So much to mourn this year, but also plenty to celebrate…
I was invited to collaborate on THREE shows that take place in Turkey - two in Istanbul, one in Ankara - and I couldn’t be more grateful. The hybrid/genre-less/multimedia nature of this work leads to some intense processes for sure, but also forged incredible and lasting relationships. I have never been in community with so many diasporic artists (particularly MENASA/SWANA) in one place and I’m looking forward to more in 2023.
unseen by Mona Mansour
Mia, an American conflict photographer, wakes up at the site of a massacre in Syria, not sure how she got there. With her Turkish girlfriend Derya and her Californian mother Jane, Mia must slowly piece together the details of her past to find out what happened. Mona Mansour’s beautifully human and surprisingly humorous play asks what it would mean for our souls—personally and as a nation—if we were to truly see the impact of our actions.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival / Ashland, OR
Directed by Evren Odcikin
Sound Design and Original Music: Avi Amon (listen here)
Scenic Design: Mariana Sanchez
Lighting Design: Solomon Weisbard
Projection Design by Kaitlyn Pietras
Costume Design: Dina Abd El-Aziz
SM: Was Apfel
Cast: Nora el Samahy, Helen Sadler, Caroline Shaffer
Benimle Gelir Misin / Will You Come With Me by Ebru Nihan Celkan
Umut and Janina meet and fall in love in Istanbul, where rebellion simmers amongst the queer and displaced youth. Using video recordings and phone calls to fight against physical and emotional distance, Umut is caught between the momentum of sociopolitical change at home and the promise of a quieter life in Berlin with Janina. By turns explosive and intimate, WILL YOU COME WITH ME? explores the chaos and complexities of living through an uprising with generosity, love, and tenderness.
PlayCo / Brooklyn, NY
Directed by Keenan Tyler Oliphant
Sound Design and Original Music: Avi Amon
Scenic Design: Afsoon Pajoufar
Lighting Design: Reza Behjat
Projection Design by Stafania Bulbarella
Costume Design: Enver Çakartaş
SM: Christina Woolard
Cast: Layla Khoshnoudi and Maribel Martinez
HOUND DOG by Melis Aker
A young musician returns from abroad to her hometown of Ankara, Turkey to look after her widowed father. Forced to reckon with the family and community she left behind, an investigation into her grieving parent’s strange pilgrimage to Graceland unravels into a sonic mirage of memory packed with humor, nostalgia and the love we cultivate across generations. This cross-cultural jam-session-meets-play explores the winding path towards forgiveness and belonging.
Ars Nova & PlayCo / New York, NY
Directed by Machel Ross
Music by Melis Aker and The Lazours
Sound Design, Music Direction & Production: Avi Amon
Associate Sound Design: Jamie Tippett
Music Associate: Brandon Fillette
Scenic Design: Frank Oliva
Lighting Design: Tuçe Yasak
Costume Design: Qween Jean
SM: Bryan Bauer
Cast: Olivia Abiassi, Ashley Baier, Ellena Eshraghi, Mel Hsu, Matt Magnusson, Sahar Milani, Laith Nakli, Jonathan Raviv, Maya Sharpe