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| The Toymaker's War |
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Thursday, February 23, 2012; 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM 
Working Group Theatre
 As we embark upon the 20th anniversary of the start of the Bosnian War, THE TOYMAKER’S WAR offers a disquieting dramatic examination of the present and past effects of civil war and genocide. The transporting piece—which also poses questions about journalistic ethics vs. global citizenship—runs 80-minutes, alternating between 1995 Bosnia and present day Montreal, Canada.
Sylvie Bernier, an idealistic young journalist, travels to Bosnia in 1995 to propel herself into the thick of the war in Bosnia, hoping to emerge with a career-launching story. She seeks out a rumored village of parent-less children and there she meets Milan, a young Bosnian Serb toymaker-turned-child-soldier. Milan’s little sister, Lejla, inhabits an imaginary world of dolls, knights and dragons. Beyond the perimeter of her childlike fantasies, however, a gathering storm of violence and hostility swells, exploding in a horrific climax for the children of the village.
Years later, Sylvie is a successful journalist summoned to the Hague to testify in a war crimes trial about the brutality and horror she was a part of. Haunted by memories of Milan, Lejla, the massacre—and a mysterious old woman who may or may not be real—Sylvie must face what really happened in Bosnia, actions taken in the name of revenge and love, and the part she played as a journalist and witness.
There will be a talkback Friday, February 24th with journalist, Stephen J. Berry, and Bosnian War survivor, Amir Hadzic.
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