The Carver Community Cultural Center will present the virtual premiere of Eleven Reflections on September. The performance is co-produced with Art2Action, Inc. and appears as part of the yearlong residency with artist and founder Andrea Assaf, as part of their new “Eleven Reflections on the Nation” initiative.

Through poetry, spoken word and music, Eleven Reflections on September explores Arab American experience, wars on/of terror, and “the constant rain of death amidst beauty” that each autumn brings in a post-9/11 world. Based on a series of poems written by Andrea Assaf since 2001, Eleven Reflections explores the disintegration of language in the face of violence, the poems progress from lyrical to abstract and fractured, with the annual witnessing of autumn leaves becoming a metaphor for the fallen.

Originally written and presented as a live theatrical experience, this performance was initially scheduled to be presented live on stage at the Carver in May of 2020, but due to the pandemic had to be rescheduled twice. Now, Eleven Reflections on September has been reimagined into a digital version, written, directed and performed by Assaf. The work also features music by vocalist Lubana Al Quntar, violinist Eylem Basaldi, percussion and oud player April Centrone; movement by Dora Arreola; and an all-new digital media design by Eva Auster, with sound engineering by Matt Eaton.

Th digital premiere on May 1 will be a livestream with interactive chat. The viewing link will remain available through May 11.