Ifrah Mansour revisits Somali childhood, civil war at Children's Theatre

"Fun" and "civil war" are not words that seem to naturally go together. But for poet, playwright and performer Ifrah Mansour, it's all about perspective. If you are a child, play is important, even in a war zone. Mansour was 7 when the bombs were bursting around her in Somalia in 1991, a conflict Americans know from "Black Hawk Down." Mansour revisits her Somali childhood in a 70-minute one-act that is getting a multimedia reading on the Cohen Stage at Children's Theatre. She interviewed survivors of the war that tore her country apart to expand on her own memories. Lindsey Cacich directs this show in which humor is used to leaven trauma. (7 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls. Admission by donation. $12.99 suggested minimum. 1-800-838-3006 or brownpapertickets.com.)

Rohan Preston