Next from Arizona Theatre Company. 23. 1 (2009). Web.

Emandi, Hafizullah. Culture and Customs of Afghanistan. Wesport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. Print.

Ghilzai, Humaira. Personal Interview. 14 June 2010.

Hosseini, Khaled. Interview by Academy of Achievement. Academy of Achievement. 2008. Web. 6 June 2010.

Huey, Aaron. “The Kite Maker.” Time.com. Time. 22 Feb 2007. Web. 21 June 2010.

Magnus, Ralph H. and Eden Naby. Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx and Mujahid. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2002. Print.

Phinney, Eric. “Instruments in Depth: Tabla: Drums of North India.” Bloomingdale School of Music. Bloomingdale School of Music, n.d. Web. 21 June 2010.

Poldeco, Grant. “Artistry In The Air—Kite Flying Is Taken To New Heights In Afghanistan.” Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. 15 Nov. 2002. Web. 21 June 2010.

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GLoSSaryAfghan speech is a mosaic of many languages, the most dominant being Dari, the Afghan variant of Farsi (Persian) and Pashto, the language of the Pashtun ethnic group. As a Muslim country, many Arabic terms are also used in Afghanistan.

AghA a Dari term for nobleman or commander, though it is used in daily language like “Mister.”

AllAh-u-AkbAr an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great.”

bAchem a Dari term of affection meaning “my child.”

bAs Arabic for “enough.”

bini PuchuQ a derogatory term for a Hazara person meaning “flat-nose.”

boboresh a Dari phrase meaning “cut him,” in reference to kite flying.

JAn added to the end of a name and used as a term of endearment.

kAkA-JAn literally, beloved uncle. Used as a term of respect for an older man.

kAlAshnikoV Russian assault rifle, also known as AK-47

khodA hAfez a Dari phrase for saying goodbye, literally “God keep you safe.”

muJAdiheen an Arabic term for a group of Muslims engaged in conflict or war. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, it referred to the loose association of groups reacting against the communist suppression of traditional Muslim customs.

mullAh a term of Persian origin for a Muslim man educated in Islamic theology and sacred law.

sAhib an Arabic term meaning “friend,” but is used like the title “Sir”.

sAlAAm an Arabic greeting for “Hello.”

shAhbAsh Dari for “Bravo!”

showAri a Dari term for the Soviets.

TAlib Arabic for “scholar.” This term was also used to refer to officials in the Taliban.

TAshAkur Dari for “thank you.”

kitE fiGhtinGKite fighting, a sport practiced in nations around the globe, is played in large tournaments where competitors eliminate their opponents to be the last kite in the sky. To do this, kite strings are coated with manja, a mixture of broken glass, glue, and sometimes metal scraps that coat the kite string, allowing the deft flyer to cut the strings of other kites and send them falling to the ground. Kite fighting tournaments in Afghanistan are popular particularly in the winter.

Kids participating in Kite Fighting. Photo by Humaira Ghilzai

tabLaThe tabla is a common instrument in South Asian music, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India. It consists of two drums that are played in tandem: a larger, metal drum for bass notes called bayan and a smaller, wooden drum for higher notes called dayan. The tabla is a challenging instrument to play, with complex rhythm patterns and finger and wrist movements that take years to master. Tablas usually accompany other instruments or vocalists—solo performance is a relatively recent phenomenon, developing in the last hundred years or so.

Example of a Tabla drum

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actors theatre of louisville n 316 West Main Street n Louisville, KY 40202-4218Box office 502-584-1205 n Group Sales 502-585-1210 n Business Office 502-584-1265

actorstheatre.org

attEntion: younG pLaywriGhtS!Actors Theatre of Louisville is seeking submissions for our Ten-Minute Play Contest

Students grades 6-12 living in the Commonwealth of Kentucky or the (812) area code of Southern Indiana are invited to submit their very best ten-minute play to New Voices, Actors theatre of Louisville’s annual ten-minute play contest for young playwrights!

Guidelines, tips, examples and submission details are outlined at Actorstheatre.org. You may also email your questions to NewVoices@Actorstheatre.org.

the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports Actors theatre of Louisville with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Norton Foundation

Deadline for submissions:october 31, 2010, Halloween NEW VOICES YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVALWinning plays will be fully produced at Actors theatre of Louisville in April of 2011 and will be published in our New Voices Anthology!

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