Fifth Annual Festival of Short Plays Exploring the Middle East
ReOrient 2003
The breathtaking quality of the plays in this year’s ReOrient Festival reflects Golden Thread Productions’ growth in the past five years. We have gone from searching for a voice and seeking legitimacy for Middle Eastern stories to planting our feet firmly on dramatic grounds and proudly declaring, “We are here to stay!”
October 31, 2003 - November 24, 2003
New Langton Arts
1246 Folsom Street, San Francisco
Directed by Don Cate, Hal Gelb, Arlene Hood, Christopher Morrison, Amy Mueller, Torange Yeghiazarian
Featuring David Ballog, Deborah Ben-Elizier, Nancy Carlin*, Ali Dadgar, Téana David, Mark Farrell*, Brett Holland, Denmo Ibrahim, Bernadette Quattrone, Lawrence Radecker, Janaki Ranpura, Michael Wayne Rice*, Phil Sheridan, Lynne Soffer*, Torange Yeghiazarian, and introducing Eemon Malek-Madani
Design Team: Steven Klems (sound), Paul Measom (lighting), Keri Fitch (costumes), Garrett Westfall (props), Miriam Behpour (graphic). Fight choreography: Christopher Morrison.
Featuring works by internationally acclaimed writer Israel Horovitz, winner of numerous awards including two OBIEs and an EMMY; Motti Lerner, winner of Israel Prime Minister’s Award for Writers and award-winning playwright Yussef El Guindi. The festival also features a play by local favorite, Erik Ehn and an original puppet play developed by company member, Janaki Ranpura. The cast features Nancy Carlin and Lynne Soffer.
With ReOrient, Golden Thread Productions turns San Francisco into a little Mecca for innovative and thought-provoking theatre about the Middle East.
Special Events
The Trials & Tribulations of Writing about the Middle East
REORIENT 2003 LINE-UP
Sahmatah
by Edward Mast & Hanna Eady, directed by Torange Yeghiazarian.
Developed based on interviews with survivors, the two characters of the play channel spirits from the past to retell the story of the destruction of a Palestinian village. Sahmatah was originally co-produced by New Image Theatre and the al-Meidan Theatre in Haifa, Israel. That production toured Europe and is still being staged in Israel/Palestine.
Cast: Phil Sheridan, Mark Farrell*
Muscle
by Erik Ehn, directed by Hal Gelb.
The holy month of Ramadan offers this business traveler no peace of mind, and the Ramada Inn, no room, and his Moslem woman- isn’t interested.
Cast: Denmo Ibrahim
Coming Home
by Motti Lerner, directed by Amy Mueller.
From one of Israel’s most vocal voices against the occupation comes a compassionate inquiry into the fragility of the human spirit.
Cast: Nancy Carlin*, Lawrence Radacker, Brett Holland, Teana David.
Security
by Israel Horovitz, directed by Hal Gelb
For this Iranian family, increased airport security provides anything but. Originally produced by NYC’s Barefoot Theatre Company as part of a trilogy, here’s a new work by an internationally renowned playwright.
Cast: Torange Yeghiazarian, Lawrence Radacker, Michael Rice*, and introducing Eemon Malek-Madani.
The Terrorists
by Jim Brightwolf, directed by Don Cate
The international Arms market will never be quite the same again after these two “guerillas” discover the truth about their dealer.
Cast: David Ballog, Brett Holland, Janaki Ranpura.
Baggage
by Fateh Samih Azzam, directed by Christopher Morrison
All he wants to do is to take his stuff with him on the plane. Not so simple when your bags are full of unwanted memories.
Cast: Ali Dadgar
Karima’s City
by Yussef El Guindi adapted from a short story by Salwa Bakr, directed by Arlene Hood.
From the playwright that created last year’s Such a Beautiful Voice is Sayeda’s comes the story of a woman fighting for her individuality and the survival of her city within “modern” Egypt.
Cast: Bernadette Quattrone, Lynne Soffer*, Ali Dadgar, Denmo Ibrahim, Deborah Ben-Eliezer, David Ballog.
*Actors appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.
Cast & Crew
Hanna Eady & Edward Mast
Hanna Eady & Edward Mast
Hanna Eady & Edward Mast both live in Seattle. Hanna grew up in Buqayh, a Palestinian village in Upper Galilee. He has worked in the theatre in Israel and the U.S. and holds an MFA in Directing from University of Washington. A native of California, Edward Mast received an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA. His plays and performances have been seen in across the U.S as well as Jerusalem, Tashkent, and Oxford.
Yussef El-Guindi
Yussef El-Guindi
Yussef El-Guindi, although primarily a playwright, has also been active as a poet, actor and filmmaker. His adaptation of Chekhov’s A Marriage Proposal, staged by the Arab Theatrical Arts Guild in Dearborn, MI, was nominated for several PAGE awards including Outstanding Achievement in Original Play or Adaptation. His last poem, Crossing Borders, was published on placards and placed on buses as part of Seattle’s Poetry and Art on Buses. His short film, Love Stalks, won an award for best short narrative film at the Seattle Underground Film Festival and was aired on KTEH. A native of Egypt, Yussef holds an MFA in Playwriting from Carnegie-Mellon University and was playwright in-residence at Duke University.
Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz, an internationally acclaimed playwright, actor and screenwriter. Among his numerous awards are the OBIE (twice), EMMY, Prix de Plaisir du Théâtre, Prix du Jury - Cannes Film Festival, Drama Desk Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from B’Nai Brith. Among Horovitz’s best-known plays are Line (now in its 25th year, off-Broadway), The Indian Wants The Bronx (with Al Pacino), It’s Called The Sugar Plum (with Marsha Mason and Jill Clayburgh), The Primary English Class (with Diane Keaton), Today, I am a Fountain Pen, A Rosen by any Other Name, and many more.
Motti Lerner
Motti Lerner
Motti Lerner teaches political playwriting at Tel Aviv University. In 1994, he won the Prime Minister of Israel Award for Writers. He was the Visiting Professor at the Drama Department Duke University, North Carolina, in 1997 and participated at the International Writers Program at the University of Iowa in 2000. Among his plays are: Kastner, Pangs of the Messiah, Exile in Jerusalem, Autumn, Pollard, The Murder of Isaac, Hard Love, Passing The Love of Women. Among his films: Kastner Trial, Bus 300, Egoz, The Institute, A Battle in Jerusalem, Silent Sirens. Born in Israel, Motti’s plays have been produced in the U.S, England, Germany, Austria, and Australia
Jim Brightwolf
Jim Brightwolf
Trying his hand at sketch writing and Direct Action Theatre back here in San Francisco after all these years, Jim Brightwolf hopes to produce a world touring road show of ‘FRISCOPOLIS,’ a collage of the real San Francisco theatre and performance. Watch for it. Jim is a graduate, Artist in Residence, or director/ designer from Goodman Theatre Conservatory, Art Institute of Chicago, UC San Jose, Seattle Repertory Rockefeller Directing Program, Stanford ABD, Sydney Actors Studio, Heidelberg Grosspielhaus, Johannesburg Crossroads Lmtd., Black ‘77 World Survival Tour, London Interaction Theatre, Berlin Stein-Wal Syndicate, Imaginary Performance Co. of Santa Fe, Sydney Opera house Troupe, and several other seemingly unrelated events in various countries.