Berkeley, CA: What Do the Women Say? A Celebration of International Women's Day

Pondering the Solo
A conversation with four Middle Eastern women performers: Denmo Ibrahim, Jennifer Jajeh, Rohina Malik and Maryam Rostami

Wednesday, March 8 at 8:00 pm
La Peña Cultural Center
3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley

General Admission $10, available online through Brown Paper Tickets or by calling the Box Office at (510) 849-2568 ext 20

As media pundits ask what role the women of the Middle East play after the Arab Spring, Golden Thread invites a dramatically diverse group of women performers to dive deep in conversation about their recent work. From Jennifer Jajeh navigating the thorny terrain of Palestinian identity in I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I’m Afraid To Tell You, to Denmo Ibrahim’s highly physical Baba spanning an epic journey of an Egyptian father and daughter –both shows have toured nationally – the Bay Area has witnessed a surge of solo performances by women of Middle Eastern background. Just last year, Iranian American drag queen Maryam Rostami debuted her transgressive Persepolis, Texas: FOBspring to Drag Queen, and Rohina Malik performed five different Muslim women in UnVeiled. Profound, rambunctious and illuminating, this new generation of solo women performers tackles themes of displacement, dual loyalties and entitlement to expand definitions of citizenship, activism and womanhood.

Each year Golden Thread Productions celebrates International Women’s Day by highlighting the work of Middle Eastern women artists.  Golden Thread is dedicated to presenting the rich diversity of Middle Eastern perspective and experience while supporting countless artists in various stages of their career.

The evening’s program includes guest artists performing a brief excerpt of their work followed by a conversation about the creative process, joys and perils of self-producing, and the impact of the work. The conversation will be facilitated by Golden Thread artistic associate and published author Haleh Hatami.

More info on Golden Thread's website.