Yale Rep Hosts 'The Veiled Monologues' Oct.23-27

Yale Repertory Theatre joins forces with The World Performance Project at Yale to present The Veiled Monologues, October 23-27, at the New Theater.

"After acting in a production of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, Dutch theatre artist Adelheid Roosen approached Muslim women living in the Netherlands and asked them similar questions about their sexuality. The result is a vital, surprising, and poetic portrait of love and relationships under Islam. Roosen has transformed her conversations into a series of dramatic and moving monologues performed in English by three actresses of Muslim descent. Each monologue is imbued with deep feeling and delicate detail, allowing more than a glimpse into each woman's soul. The play blends live music performed by a female musician on the saz, a lute-like instrument from Turkey, with dance and film projections," explain press notes.

Since its premiere in the Netherlands in 2001, The Veiled Monologues has been performed at a national convention of Holland's law enforcement agencies and at the Dutch parliament, in a nationally televised event, during the height of one of the debates on constitutional rights regarding religious minorities in Holland.

Adelheid Roosen, the writer and director of The Veiled Monologues, is a leading writer, actor, and director in Holland. In 2002, she played Portia in Toneelgroep Amsterdam's production of The Merchant of Venice, directed by the Syrian-Dutch director Ola Mafaalani.  Two years later she worked with Mafaalani again in her production of Romeo and Juliet. In 2005 she initiated the "Zina Platform" (www.zinaplatform.nl) for which Roosen serves as editor-in-chief, providing opportunities for Arabian, Turkish, and Kurdish artists to express themselves. Since 1986 Roosen has been Advisor of the Artistic Council and a Lecturer of Performing Arts at the Amsterdam Theatre School, and in 2006 became a mentor at Das Arts. Roosen is profiled in the June 2007 issue of "Theater" magazine, which also contains the first published English translation of The Veiled Monologues.

Adelheid Roosen's tour of the U.S. is presented in partnership with St. Ann's Warehouse (Brooklyn, NY) and American Repertory Theatre (Cambridge, MA).

Single tickets range from $20 to $48, with group discounts also available. Please visit www.yalerep.org/wpp or call 203.432.1234 for tickets. The New Theater is located at 1156 Chapel Street, New Haven.

The Veiled Monologues, written and directed by Adelheid Roosen; features Oya Campelle, Nazmiye Oral, and Meral Polat.  Designed by Adelheid Roosen and Mijke de Jong (sets), Gelddof Verhaart and Dan Ottolander (lighting); Titus Tiel Groenestege (video editing); Sevel Okyay and Sercan Engin (music).

Performances at the New Theater, 1156 Chapel Street, New Haven, October 23-27. Tickets $20-$48, Telephone: 203.432.1234 or visit www.yalerep.org/wpp.

Performance Schedule: Tuesday, October 23 at 8PM (post-show discussion); Wednesday, October 24 at 8PM (post-show discussion); Thursday, October 25 at 8PM; Friday, October 26 at 8PM; Saturday, October 27 at 2PM (post-show discussion); Saturday, October 27 at 8PM

To post a comment, you must register and login.