Rendah Heywood Joins Delphi Harrington and More in Rising Circle's THIS TIME

In the sultry heat of 1960s Cairo a clandestine love affair blooms between a married Egyptian woman and a Canadian professor ten years her junior. In a wintry Toronto house in the 1990s, an aging mother's memories encroach on her recently divorced daughter's attempts to restart her life.

The past closes in, threatening to overwhelm the present. But what is real and what is illusion? Inspired by the memoirs of a Muslim woman who fought for her independence at a turning point in Egypt's modern history, THIS TIME is a lush new play about regret, romance, and familial responsibility.

"Rising Circle has an indefatigable commitment to theatre artists of color -- we put the untold stories of people of color at the center of our work," says director Kareem Fahmy, whose own grandmother is the source for inspiration for THIS TIME. "The play delves into the greater sociopolitical forces that were acting on women in Egypt in the 1960s while also painting an intensely intimate portrait of a liberated Muslim woman who decides to make choices that will have devastating consequences on the people closest to her."

At the center of THIS TIME is Amal, a Muslim woman who is independent, cheeky, and universal. As Fahmy explains, "She becomes a representation of the struggle of so many women in the world: trying to be responsible for her family while also having her own existence."

THIS TIME features Delphi Harrington (Broadway's The Country House), three-time Drama Desk nominee Sarah Nina Hayon (A Bright New Boise), Rendah Heywood, Ahmad Maksoud, Seth Moore (The Public Theater's Fidelis) and Salma Shaw.

THIS TIME is written by Sevan K. Greene and directed by Kareem Fahmy, with scenic design by David Esler; costume design by Sarafina Bush; lighting design by Scott Bolman; sound design by Mark Van Hare; props design by Jess Adams; and line producing by Leandro A. Zaneti.

Performance Schedule:
Saturday May 7th at 8:00pm *preview
Sunday May 8th at 7:00pm *preview
Monday May 9th at 8:00pm *preview
Tuesday May 10th at 8:00pm *opening night
Thursday May 12th at 8:00pm
Friday May 13th at 8:00pm
Saturday May 14th at 2:00pm *matinee
Saturday May 14th at 8:00pm
Sunday May 15th at 7:00pm
Tuesday May 17th at 8:00pm
Wednesday May 18th 8:00pm
Thursday May 19th at 8:00pm
Friday May 20th at 8:00pm
Saturday May 21st at 2:00pm *matinee
Saturday May 21st at 8:00pm

At The Sheen Center, located at 18 Bleecker Street (b/w Mott and Elizabeth Streets). B/D/F/M trains to Broadway/Lafayette stop.

For tickets and more information, visit sheencenter.org/shows/this-time or go to www.risingcircle.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

SEVAN K. GREENE (playwright)
Sevan K. Greene is a London and NYC-based playwright-actor. Member of the Bush Theatre inaugural 2015 Emerging Writers Group; The Public Theater 2011 Emerging Writers Group; NYTW Usual Suspect, Rising Circle Theatre Collective 2010 InkTANK Writer's Lab. NYTW 2011/2012 Teaching Artist. William Saroyan 2010 & 2012 Playwriting Prize Finalist. PlayPenn 2012 & 2013 Conference Finalist. 2011 ATC New Voices Festival Winner. 2014 Papatango Short List. 2014/2015 Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist. 2014 Saroyan Human Rights Social Justice Playwriting Prize Finalist. 2014 Saroyan Armenian Commendation Prize Finalist. Sevan's work has been seen in London and New York at The Bush Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Theatre503, Rich Mix, The Old Red Lion, The Public Theatre, The Flea Theatre, 2014 Camden Fringe, The Space, NOOR Theatre, Access Theatre, Birmingham Theatre Exchange. www.sevangreene.com

KAREEM FAHMY (director)
Kareem is a Canadian-born director of Egyptian descent. He recently directed the world premiere of Victor Lesniewski's Couriers and Contrabands (TBG Theatre). He was a 2015 Director-in-Residence at The New Museum with their research project X-ID REP. He is an alumnus of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, the Van Lier Directing Fellowship, the Drama League's Classical Directing Fellowship and NTYW's Emerging Artist Fellowship, where he first developed THIS TIME. He's worked extensively in new play development with companies including New York Theatre Workshop, MCC, Second Stage, Soho Rep, New Dramatists, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Sundance Institute Theatre, Partial Comfort Productions, Noor Theatre, and Berkeley Rep.Kareem has assisted Tony Award-winners Michael Mayer (The Illusion, Signature Theatre) and John Tiffany (Once, NYTW). In Montreal he directed the Canadian premieres of Suzan-Lori Parks' Venus and Naomi Iizuka's Language of Angels. Kareem is a proud member of Rising Circle Theater Collective, a founding member of |the claque|, and is an NYTW Usual Suspect. MFA: Columbia. www.KareemFahmy.com

ABOUT RISING CIRCLE THEATER COLLECTIVE
Rising Circle Theater Collective, celebrating its 15th season, is a nexus for artists of color, empowering them to conceive, develop, and produce original work. Dedicated to broadening the scope of storytelling on the American stage by placing the stories of people of color first, Rising Circle has developed work by some of the most acclaimed emerging playwrights of color working in the industry today, including Susan Stanton, Mfoniso Udufio, Matthew Paul Olmos, and Patricia Ione Lloyd. www.RisingCircle.org

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