BENEATH THE VEIL Comes To Lincoln Center For One Night Only 4/25

On April 25, 2010, Mary Apick will bring her celebrated play "Beneath the Veil" to Lincoln Center for a one-night-only engagement in New York City. Symbolically entitled "Beneath the Veil," Apick's work delves beyond the western stereotypes of the repressive headscarf, revealing the powerful, true stories of ten different women of all ages who face oppression in the Middle East, especially Iran. These women wear the traditional veil, both willingly and unwillingly. The show, which was written, directed and stars Apick, offers a rare glimpse beneath the veil and into lives of the powerful women who so often don't get to be seen or heard.

"Powerful is indeed an apt description for "Beneath the Veil," because what lurks beneath are stories that expose the systematic and often violent oppression of women and children in parts of the Middle East," claims The Washington Diplomat.

"Beneath the Veil" begins with an American journalist who falls asleep while researching an article on the lives of Middle Eastern women. Mid-dream, the women who serve as the subject of the news article come to life around the journalist, sharing their stories which shed a troublesome light on the treatment of women in parts of the Middle East. One of the stories is of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian journalist who was tortured, raped and killed in Tehran for taking photographs of the exterior of a prison in 2003. This part is played by "Beneath the Veil" creator and star Mary Apick, who also plays the part of a stereotypical lavish Persian woman who wears the slinkiest of designer dresses beneath her head-to-toe Burqa (which she claims to adore).

Other stories told during the show include a young girl who kills herself after being severely reprimanded for listening to Michael Jackson music and a woman being punished for a moral sin that she has committed by being buried up to her neck in a shallow grave and then stoned to death. The show also tells the stories of some women who feel proud to wear the veil, providing a positive spin on something that is so often viewed with negative pre-conceived thoughts. Through these stories, the final question raised through "Beneath the Veil" is whether or not the veil makes Muslims a target for violent attacks. This is a question that remains unanswered to this day.

Since premiering in 2005, in which it became the winner of the 2005 Los Angeles Theatre Festival's Critics' Choice Award, "Beneath the Veil" has shared its powerful message with audiences across the country; the Lincoln Center performance will mark the 18th production of the show. Previous performances include The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. with actress Diane Baker, Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and an upcoming performance in Toronto on April 10th. Past speakers and honorary chairs for previous performances include First Lady Laura Bush, international journalist Rudi Bakhtiar, former representative to the United Nation's General Assembly Goli Ameri, and deputy executive director of Amnesty International Timothy Higdon.

Co-written by Mary Apick and G. Perkins, Apick also produced, directed and stars in the show, alongside fellow actors Anthony Azizi, Apick Youssefian, Sara Kaye, Deana Payne, Tania Verafield, Lori Clark and Noopur Singha. "Beneath the Veil" is presented by Mary Apick Productions, Inc. in association with Council for a Democratic Iran, an organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the absence of democracy and human rights in Iran. For information on how to purchase tickets to the "Beneath the Veil" performance at Lincoln Center on April 25, visit: www.Linolncenter.org or call 212.271.6500.

About Mary Apick
A women's rights activist, writer and actress, Mary Apick began her career as a child actress in Iran, starring in "Octopus," a "Saturday Night Live" type of television show in which she performed political and satirical skits that helped change and liberalize society at the time. Before being forced to flee her country after the start of the revolution, Apick was one of the most celebrated actresses in Iran. She is the first Iranian actress to receive the "Best Actress" award at the Moscow International Film Festival for the film "Dead End." Apick co-starred in the NBC miniseries "On Wings Of Eagles" with Burt Lancaster and alongside her business partner Bob Yari, producer of "Crash" and "The Illusionist," she has produced a variety of films including "Mind Games," "Checkpoint" and "Jewel of the Night." It is Apick's goal, that with these productions, she will continue to raise awareness and hopefully improve conditions for women and children around the world, especially in the Middle East.