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Magic Theatre, Building D
The diverse cultures of the Middle East make significant contributions
to world arts, culture, philosophy, and politics. The strong
Middle Eastern presence in the San Francisco Bay Area inspired
local theater group Golden Thread Productions to create ReOrient,
an annual festival of short plays. As part of the 2005 ReOrient
festival, Golden Thread presents six premieres at Fort Mason
Center, including three plays by Bay Area writers, and a humorous
cabaret show.
Golden Thread has produced more than 40 plays through ReOrient
and plans a stimulating lineup in November at the Magic Theatre.
The program includes the North American premiere of State
Of Innocence, a play about the Palestinian conflict by
Kentucky author, poet, and playwright Naomi Wallace. Also
on the bill is Parable For A Dark Time by New Zealand
writer George Crowe, a San Francisco resident who developed
the play at Z Space Studio.
 Another
original short play in the series comes from Seattle-based
Egyptian American Yussef El Guindi, winner of the 2004 Northwest
Playwright Competition. El Guindi, who also acts, writes poems,
and makes films, contributes Sniper to the festival.
Armenian-American educator and poet Shahe Mankerian’s
Worm also premieres at ReOrient. Special afternoon
performances on November 18-20 highlight Arab-Israeli relations
in Nephesh Theater’s production of Ambassadors of
Very Good Will, a comedic cabaret show.
Two more San Francisco playwrights participate in Golden Thread’s
festival. Columbian-American author Enrique E. Urueta grew
up in the South but now calls the Bay Area home. His play
Learn To Be Latina, was selected as one of the BASH
(Bay Area Shorts) plays at the 2005 Bay Area Playwrights Foundation
festival. Golden Thread’s founder and Artistic Director
Torange Yeghiazarian brings her Armenian heritage and an Iranian-American
perspective to ReOrient with Call Me Mehdi.
Join Golden Thread’s dialogue about Middle Eastern issues
and identities and see plays that transcend cultural and political
boundaries. For more information, see November
11 and 18 or www.goldenthread.org.
– Claudia Willen
Images: Courtesy Golden Thread Productions; Yussef El Guindi
and Shahe Mankerian
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