PEN World Voices International Play Festival Announced AtThe Gorki Theater

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center is happy to announce the full line-up of its annual PEN World Voices International Play Festival. As part of the 2019 PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, the International Play Festival presents play readings with some of the most significant theatre artists from Germany. All six playwrights are part of the Gorki Theater in Berlin-a safe haven for immigrant, refugee and international theatre artists in Europe. Legendary Artistic Director of the Gorki, Shermin Langhoff will join in conversation about their work. The Festival aims to enrich awareness of global dialogues, by bridging American audiences and international theatre-makers. All readings will be followed by discussion.

The 2019 Festival's program features: Nora Abdel-Maksoud (Playwright), Sibylle Berg (Playwright), Necati Öziri (Playwright), Falk Richter (Playwright), Yael Ronen (Playwright), Sivan Ben-Yishai (Playwright), Shermin Langhoff (Artistic Director, Gorki), Jens Hillje (Artistic Co-Director, Gorki), and Christopher-Fares Köhler (Artistic Consultant, Gorki).

Founded in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, by Salman Rushdie, Esther Allen, and Michael Roberts with the aim of broadening channels of dialogue between the U.S. and the world, PEN World Voices is the only international literary festival in America, and the only one in the world with a human rights focus. Since its founding, PEN World Voices has presented more than 1,500 writers and artists from 118 countries, speaking 56 languages.

The 2019 PEN World Voices International Play Festival has been made possible by the support of Susan and Jack Rudin(†), the Hearst Foundation, and Marvin Carlson, Sidney E. Cohn Chair, The Graduate Center CUNY.

The PEN World Voices International Play Festival was conceived and created by Frank Hentschker in 2005. 2019 Festival Producer, Ilayda Akin. Festival Curator: Frank Hentschker

For further information on the 2018 PEN World Voices International Play Festival, and all of the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center's ongoing programming, please visit www.thesegalcenter.org.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th Street.

Subway: Herald Square, lines B, D, F, M, N, Q, R. www.theSegalCenter.org. Info: 212-817-1860.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:

MONDAY, MAY 6 - SEGAL THEATRE

6:30pm
Opening Panel
Join Frank Hentschker in conversation with the Gorki Theater's Shermin Langhoff (Artistic Director), Jens Hillje (Artistic Co-Director), and Christopher-Fares Köhler (Artistic Consultant). The Gorki Theater focuses on conflicts of a diverse society with attention to themes like migration, queerness, refuge, exile, and feminism. They ask: "What is the place of theatre in a society in transition? What work should theatre artists, faced with a permanent crisis in economy and politics, produce to reflect the severe social and cultural conflicts in our societies on the stage?" Join us to learn more about the unique and groundbreaking vision of one of the important theatres of the City of Berlin.

TUESDAY, MAY 7 - SEGAL THEATRE

4:00pm
Daddy Loves You

Written by Sivan Ben-Yishai

Directed by Tina Satter

A high speed train approaches an unknown destination through the dark night under the earth. Nine older women are sitting neatly in a row on a bench on the train. The further the train speeds along, the more painful the memories become. The passengers recount the wars they survived, motherhood, sexual abuse and more.

6:30pm
A Walk On The Dark Side
Written by Yael Ronen

Translated by Anna Galt

Directed by Sarah Hughes
When astrophysicist, Immanuel, is awarded a significant prize, his wife, Mania, invites his brother for a trip. Mathias, also an astrophysicist and a rival, brings his girlfriend Magda along, who just attempted suicide. Dark matter against dark energy, structural harmony against a chaos that explodes the system.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 - SEGAL THEATRE

4:00pm

The Making Of
Written by Nora Abdel-Maksoud

Translated by Anna Kasten/PANTHEA

Directed by Sibly Kempson

A film director wants to put together a superhero remake, made in Germany. But some crew members aren't quite ready for the pressure of their roles. A wicked satire about the film business and theatrical ideals, a desperate hosanna to the paradox of acting and an optimistic swan song for roles that no one can really fulfill.

6:30pm

Small Town Boy

Written by Falk Richter

Translated by David Tushingham

Directed by Nic Benacerraf
What happens when young men leave the patriarchy behind? Is it possible to be a different kind of man? A different kind of woman? How will we define family, nation and belonging in the future? "You leave in the morning with everything you own... Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away" (Bronski Beat)

THURSDAY, MAY 9 - SEGAL THEATRE

4:00pm

The Making Of
Written by Necati Öziri

Translated by Anna Galt

Directed by Ashley Tata

There are moments in which everything comes together. Arda Yilmaz's 18th birthday, for example, here she searches for the fragments of a language that recalls memories of childhood in Almanya and a

German-Turkish family history amidst the turmoil of "guest" work and the Turkish putsch. Above else, Arda is searching for an unknown father. A fade-out on the last track of the record of your life.

6:30pm

And Now, The World!

Written by Sibylle Berg

Translated by Ben Knight

Directed by Andy Goldberg
Evening. A young woman alone in her apartment. Friends Skype her and send chats, text messages arrive, her mother calls. A few floors below, in the basement: a man is tied and gagged. Young women's fears, desires, and obsessions with success are expressed in their media-saturated lives-but how do they actually want to live their lives?

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