The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville Will Host Dirty Laundry Theatre's BORDERS

The theatre has, since its inception, taken the responsibility of reflecting on the lived realities and stories of people. However, its function is not limited to artistic expression. Theatrical pursuit also aims to educate. Dirty Laundry Theatre, and its play 'Borders,' embarked on a similar endeavor in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this Fall.

Through its portrait of two gay men searching for a connection on Grindr in modern-day Israel and Lebanon, DLT's Borders explores several themes such as connection on a virtual platform and life in the Middle East. From there begins a complex tale of finding love as the two men navigate their conflicting realities. The lives of those in the LGBTQ+ community, the nuances of Arab-Israeli identity and relationship form the complex web of topics that the play broaches.

In this unique project DLT also serves as adviser on creating semester content for students of UTK. Maera Daniel Hagage, DLT's artistic director, spearheads this initiative. Apart from using the content as an educational tool, while designing the educational content around DLT's production of 'Borders,' Hagage also wanted the content to bring the unfamiliar cultural angles of the Middle East to the forefront.

"The students get to explore and experience what 'real people' who live in the region are like, and how similar those people really are to the students themselves," Hagage says.

Professor Drew Paul and Revital Ganzi, the leaders of the Arabic and Hebrew Program in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures at UTK, are DLT's partners in this educational collaboration. With this partnership, Prof. Paul says, he wishes to expose the students to underrepresented perspectives on the Middle East as they study the region from several angles.

Ganzi, who leads the Hebrew and Contemporary Israeli Society and Culture courses at UTK, noted DLT's contribution to the academic content beyond the play. DLT provides extensive resources for students, including references, relevant images, videos, shared experiences and expertise, and research support for students.

"The collaboration with Maera [Hagage] and DLT allowed my students to peek through the most authentic window to the Israeli culture," Ganzi says.

As a part of the joint effort, the two organizations will come together for a hybrid (virtual and in-person) staging of Borders on Nov. 18th

'Borders' director Michael R. Piazza- director and theater educator, who has taught at colleges like NYU and the College of Mount Saint Vincent and students in New York public schools for over 15 years, will join a one-hour panel and Q&A with the play's producer, Hagage, and experts on LGBTQ+ life in the Middle East - Barış Ünsal and Je'jae Cleopatra.

The expert panel will discuss and take questions on these topics - sharing their own views and experiences working with people in the LGBTQ+ community from the Middle East.

Ünsal, a Turkish psychotherapist based in NYC, works with the global LGBTQ+ community. When a large population escaped war-torn Syria to find refuge in Turkey, Ünsal began working with LGBTQ+ refugees with a focus on the intersection of culture and sexual orientation/gender identity in Turkey. Today, along with being a psychotherapist and a part of the LGBTQ community in New York, she also conducts research on suicidal ideation in transgender youth.

At present, she is working on a podcast about psychoanalytical thought and its clinical implementation in the Queer community.

Je'jae Cleopatra (Often referred to as Mx. Enigma) has been an NYC artist and organizer for the past 15 years. They identify as a nonbinary, queer, Jew of color with disabilities. Of Mizrahi/Palestinian descent, Je'jae Cleopatra is an international award-winning filmmaker and public speaker. They also host an award-winning talk show, 'Queer Justice,' on MNN TV. They lead five mutual aid organizations with a goal of creating a community-reliant economy that helps LGBTQ+ members and their allies - especially people of color - advance their careers in tech, media, arts, and journalism. They are working on producing a magazine highlighting creative work that represents Trans voices of color and Queer Asylum Seekers/Dreamers from MENA and SQMN.

Both Ünsal and Je'jae Cleopatra will take the stage along with DLT's Hagage and Borders director Piazza, on Nov 18th 2021.

This event marks the beginning of what is intended to be a long and fruitful relationship between DLT and academic communities nationwide.

For more about the play and to contact Dirty Laundry Theatre: https://www.dirtylaundrytheatre.org/show/borders/

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