VIDEO: THE KITE RUNNER's Azita Ghanizada Gives Curtain Call Speech on the Anniversary of the Taliban Takeover of Kabul

On the year anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Kabul, The Kite Runner's Azita Ghanizada made a speech at curtain call, recognizing the anniversary, and the human rights violations of the past year.

She stated, "This is more than a play. To be Afghan and to be here on Broadway, sharing this story-in this time-with all of you every night is incredibly important. With this company and these producers who knew we had a chance to elevate consciousness through the power of storytelling."

Watch the speech below.

The Kite Runner will run through October 30 at The Hayes Theater (240 West 44th Street).

Leading the cast is Amir Arison as Amir and Faran Tahir as Baba. They will be joined by Mazin Akar, Barzin Akhavan, Demosthenes Chrysan, Azita Ghanizada, Danish Farooqui, Joe Joseph, Déa Julien, Dariush Kashani, Beejan Land, Amir Malaklou, Christine Mirzayan, Haris Pervaiz, Alex Purcell, Eric Sirakian, Houshang Touzie, and Evan Zes. Salar Nader plays the tabla, a percussion instrument.

Based on Khaled Hosseini's internationally best-selling novel and adapted by Matthew Spangler, the production comes to New York from two successful seasons in London's West End.

The Kite Runner is directed by Giles Croft and adapted by Matthew Spangler. The creative team is Barney George (Scenic and Costume Design), Charles Balfour (Lighting Design), Drew Baumohl (Sound Design), William Simpson (Projection Design), Jonathan Girling (Composer and Musical Supervisor), Kitty Winter (Movement Director), Laura Stanczyk (Casting Director), Humaira Ghilzai (Cultural Advisor and Script Consultant) and Damian Sandys (Associate Director).

It is produced by Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner and Tracey McFarland of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Jayne Baron Sherman, and Hunter Arnold, in association with UK Productions Ltd. and Flying Entertainment Ltd/Kilimanjaro Group Ltd. Daryl Roth is the Executive Producer.

Originally published in 2003, The Kite Runner became a bestseller across the globe and has since been published in 70 countries, selling 31.5 million copies in 60 languages. Now this powerful story has been adapted into a stunning stage production.

One of the best-loved and most highly acclaimed novels of our time, The Kite Runner is a haunting tale of friendship spanning cultures and continents, that follows one man's journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country on the verge of war and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It's a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither of the boys can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever.