Photo Flash: FOOD AND FADWA Opens at New York Theatre Workshop

New York Theatre Workshop's world premiere production of Food and Fadwa, written by Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader, and directed by Shana Gold, opened last night, June 7.  Performance began May 18, 2012. Food and Fadwa is a co-production with Noor Theatre, a company-in-residence at New York Theatre Workshop. Check out photos from the celebratory opening below!

Meet Fadwa Faranesh, an unmarried, 30-something Palestinian woman living in Bethlehem in the politically volatile West Bank. Known for her delectable cooking and deep-seated sense of duty to her family and aging father, our kitchen maven insists on continuing the preparations for the wedding of her younger sister despite constraints of daily life under occupation. In Food and Fadwa politics blend with family tensions to create a sometimes humorous and sometimes heartbreaking meal of a play that melds the fight a Palestinian family wages to hold onto its traditional culture with its need to celebrate love, joy, and hope.

The cast of Food and Fadwa is Maha Chehlaoui (Aftermath), Nasser Faris (“Homeland”), Lameece Issaq (The Black Eyed), Kathryn Kates (Midlife Crisis), Arian Moayed (Tony nominee for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), Heather Raffo (9 Parts of Desire), and Haaz Sleiman (Oscar-nominated The Visitor, “Nurse Jackie”).

Food and Fadwa marks the first major production in the collaboration between New York Theatre Workshop and Noor Theatre. The partnership is part of NYTW’s Companies-in-Residence program that provides support and resources to further the growth and development of emerging theatre companies.

For tickets and more information, visit www.nytw.org.

– Jim Nicola, Maha Chehlaoui, Lameece Issaq, Nancy Vitale and Billy Russo

Back Row: Haaz Sleiman, Heather Raffo, Shana Gold, Lameece Issaq, Maha Chehlaoui, Kathryn Kates Front Row: Laith Nakli, Arian Moayed, Jacob Kader

Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader

Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader

Laith Nakli, Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader

– Back Row: Heather Raffo, Kathryn Kates, Arian Moayed, Maha Chehlaoui, Lameece Issaq, Shana Gold, Nancy Vitale, Jacob Kader Front Row: Haaz Sleiman, Laith Nakli

Maha Chehlaoui, Lameece Issaq and Nancy Vitale