Ticket Deals
19 € Normal
17 € Club Ö1, unions, Pensioners, Verbund, Kolping members
15 € as of 5zig, Tera Vienna Card, groups 7+ persons
13 € Theatre Tuesday, disabled card holders, Wien Energie
10 € Family extra, Students, Uni. Darstell. Kunst
9.50 € IG Theater, Club Ö1 Students, Students 6+,
0 € Kulturpass Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur, Wiener Sozialpass, Präsenz- und Zivildiener
PRESS:
Press & general enquiries contact Joanna Godwin-Seidl
Tel.: 43(0) 699 12127679
office@viennatheatreproject.at
With thanks to our sponsors: Ambientya, Wien Kultur, Demobrewery & FFAB
vienna theatre project leading team:
Joanna Godwin-Seidl
Asst Director: David Rodriguez-Yanez
Stage Manager: Saad & Oula
Backstage crew: Kathy Firli, Gina Veit
Costumes: Andrea Bernd/vienna theatre project
Set Design: Richard Panzenböck
Set building: Ambientya and Team
Lights: Stefan Rauchenwald
Poster/Flyer: Gernot Ottowitz
Poster Photo: Ine Gundersveen
Show Photos: Ine Gundersveen and Thomas Schluet
PR & Sponsorship: Joanna Godwin-Seidl
From Ayad Akhtar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Disgraced and The Invisible Hand, comes a thrillingly fierce and funny new play about identity, religion and the contradictions that make us who we are.
Once again, vienna theatre project tackles deep rooted stereotypes head on in its production of this wonderful piece. Lead character, Zarina, has written a manuscript and it’s about to set her Western life on fire. Meanwhile her father has assumed her identity on a Muslim dating website and is vetting potential husbands, whilst her younger sister needs her to marry so she can too.
Growing up Muslim with her close knit family in Atlanta, Georgia, writer Zarina has led a very Western lifestyle, despite the potential constrains of her background. She meets Eli who, as a Christian convert to Islam, and an Imam, is the crossover between her two worlds. Her family think she is writing a book on gender politics, but the foundations of who they all are and what they believe in are shaken when the truth comes to light. Zarina has a bone to pick with the place of women in her Muslim faith, and she's been writing a book about the Prophet Muhammad that aims to set the record straight. When her family discover the truth it threatens to tear her family apart. With humor and ferocity, Akhtar's incisive new drama about love, art, and religion examines the chasm between our traditions and our contemporary lives.
Starring: Saman Giraud, Harmage Singh Kailrai, Dave Moskin, Sina Pirouzi
Premiere: 13. February 2017, 8pm
Further shows:
14. - 25. February 2017, 8pm
Theater Drachengasse Bar & Co
Fleischmarkt 22.
1010 Wien
Tel.: 01/5131444
Tickets: karten@drachengasse.at
About ZARINA
Saman GIRAUD
is an International award winning actress having won the ‘Best Actress Award’ for her performance in her first short film "M4-My Many Married Men", at the Delhi Shorts International Film Festival 2016. For the same film, whose critical acclaim and international recognition, has accredited Saman the respected titles of director and producer. Her portrayal of XXX also won her the ‘Honorable Jury Mention’ at the Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2016 and the Awardeo Award.
Giraud was born in Vienna, Austria to Iranian parents and grew up trilingual. She spent the majority of her childhood living in her parent’s art gallery where she was surrounded by art and music. She started acting at age 13 at the Studio Moliere in Vienna where she got the male leading role in “Die Schlimmen Buben in der Schule” by Johann Nestroy under the direction of Susanne Pollak. A few years later, at age 16, she got the leading role in “Trugbilder”, a short Film by Jasha Novak and Nikolaus Pernecky. Soon after she took part in the ZARA against racism commercial by Jochen Graf “3x45 Sekunden” which won Best Commercial Cannes Lion Shortlist.
When she finished her studies in “Theater and Film Sciences” at the University of Vienna, she moved to New York in 2007 to attend the acclaimed Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute where she studied under the direction of the late Irma Sandrey and Robert Ellerman.
Saman Giraud remained in New York to work on several US-independent films, such as the leading role in “Jasmine” by director Sean Davis and “Hamartia” directed by Loredana Gasparotto, various art projects and music videos, such “The museum of emotions” by artist Bill Hayward and “Fine Wine” by singer Ohene Cornelius. However, an accident in 2009 rendered her unable to work as an actor for nearly two years but her passion for acting and her love of the arts lead her to write. “M4 - My Many Married Men” which proved to be a prominent creative comeback to the screen. The film was picked by the Hollywood Entertainment Magazine "The Wrap" as one of "12 crowdfunded projects shooting for success".
is
ABOUT MAHWISH
Sina PIROUZI
Evita, Mozart
ABOUT AFZAL
Harmage Singh KALIRAI trained as an actor at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, London, and École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris.
Theatre includes: A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Wolsley Theatre) The Winter's Tale (Guildford Shakespeare Company), The Arabian Nights (Tricycle Theatre), Antony and Cleopatra (Chichester Festival Theatre), Cargo (Iron Oxide), Hijra (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Behsharam (Soho Theatre/Birmingham Rep), Arabian Nights (Young Vic & National Tour), Bravely Fought the Queen (Border Crossing), Riddley Walker & The Moonstone (Royal Exchange Manchester), My Beautiful Laundrette (Sherman Cardiff), Dick Whittington (Grand Wolverhampton), The Illusion (Old Vic), Passage to India (Redgrave Farnham), Doolaly Days (Leicester Haymarket).
Television includes: Emmerdale (ITV), Big School (BBC Comedy), Politician's Husband (BBC), Alan Partridge: Welcome To The Places Of My Life (Sky), Silent Witness (BBC), Spooks, (BBC), Taggart (STV), Casualty (BBC), Little Britain (BBC), The Bill (Thames), Outlaws (World/BBC), Peep Show (Objective), Emmerdale (YTV), Blue Murder (Granada), Holby City (BBC), Stan The Man (Granada), The Cops (World), Trial and Retribution (La Plante), A Touch of Frost (YTV), Hearts & Minds (Witzend), Medics (Granada).
Films include: Dalida (Bethsabee Mucho), Dark Matters 2: Raining Aliens (Wide Eyed Entertainment), Mischief Nights (Company Pictures), Guru in Seven (Balhar), Brothers in Trouble (Renegade), Paper Mask (Granada), Partition (Bandung), A Very British Coup (Skreba).
ABOUT ELI
Dave MOSKIN was born in New Jersey and grew up in New York City. He’s recently starred in the Lithuania tour of Hair playing to crowds of over 2000, since starring in West Side Story, summer 2016, Salzburger Fetespiele - amongst others. Previously he was in Vienna’s English Theatre in Chickenshit, after playing Richard Ehrlich their in 2012’s Time Stands Still.
As a child performer he was in numerous theater, film and television productions including Oliver, Gypsy, The National Company of The Rothchild’s & The Grassharp & Seesaw On Broadway.
Musical theater credits include Berger in Hair at the Raimund Theater, Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Footloose, Jekyll & Hyde, Vince Fontaine/Teen angel in Grease, and the Big Bopper in Buddy the Musical in Essen, Germany. Dave also sang the Rock Tenor part in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass with the Tonkünstler Orchester NÖ at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Festpielhaus in St. Pölten.
Theater Productions in Vienna include Jamie in Territory, Ben In IZ, Leon/Nick in Speaking in Tongues, Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen Of Verona, A Christmas Carol, Charlie In Over The Threshhold, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Frank in How The Other Half Loves, Winston in 1984, Richard Ehrlich in Time Stands Still and Martin Sterneck in Gabriel Barylli’s Chickenshit(Butterbrot).Most recently he was in the criticaly acclaimed production of The Invisible Hand at Theater Drachengasse.
He is also the Producer of, and plays “Jake” in The Blues Brothers Are Back, touring Europe and appearing most recently in the Wiener Stadthalle.
Film credits include Tootsie, The Godfather, Manhattan, Im Weissen Rössl 2013 and Good Morning Kabul.
ABOUT the DIRECTOR
Joanna GODWiN-SEIDL - the actress and director studied theatre in the United Kingdom. She has been running VIENNA THEATRE PROJECT since 2006.
German language theatre directing credits include Mädchen Mit Den Schwefelhölzern workshop (Ronacher Theater); Hautnah (Patrick Marber) for Theaterverein Vision (OFF Theater) and Gefährliche Liebschaften (actress - OFF Theater).
Recent acclaimed musicals include Tick Tick...Boom! Marry Me A Little, Ordinary Days (Theater Drachengasse).
She enjoys choosing plays with social & political content; Dirt (Theater am Petersplatz), The Meeting (Black History Month/Theater am Petersplatz) to name a few. In 2014 she directed the hit play Topdog/Underdog (Theater Drachengasse), was pleased to receive rave reviews for Disgraced & The Invisible Hand (2016) and starred in Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (Dialog im Dunkeln). Most recently she directed the sell out shows Sarg Niemals Nie (Theatercouch) and The Last 5 Years ( Brick 5). The Who & The What by Ayad Akhtar, Theater Drachengasse is her third play by the author. She will next be attacking a play - to be announced - in Brick 5 May 2017.
About the ASST. Director
DAVID RODRIGUEZ-YANEZ was born in Venezuela and graduated from the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität in 2015.
He perfomed in the Tango-Opera Azrael and in The Drowsy Chaperone (ÖE) as Adolpho at Konservatorium Wien as well as Merkur in Orpheus in der Unterwelt. He also performed in The Phantom of the Opera at the Wiener Ronacher, in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Stadttheater Baden, in Das Vergnügen, Verrückt zu Sein at the Novomatic Forum Wien, in West Side Story (Chino) at the Felsenbühne Staatz, as well as the role of Abe in Disgraced,Theater Drachengasse.
He was singer (stand-in) at the Eurovision Song Contest at the Wiener Stadthalle, performed as Chester Brinson in Saturday Night Fever at the Summermusical Amstetten stage and Käfig Voller Narren Theater Jeder Vernunft (Berlin). David is also the author of Descent Into Youth which was staged in 2011. Most recently he featured in Carmen Cubana as Morales (Deutsches Theater München), Der Medicus – Das Musical (Ua, Schlosstheater Fulda) and Evita as Swing (Ronacher Theater, VBW). Whilst in Evita, David co-produced the hit show The Last Five Years, at Brick 5, Vienna.