Unexplored Interior

An old Tutsi story-teller, sitting on a hill, invites us to join him in the most beautiful place on earth - Rwanda. He becomes our guide through the history and people of the land he loves. In the wake of the 1994 genocide, multiple stories unfold. A Hutu government minister, engaged in encouraging the killing falls deeply in love with a Tutsi woman. The head of the U.N. peacekeepers, haunted by the hundreds of thousands of people he couldn't save, struggles with his own will to live. A young Rwandese film student, away at school in New York City when his country implodes embarks on an eye-opening journey to find out what has become of his family and craft a film that will bring his country's story to the world. The play weaves together the lives of these and other characters who experience the genocide from many different perspectives and ultimately come together to move forward into the uncertain future, reaching for hope. "In this brilliant magical play, Jay O Sanders tells the story of the Rwanda genocide by bringing us into the hearts and minds of the individual men, women and children involved, removing the distance between us and this seemingly incomprehensible event, letting us see the tragedy through their eyes, thereby reaching our emotions on the deepest level. It is a triumph." -Doris Kearns Goodwin, Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author "One of the most heart-felt, integrity-filled, and exciting theatrical works it has been my pleasure to encounter. UNEXPLORED INTERIOR is an epic play, but with a terribly personal and emotional core. [This] play is one of the very few plays that I can confidently say matters." -Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater "The world never learned from the past, and 'never again' became 'again and again.' This play gives an historical clarity about Genocide against Tutsi, I hope the world will get a lesson from it in order to prevent more in the future." -Freddy Mutanguha, Country Director Aegis Trust/Kigali Genocide Memorial "UNEXPLORED INTERIOR takes you on a journey of Rwanda's history, I love the humor in the play - it made me able to sail through the tense dark side of the story. A true reflection of life." -Hope Azeda, Artistic Director & writer, Mashirika Performing Arts, Kigali, Rwanda