SAN FRANCISCO: Golden Thread Productions has announced their 2019 season, celebrating courageous storytelling through new works of Middle Eastern perspectives.
First up will be the American premiere of Scenes From 71 Years (April 5–May 5), by Palestinian-Irish playwright Hannah Khalil, about Palestinian life and the arduous effects of living under occupation. Michael Malek Najjar will direct.
Next will be the world premiere of Iranian American comedian Zahra Noorbakhsh’s On Behalf of All Muslims (June 21-22). The comedy special, presented in association with Brava for Women in the Arts, features Noorbakhsh’s personal experiences and observations. Nakissa Etemad will serve as dramaturg, and Lisa Marie Rollins will direct.
The season will close with the 20th anniversary of the ReOrient Festival of Short Plays (Oct. 18–Nov. 17.) The festival will feature seven short plays by Yussef El Guindi, Rendah Heywood, Lameece Issaq, Mustafa Kaymak, Betty Shamieh, Niku Sharei, and Naomi Wallace. The series, which will be presented at Potrero Stage, will shed light on Middle Eastern viewpoints. Michael French, Rebecca Novick, Lisa Marie Rollins, and Torange Yeghiazarian will direct.
The company will also present What Do the Women Say? 2019: Roots & Reflections in commemoration of International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8. The night will showcase the work of leading female Middle Eastern artists. The celebration will include performances by Nora El Samahy, Amel Tafsout, and Noorbakhsh, and an excerpt from filmmaker Nadia Shihab’s feature, JaddoLand.
They will also produce the New Threads 2019 staged reading series in August, featuring new plays in the Bay Area.
Golden Thread Productions, founded in 1996, is the first American theatre company with a solely dedicated focus on the Middle East. Their mission is to display Middle Eastern identities, outlook, and stories by bringing them to the U.S. stage.
