Golden Thread Productions Presents the World Premiere of Zahra Noorbakhsh's ON BEHALF OF ALL MUSLIMS

Golden Thread Productions presents in association with Brava! for Women in the Arts the world premiere of rising comedian Zahra Noorbakhsh's comedy special, "On Behalf of All Muslims" in San Francisco on June 21. The show emerges from a year of challenges to both Noorbakhsh's health and faith. The special is a culmination of two years in a new play-development process with Golden Thread Productions, the first Middle East and North Africa-focused theater in the country, in association with Brava! for Women in the Arts.

Noorbakhsh is a feminist, Muslim, Iranian-American comedian. She is co-host of the internationally acclaimed podcast, #GoodMuslimBadMuslim. Her one-woman show, "All Atheists are Muslim" was directed by W. Kamau Bell.

She recently battled serious illness resulting in major surgery. At the same time, she was shocked by a white supremacist's massacre of her co-religionists in New Zealand. Closer to home, the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision upholding the Muslim Ban will happen days after her performances.

The process of creating the special itself is unique. Instead of the traditional development of comedy specials in a bar (which best serves white male comics), Noorbakhsh instead collaborates with a team of award-winning female theatre artists at a theatre company that specializes in new work from or about the Middle East.

Tickets and information can be found at goldenthread.org

"What I've been most impressed with is Zahra's courage to dig deep into some taboo subjects that most comedians avoid like the plague," said Torange Yeghiazarian, founding artistic director of Golden Thread Productions. "Telling our stories in our own words is a tenet of Golden Thread. And Zahra's a hilarious and irreverent story that everyone should see."

Noorbakhsh deftly weaves social commentary on topics like anti-Muslim bigotry with heartwarming stories about her relationship with her parents.

At its heart, the show is a celebration of the resilience of family and of faith, but is particularly relevant for those who see themselves reflected in Noorbakhsh as a Muslim, Iranian American, bisexual woman.

"We've spent two years crafting the script," said Director Lisa Marie Rollins, "pushing ourselves creatively and philosophically, as black/brown women working together, as women who are continually interrogating race, religion, patriarchy, sexuality, and as feminists who are continually wondering about our bodies being on lines that other people draw about us, dangerous lines, sometimes life or death lines."

The need for such work that not only challenges misconceptions, but restores the power to build narratives for oneself is greater than ever. A May 2019 report from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding documented increasing public endorsement of five negative stereotypes associated with Muslims in America.

Since its founding in 1996, Golden Thread has premiered more than 100 new plays from or about the Middle East that examine some of the most urgent topics of our time.

Golden Thread Productions, founded in 1996, is the first American theatre company devoted to plays from or about the Middle East, defined broadly and inclusively. For more than 20 years, Golden Thread has been expanding the scope of mainstream American storytelling to include Middle Eastern immigrant perspectives, offering opportunities for deeper dialogue about US-Middle East relations, and advocating for equitable representation of voices in the American theatre nationally.

Brava! for Women in the Arts celebrates over 30 years as a professional arts organization dedicated to cultivating the artistic expression of women, LGBTQIA, people of color, youth, and other underrepresented voices. brava.org

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