Loading ...‘Disgraced,’ a Pulitzer winner at Long Wharf, explores what happens when you deny your own identity
Long Wharf Theatre has opened its new season with “Disgraced,” a provocative Pulitzer-winning play about the consequences of denying your own identity.
“Disgraced” tells the story of Amir, a successful Arab-American lawyer, and his artistic wife, Emily, who enjoy their charmed life in New York; he’s poised to make partner while her painting is being considered for a prestigious exhibit. When Amir’s teenaged nephew asks for help in defending an imam accused of funding terrorists, a series of events upends their perfect world, forcing them to confront the compromises they made to stake out their own piece of the American dream.
The play was written by Ayad Akhtar and is directed by Gordon Edelstein in association with the Huntington Theatre Company. It won the Pulitzer in 2013 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 8.
“One of the most significant themes of the past 20 years in Western culture is the confrontation of Judeo-Christianity with Islam,” Edelstein said in a news release about the production. “This is a play that deals face-to-face with the cost of assimilation — what do you lose when you are part of a minority culture and your goal is to assimilate fully into the dominant culture.”
The cast includes Shirine Babb (Jory), Benim Foster (Isaac), Mohit Gautam (Abe), Nicole Lowrance (Emily), and Arash Mokhtar (Amir). The creative team is comprised of Lee Savage (sets), Ilona Somogyi (costumes), Eric Southern (lights), David Van Tieghem (sound) and Jeff Brancato (stage manager).
Akhtar, who is also a novelist, screenwriter and actor, is working on an adaptation of the play for HBO.
Source: www.ctpost.com