Join AAWW in-person and online for a stage reading of Michael Zalta’s Who the F*ck is Ahmed, performed by actors Austin Cassel, Naren Weiss, Danny Bryck, Sophie von Haselberg, Nessa Norich, and Isra Elsalihie.

Expecting their first child, Bina and David, an American Jewish couple, move from New York to Haifa only to have their marriage plagued by the ghost of the Palestinian laborer with whom Bina pretends (and then believes) she is having an erotic affair. An absurdist spin on Ghassan Kanafani’s pathbreaking novella “Returning to Haifa,” Who the F*ck is Ahmed examines the maddening delegitimization of anti-Zionist activism and the specters that arise despite the Zionist project’s deliberate campaigns to erase the memory and materiality of the Nakba and pre-state Palestine.

The reading will be followed by a conversation with Michael on his work.

The event will take place at AAWW’s space, at 112 West 27th Street #600 New York, NY 10001 and via live stream!

RSVP HERE!

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COMMUNITY CARE & ACCESSIBILITY

At AAWW, the safety and comfort of our community is our top priority. We invite you to practice intentionality and care in your behavior and language when engaging with our programs and with each other. Violence of any kind, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism, class or casteism, bigotry or bias toward religion or faith, or any action or assault against marginalized identities, is not tolerated. Those who bring harm to our community in person or online are not welcome, and will be asked to exit the space.

The event will be live streamed on Zoom with auto captioning for those who cannot join us in person. For those joining us in person, we are located on the 6th floor of 112 W 27th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), there is an elevator that will take you directly to our office. To protect our friends with chemical sensitivities, AAWW is a fragrance-free space. Masks are required for audience members for all AAWW events; if you forget yours, one will be provided for you. We have three commercial grade air purifiers, and a quiet room in the back should you need some space from the crowd. We highly encourage all in person guests to take a COVID test at home prior to the event. If you have had COVID or have had known contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID in the 10 days prior, we ask you tune in for the live stream instead. Please reach out to msaleh@aaww.org for additional accessibility requests, including ADA accessible bathrooms, chairs with added back support, and beyond. This space is for YOU!

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ABOUT MICHAEL & THE ACTORS

Michael Zalta is a queer Syrian American playwright, producer, editor, and scholar who was raised in the orthodox Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn, New York. His dramatic writing has been developed and presented at the Lark, the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, NYU’s Jerry H. Labowitz Theater, amongst other places. His critical writing has been published by Zaman Collective and Protocols. As a producer, he has worked on several experimental films like Amanda Kramer’s, “Give Me Pity!” and Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn’s “Dream Team.” As an editor, he works closely with scholars, leftist advocacy organizations, and artists, including Ariella Aisha Azoulay and Diaspora Alliance. He is presently working toward his PhD at USC’s department of Comparative Literature and Culture, where he focuses on the aesthetics of 20th century Marxist movements in the Arab world, Palestinian cinema, and the modern history of Levantine Jewry.

Austin Cassel is an actor/comedian based in Brooklyn, New York. You can find him performing various hijinks live in the monthly Second City show “Jooby: Never Dying”. If you’re more into clicking around on the computer, check him out in the feature films “Yelling Fire in An Empty Theater”(Tubi) and “Fallen Fruit”. Austin can also be found yapping away on Instagram about something or other or wandering about in the sun on a mission, if you see this, help him.

Naren Weiss is an actor who has appeared in theatre (Clubbed Thumb, The Public, 2nd Stage, Geffen Playhouse, Kennedy Center, international), TV (ABC, NBC, CBS, Comedy Central), and various film industries (American, Chinese, Indian).

Danny Bryck is an actor, singer, playwright, and dialect coach based in New York. Recent theatre credits include Remember this Trick (Target Margin Theater), Iphigenia Point Blank (In Parentheses/ Lailou Productions), and Only Place I Belong (The What Co.). Danny holds a BFA from Boston University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. www.dannybryck.com

Sophie von Haselberg is a NY-based actress. Select TV: Pose, Versace: American Crime Story, Halston, American Horror Story, House of Cards, American Princess. Select Film: Give Me Pity!, Love Reconsidered, Irrational Man, Equity, Merry Good Enough. Recent Theater: WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK (World Premiere, The Old Globe). Upcoming films: Fantasy Life, The Fabulous Four, and The Raging Heart of Maggie Acker. MFA: Yale School of Drama, BA: Yale College.

Nessa Norich is an award-winning creative force whose talents include acting, directing, writing, facilitation, and producing. As a queer Jewish storyteller, they are drawn to culturally specific narratives about liberation, that challenge the status quo and social stigmas with humor. Nessa brings thirty years of performance experience to their work as a filmmaker and theater artist. On camera, Nessa has starred in several feature and short films and guest-starred in HBO’s High Maintenance. Last summer she starred in Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apartment 2B at the Dorset Theater Festival.

Isra Elsalihie is an Iraqi-Swedish actor and writer based out of New York. She’s also currently teaching acting at Second City in New York. Most recently Isra finished filming in Barcelona as the lead in a new commercial directed by Craig Gilespie (I, Tonya, Cruella, Dumb Money) & as the lead in the short film From Where To Where by Lebanese-British filmmaker Carine Koleilat.

RSVP HERE!