Oud Player on the Tel is a heightened, historically-based play set in 1947’s Middle East when the founding of Israel could have been a catalyst for peace, and instead became 75 years of conflict, into the war of today. When Palestinian olive farmer, Amir, welcomes a family of Jewish refugees, he immediately envisions a future of coexistence that can never be. Amir instantly befriends Melke, the patriarch of the newly arrived Jewish family, teaching him about growing olives and promising a better life for both of their families. This sincere friendship is pitted against an absurd rivalry where Amir’s nephew and Melke’s son, both change their names to Herb Gordon, an American car salesman, after discovering the commercial possibility of American cars. The land isn’t big enough for two Herb Gordons. Amid rising tensions, Melke’s son falls in love with Amir’s niece. Using both archaic and contemporary language, Block uses surrealist examples to highlight the absurdity of a conflict between two peoples who at one point wished to simply coexist. Inspired by Fiddler on the Roof, the play is underscored by a live musician improvising on the oud, an Islamic pear-shaped lute-like instrument, and takes place on the tel, a small hill built up over several centuries of occupation.