ReOrient 2005: an evening of short plays exploring the Middle East

Fri, Nov 11 - Sun, Dec 4
Wed-Sat at 8 PM, Sun at 7 PM
$10-30

Golden Thread Productions presents
ReOrient 2005
Seventh Annual Festival of Short Plays
Placing the Middle East Center Stage

Premiering original plays by Naomi Wallace, Yussef El Guindi, Shahe =

Mankerian, Enrique Urueta, Torange Yeghiazarian and George Crowe.

PREVIEW: Friday, November 11 @ 8pm

RUN:
Saturday-Sunday, November 12, 13 @ 8pm

Wednesday - Saturday, November 16, 17, 18, 19 @ 8pm
Sunday, November 20 @ 7pm

Friday - Saturday, November 25, 26 @ 8pm
Sunday, November 27 @ 7pm

Wednesday - Saturday, November 30, December 1, 2, 3 @ 8pm
Sunday, December 4 @ 7pm

* * * * *

Golden Thread Productions hallmark event, ReOrient: the annual =

festival of short plays about the Middle East, is back for another =

thought-provoking and transformative season. For four weeks each =

year, this one-of-a-kind festival turns San Francisco into a mecca =

for innovative, spirited, and attention-grabbing theatre from around =

the world.

At a time when the Middle East is at the forefront of the news on a =

daily basis, the ReOrient festival provides a rare opportunity for =

artists and audiences alike to engage deeply and directly with the =

Middle East in a creative and supportive setting that displaces =

misinformation and encourages understanding. It is a process that =

has been summed up by the San Francisco Chronicle as being =

helliphaunting and provocativehellipwith reverberations far beyond =

its immediate cultural context.

Critics have raved that ReOrient is hellippraiseworthyhellipcharged =

with creative excitement (San Francisco Chronicle) and: becoming a =

Bay Area institution without losing that sense of being a well-kept =

(maybe too well-kept) secret that delights whomever discovers it =

(Berkeley Daily Planet).

Since the festival's debut in 1999, Golden Thread Productions has =

produced more than forty plays at ReOrient, with the majority of them =

being world and/or U.S. premieres. Audience response has been =

tremendous. Over the past six years, audiences have quadrupled in =

size, a factor that instigated this year's move to the Magic Theatre =

(Fort Mason Center, San Francisco).

The 2005 ReOrient festival once again provides a lively and =

provocative arena for artists to express - and for audiences to =

experience - a variety of perspectives about the Middle East.

Six short plays (including three by Bay Area playwrights) will =

premiere at the ReOrient Festival this year. Over the course of one =

evening, audiences will enjoy:

=B7 A State of Innocence by Naomi Wallace, recent MacArthur Genius =

Fellow (North America premiere)

=B7 Parable for a Dark Time by San Francisco playwright George Crowe =

(world premiere)

=B7 Sniper by Egyptian-born playwright Yussef El Guindi (world premiere)

=B7 Worm by Shahe Mankerian, an Armenian-American author (world premiere)

=B7 Learn to be Latina by San Francisco playwright Enrique E. Urueta =

(world premiere)

=B7 Call me Mehdi by San Francisco playwright Torange Yeghiazarian =

(world premiere)


Golden Thread Productions is a pioneering company in the area of =

Middle Eastern theatre with programming that is rapidly gaining an =

international reputation for excellence and innovation. Founded in =

1996 by Artistic Director Torange Yeghiazarian (of Iranian and =

Armenian descent) and Maria Zamroud (Lebanese), Golden Thread =

Productions is devoted to exploring, enriching, and expanding our =

community's understanding of the Middle East and its worldwide =

diaspora. Golden Thread Productions defines the Middle East broadly =

and inclusively, believing that our common human experience =

transcends cultural and political differences. In addition to the =

ReOrient festival of short plays, Golden Thread Productions produces =

one to two full-length plays per season; staged readings for new =

playwrights; workshops for emerging artists; and a summer theatre =

camp for children.

Made up of artists from all over the world, Golden Thread Productions =

exemplifies theatre's ability to transcend cultural and political =

boundaries and to encourage an active dialogue among Middle Eastern =

and non-Middle Eastern communities. Among the nations represented in =

our past productions are Iran, Armenia, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, =

Algeria, Afghanistan, and the United States. Detailed information =

about Golden Thread Productions and the ReOrient festival 2005 can be =

found at www.goldenthread.org.

Venue:

The Magic Theatre
Fort Mason Center, Building D, 3rd Floor
San Francisco
415-626-4061
http://www.goldenthread.org

Additional Info:
-assoc.com
415-626-4061
http://www.goldenthread.org