The First Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Drama Published by TCG Books

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce the publication of Salaam.Peace: An Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Drama, edited by Holly Hill and Dina Amin. This collection is the first of its kind, featuring new plays by American writers from a variety of Middle Eastern backgrounds, from artists born in Egypt and Iran, to Israeli-and Palestinian-Americans. These are artists exploring the complexities of Middle Eastern identity in America, while also dealing with the ravages of war and violence in their families' homelands. The plays are both personal and political, and range in theatrical styles from lyrical drama to satirical comedy.

The plays included are: Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith by Yussef El Guindi, Between Our Lips by Nathalie Handal, 9 Parts of Desire by Heather Raffo, Desert Sunrise by Misha Shulman, Browntown by Sam Younis, The Black Eyed by Betty Shamieh and Call Me Mehdi by Torange Yeghiazarian.

The volume also includes Dina Amin's preface "What's in a Hyphen?", and Holly Hill's introduction, which discusses theatre companies pioneering Middle Eastern-American work, introduces the seven playwrights, and places their work within a historical and political context. Each of the playwrights has also written an author's statement to precede his or her play.

In response to the collection, Tony Kushner notes that the playwrights "share a tough-minded refusal of both silence and self-pity, and an insistence on the necessity of incarnating political, historical and theological complexities in human beings and bodies, in tales of love, desire and family that shock us with their familiarity while teaching us new things. Read these plays!"

Holly Hill was New York Theatre Correspondent for the Times of London from 1983-1995, and is Professor Emerita of Speech and Theatre at John Jay College of City University of New York. Dina Amin directs plays in the U.S. and Egypt, in both Arabic and English. She is published in major academic journals and has translated a number of Arabic plays into English.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, exists to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. Its programs serve nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 12,000 individuals nationwide. As the US Center of the InterNational Theatre Institute, TCG connects its constituents to the global theatre community.

TCG is the nation's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 10 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on our booklist; it also publishes the award-winning AMERICAN THEATRE magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. TCG is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Please visit our website and online bookstore at www.tcg.org.