Event

ReOrient 2012 Series A

War and Peace, by Tawfiq al-Hakim. Translated by Salma Khadra Jayyusi and directed by Hafiz Karmali.
Meet Politica, a vivacious woman, who must choose between her domineering husband War and oft-disappointing lover Peace. Funny and subtle, this symbolic play by Egypt's foremost playwright could keep a senior seminar in a political science department busy for weeks.

The Birds Flew In, by Yussef El Guindi. Directed by Evren Odcikin.
The mother of a dead soldier cannot reconcile her conflicted feelings about the Iraqi War. El Guindi, the 2011 winner of the prestigious Middle East America Award, paints a tender and complicated portrait of the ultimate pain of losing a child.

The Letter, by Mona Mansour and Tala Manassah. Directed by Sara Razavi.
In 2011, Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Tony Kushner was blocked from receiving an honorary degree from CUNY for his criticism of Israel. Palestinian-American physicist Kamal and his philosopher daughter Alia take their outrage to the stage, but, first, can they really prove that they are human?

Stalemate, by Silva Semerciyan. Directed by Desdemona Chiang
At a hi-fi shop and a disco in London and a war field in Iraq, the inherent racism and sexism of the bravura male culture is brilliantly skewered in this funny and hard-hitting play by the William Saroyan Prize winner Silva Semerciyan.

In the Days That Follow, by Jen Silverman. Directed by Christine Young
In this poignant play by up-and-coming writer Jen Silverman, former Israeli soldier Orh follows Lebanese poet Iman to the United States mesmerized by the haunting beauty of her poetry. Can their mutual love of words heal the personal and political wounds they carry?

2012, by Farzam Farrokhi. Directed by Sara Razavi.
Three strangers on cell phones walk into a café. It might sound like a joke, but this could be the end of the world. Introducing local playwright Farzam Farrokhi.