Playwright Zayd Dohrn Returns to Chautauqua Theater Company with THE PROFANE

Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) and the Chautauqua Writers' Center have proudly partnered on their third new play commission, coming July 22 to the Bratton Theater stage. This year's commission, The Profane, is written by the celebrated CTC New Play Workshop alum Zayd Dohrn (Sick - 2008, Muckrakers - 2012). Directed by CTC Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch and playing July 22 - 31 at the Chautauqua Institution. Tickets are $35 and are currently on sale.

Playwright Zayd Dohrn skillfully integrates timely social, political, and cultural trends into his new play The Profane, which follows a first-generation Muslim American who prides himself on being a modern, liberal, and tolerant man. But when his daughter falls for the son of a fundamentalist, he finds himself cast as the intolerant patriarch of his own fast changing family. Dohrn's searing tale follows two immigrant families forced to grapple with each other's religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and deep-seated prejudice.

The CTC cast includes Brittany Bradford as Aisa/Dania, Juliana Canfield as Emina, Amy Carle as Naja, Edward Furs as Peter, Joshua Grosso as Sam, Michael Potts as Raif, and Rita Wolf as Carmen.

The creative team includesLee Savage (Scenic Design), Sabrina Zain(Costume Design), Scott Bolman (Lighting Design), Rob Kaplowitz (Sound Design), and Will Steinberger (Assistant Director).

"I believe Zayd Dohrn is one of the truly important writers of our time," says Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch. "He has his eye and ear on the pulse of our times and is unafraid to reflect it back to us with a strong point of view. His profound curiosity about social, political, and cultural issues is matched by an acute attention to interpersonal psychology and great storytelling. We are thrilled to be working with him on his latest work at Chautauqua."

Zayd Dohrn (Playwright) Plays include Outside People (The Vineyard/Naked Angels), Want (Steppenwolf First Look), Sick (National New Play Network), and Reborning (The Public/SPF). He received Lincoln Center's Lecomte du Nouy Prize, the Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Award, the Sky Cooper American Playwriting Prize, Theatre Master's Visionary Playwrights Award, and Chautauqua's 2015 Play Commission. He has written screenplays for the American Film Company, Bedlam Productions, and Vox3 Films, and is currently developing television series for Showtime and BBC America. Zayd received his MFA from NYU, was a Lila Acheson Wallace Fellow at Juilliard, and currently teaches playwriting and screenwriting at Northwestern University.

Vivienne Benesch (Director) Since 2005Vivienne has served as Artistic Director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, presiding over the company's transformation into one of the best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs in the country. In January of 2016 she became Producing Artistic Director of PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC. She has directed over fifteen productions for CTC including the world premiere of Molly Smith Metzler's The May Queen and an acclaimed unique re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet featuring the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, theatre, opera and dance companies. For PlayMakers she has helmed productions of Three Sisters, Love Alone, RED and In The Next Room. Other directing includes The Heidi Chronicles for Trinity Repertory, extensive work for The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and eight years with the Juilliard Drama Division. Vivienne is a graduate oF Brown University and NYU's Graduate Acting Program.

Michael Potts (Raif) Plays include Our Town (CTC), Broadway: The Book of Mormon, Grey Gardens, Lennon. Off-Broadway: Mother Courage and Her Children, The Tempest, Richard III (CSC); Grey Gardens, Mud River Stone (Playwrights Horizons); Arms and the Man (Roundabout); The Persians (NAT); Cabin in the Sky (Encores); The America Play (Public Theater); Twelfth Night (Delacorte); Rent (NYTW). Regional: The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with A Key to the Scriptures (Guthrie); Oedipus, Highway Ulysses (ART); Romeo & Juliet (Ahmanson); The America Play, Le Bourgeois Avant-Garde, St. Joan of the Stockyards, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World (Yale Rep); The Hostage, Love's Labour's Lost (Old Globe). Film: "37," "Let Me Make You a Martyr," "Assisted Living," "Hometown Hero," "Diggers," "Conspiracy Theory," "Stonewall," "The Peacemaker." TV: "BrainDead," "Show Me A Hero," "True Detective," "The Wire," "Damages," "Gotham," "Law & Order: SVU," "Person of Interest," "Bored to Death," "NYPD Blue," "Thomas Jefferson." Accolades: Obie, Falstaff and Grammy awards, William & Eva Fox, Kennedy Center Fellow. Graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

TICKETS to The Profane are $35 and seating is reserved. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ctcompany.org or by calling (716) 357-6250. A single event ticket is required, which also serves as a Chautauqua Institution gate pass 4 hours before and 4 hours following the start time of the performance.

PERFORMANCES are Friday, July 22nd at 8 PM (Preview); Saturday, July 23rd at 6 PM (Opening); Sunday, July 24th at 2:15PM & 8:00PM; Wednesday, July 27th at 4PM; Thursday, July 28th at 4 PM; Friday, July 29th at 4 PM; Saturday, July 30th at 2:15 PM; Sunday, July 31st at 2:15 & 8 PM.

Additional events taking place during the run of The Profane include the following three unique opportunities to hear from CTC staff and creatives. All CTC special events listed below are free with the purchase of a Chautauqua Institution gate pass.

Photo credit: Peggy Ryan

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