WHERE are they now?
WHERE are they now? Husam Zoro Reflects on Long Theater Career BY SARAH KITTLE Many remember Husam Zoro as a local playwright and actor from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Zoro played to a mostly Chaldean crowd and won audiences over with his plays that looked at everyday life from a humorous viewpoint. “I’m not that good with English,” Zoro explained in a phone interview. “I learned from the street.” His parents spoke only Arabic at home and he didn’t know English when he arrived in the U.S. at the age of 23. He didn’t know Chaldean (Aramaic) either but it is closely related to Arabic and he quickly learned. “I am in love with Arabic,” says Zoro. Once here in America, Zoro went to work at the family’s convenience store, “just like every other Iraqi,” he says, “Doctor, lawyer, professional… it didn’t matter. They all worked in a store.” His father had arranged a marriage for him to a young woman whose family was known to theirs and they married here in Michigan. Before long Zoro found the Iraqi Club and was introduced to other actors including Hani Noori. The first play written by Zoro and acted by Noori was called, “Actor Wanted,” and it was about Zoro’s real-life experience auditioning as an actor for an Iraqi TV station. There were more than 5,000 original applicants and they whittled it down to 10. Zoro was one. “They asked me how many movies I had done, how many plays,” he remembers. “I told them hundreds.” Of course, they were incredulous and asked him where he had done so many performances. “In my room,” replied Zoro. They asked for his head shot. Months later when Zoro had already arrived in the States, in fact his second day here, his father saw his name onscreen on Iraqi TV. “Don’t tell him,” his mother warned his father. “He’ll leave America and go back to Iraq.” He stayed in the United States and his second play was based on real life as well, inspired by his sister. Zoro’s sister had applied for a divorce but was told, “Chaldeans don’t divorce.” His sister, in agreement with (it seemed) everyone else at the time replied, “This is America, baby!” The play was called, “Live and See.” Zoro’s third play became a runaway hit and introduced more and more people to his work. It was titled, “Party Store” and took the audience through a day in the life of a party store owner, from the time they opened the store until they locked the door at night. At the time the play was introduced, many Chaldean store owners were under threat of hold up, injury and even death. There was dissension between store owners and neighborhood patrons, and Zoro tried to show the reality while staying in the realm of comedy. After that, there was a play in Los Angeles called, “George Bush,” a political comedy with song and dance, like most of Zoro’s plays. It was an exciting time for Zoro, but it was the last play that would star Hani Nooni, who went on to other things. More than 40 years later, Zoro is back in the store helping his brother. It’s once again not a good time to look or sound foreign, and Zoro doesn’t like his brother to be there alone. Business is up “big time” because they are open during the “self-quarantine” of this coronavirus spread and they need the help. “He will not be here alone at night.” One of their brothers was killed during a robbery many years ago, and it is still fresh in their minds. Husam Zoro lives in Sterling Clockwise from top: Husam Zoro, playwright and author Zoro’s most popular play, “Party Store,” 1983 George Bush - Play “George Bush,” performed in California in 2010. Heights with his wife of many years. He enjoys spending time with his four grandchildren, all of whom live in Michigan. He has been working on a new play called “Before and After” but with all that has been going on in Iraq and around the world, his heart just isn’t in it. We can only hope that Zoro will write again. 16 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2020
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