Production hisTOry

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Written by Ehkhudah Zar

Directed by Eliza Rasheed

The story of Muyehpen has been passed down for generations by the Karen people of Burma. Known to be the most beautiful Karen woman in her time, and possessing supernatural powers, Muyehpen was kidnapped by the king of Siam and became a sacrifice. This is her narrative of resistance and resilience, which lives on today. The world premiere production will be the first-ever theater production by a Karen playwright, and will share the story of Muyehpen with a new generation.

Production History: World premiere, May 2023 at the Historic Mounds Theatre in St Paul.

Image: Ehkhudah Zar as Muyehpen. Photo by Anna Min.

Written & Directed by Nora Montañez Patterson

Set during the height of the pandemic, a disheveled Marlen returns to her apartment to find herself isolated and disoriented. When three friends who have never heard of Covid arrive and organize an impromptu house party, Marlen finds herself teetering between reality and illusion. Parallel worlds unfold as she struggles to find her way back to normalcy.

Production History: World Premiere, February 16 - 26, 2023 at Dreamland Arts.

From L to R: Johanna Keller Flores, Ankita Ashrit, Emmanuel Woods, & Julia Diaz.  Photo by Dan Norman.

Written by Siddeeqah Shabazz

Directed by Simone Williams

A Love Story in 8 Scenes is about Ihsan, a teenage Muslim girl who thinks she’s got it all figured out…so far. And she light weight does – until Memo, a non binary teenager, moves in next door which turns Ihsan’s world upside down. When love and religion clash, which one do you choose?

Production History: World Premiere, September 9 - 17, 2022 at Open Eye Theatre as part of Exposed Brick's Through Our Eyes Festival.

From L to R: Tazrae Jemeli Song'Ony & Valencia Proctor.  Photo by Dan Norman.

Written by Sterling Miller

Directed by Simone Williams

Freeing Assata explores the incarceration and liberation of the revolutionary political activist, Assata Shakur. Shakur, after being wrongfully incarcerated and subject to harsh/unconstitutional conditions as a political prisoner, escapes prison with the assistance of her ancestors. 

Production History: World Premiere, September 9 - 17, 2022 at Open Eye Theatre as part of Exposed Brick's Through Our Eyes Festival.

Ninchai Nok-Chiclana as Assata. Photo by Dan Norman.

Written by Ashawnti Sakina Ford

Directed by Antonio Duke

Breathe (a ritual to undo) is a moment of pause, a collective breath, a call to shake things up (in our bodies) so that we can continue a fight that was started long ago and may continue long after us. This ritual is intended to heal by allowing all of our emotions to flow in, out, and around us. 

Production History: World Premiere, May 15 - 18, 2022 at the Capri Theater's Paradise Community Hall.

From L-R, Sterling Miller, Alexis Camille & Dana Lee Thompson. Photo by Bethany Jackson.

Written by Ashawnti Sakina Ford

Directed by Joy Dolo

Edges is a collection of poems, stories, songs, and movement pieces exploring Black identity and self-advocacy through stories about hair.  Hair is a central and intimate part of the African American experience. It reflects a rich culture and history – from pan-African styled head wraps to intricate braids – as well as the deeply painful experiences of being told that one’s natural hair is ugly, untamed or unprofessional.  Based on real life stories and inspired by the style of Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, Edges’ non-linear vignettes explore the highs and lows of the Black hair experience.     

Production History: Staged Reading, September 2018, World Premiere in 2020 postponed

From L-R, Charla Marie Bailey, Ryan-Olivia McCoy, Dana Lee Thompson & Siddeeqah Shabazz.  Photo by Anna Min.

Written by Aamera Siddiqui

Directed by Suzy Messerole

In a world of “They hate freedom”, “If you see something, say something” andThe Terror Alert is...where can one find the truth? The Muslim ban didn’t happen overnight. Its seeds were planted long before 45or 9/11.Freedom Daze is a journey through the media maze of (mis)information and indoctrination that led to the creation of an enemy class of “them.” Using a multi-media approach and weaving together multiple storylines, the play follows an artist’s quest to discover how a childhood acquaintance, “The Girl in theYellow Dress” came to be sentenced to a life in solitary confinement.

Production History: December 2018 at Southern Theater, October 2015 (world premiere) at Intermedia Arts.

Aamera Siddiqui in the 2018 production of Freedom Daze.  Photo by Dan Norman.

Written by Aamera Siddiqui

Directed by Suzy Messerole

How much is too much?How little is too little?And who gets to decide?From the burka ban in France to dress codes in our own communities, when it comes to women's clothing it seems like everyone has an opinion.CLOTHis anew work that explores women’s relationship to cloth, covering and choice, and the avalanche of factors influencing that choice

Production History: December 2017 (world premiere) at Southern Theater.  October 2016 (staged reading) at Dreamland Arts.

Performers Taous Khazen, Marisa Carr, Daniel Sakamoto-Wengel, Aamera Siddiqui, Emily Zimmer & Siddeeqah Shabazz.  Photo by Dan Norman.

The S.A.M’sPlays are an evening of original work written and performed by Twin Citiesyouth. Originally inspired by“Special Administrative Measures”–a little known law that allows prisoners to be labeled a“S.A.M.’s prisoner” and become subject to extreme isolation–the play isa series of original pieces about how racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia impact and support the prison industrial complex. From the use of solitary confinement with youth to the conditions at deportation centers to stories of resistance and revolt, youth are giving voice to the need for change

Production History: May 2017

Benay McNamara in The S.A.M.'s Plays, photo by Ozomatli Zarate

Written & performed by Aamera Siddiqui

Directed by Suzy Messerole & Meena Natarajan

In her one woman showAmerican as Curry Pie, Aamera Siddiqui reveals her family’s complex,multi-layered existence as South Asian and Muslim citizens in the U.S. Told with humor and honesty, Siddiqui challenges the inaccurate notion that Islamaphobia in this country began onSeptember 11, 2001.The play begins with the arrival of Aamera Siddiqui’s family to the U.S. in1976 and ends on election night 2008. Over the course of the play, Siddiqui plays 22+characters, including her father, mother, brother, aunties, friends & coworkers. Act One revolves around Siddiqui coming of age in this country and trying to co-exist between two realities: the culture inside the four walls of her home and the vastly different cultural landscape as soon as she stepped out the door. Act Two centers on navigating the realities of Islamaphobia that follow her across the U.S.

Production History: Wayzata High School (2022), Undoing Racism Conference at Metro State University (Keynote Performance, 2019) ; Dreamland Arts (2016), Blake High School Diversity Symposium (Keynote Performance 2015),  History Theater (world premiere, 2011, Women Playwrights' International Conference in Mumbai, India (showcase performance 2009).

Written by Suzy Messerole

Directed by Anton Jones 

In Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1810, two governesses are accused of committing of the crime of “venus nefanda” (sex with another woman) and their boarding school for girls is shut down. Their main accuser is a young half-Indian, half-Scottish girl with a powerful grandmother.Based on 800 pages of trial documents, Venus Nefanda explores the intersections of racism, colonialism and homophobiain the most famous lesbian court case of the 1800s

Production History: May 2016 (Dreamland Arts)

From L-R, Aamera Siddiqui & Suzy Messerole.  Photo courtesy of Exposed Brick.

Written & Performed by Eliza Rasheed

Directed by Leah Jensen

What does it mean to be a multiracial/multicultural/multilingual global nomad in the 21st century?Eliza Rasheed traces her life for an answer, searching through her memories from growing up in a working class neighborhood in Taipei,Taiwan, to moving to the island of Male’, the Maldives. A young girl surrounded by a new language, new objects, and a father she hardly knows. With her pink suitcase as her constant companion Eliza re-defines borders that allow her to live“in-between.”

Production History: May 2016 (Dreamland Arts)

Eliza Rasheed in In Between.  Photo by Sarah White.