Photo Flash: Milwaukee Rep Presents Ayad Akhtar's DISGRACED

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced, written by one of the most in-demand playwrights of today Rep Associate Artist Ayad Akhtar in the Quadracci Powerhouse beginning January 17 through February 12. According to American Theater Magazine, Disgraced was the most produced play around the country in the 2015/16 Season, and now for the first time it makes a homecoming to Milwaukee, the hometown of playwright Ayad Akhtar.

Disgraced portrays an unexpected clash of cultures proving cataclysmic when Amir, a successful Pakistani-American lawyer, and his wife host a dinner party. With snap judgements and assumptions thrown across the dinner table, Disgraced asks whether there is truly room in this day and age to retract and forgive.

Disgraced features Jason Babinsky (Broadway's Billy Elliot), Janie Brookshire (Broadway's The Philanthropist), Maboud Ebrahimzadeh (Barrymore Award for The Invisible Hand at Theater Exile), Imran Sheikh (The Invisible Hand at ACT), Austene Van (Disgraced at Guthrie and McCarter).

Disgraced is written by Pulitzer Prize-winner and Rep Associate Artist Ayad Akhtar (The Invisible Hand from the 2015/16 Season) directed by Marcela Lorca (Guthrie Theater Director of Company Development), with set design by James Youmans (Broadway's West Side Story), costume design by Ana Kuzmanic (Broadway's August: Osage County), lighting design by Rui Rita (Broadway's Trip to Bountiful), and sound design by Scott Edwards (Guthrie Resident Sound Designer).

Disgraced begins performances January 17 and runs through February 12 in the Quadracci Powerhouse. Opening night is set for Friday, January 20 at 8pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by phone at 414-224-9490 or in person at the Ticket Office (108 E. Wells Street).

Disgraced has been chosen as the one play this season for The Rep's Community Conversations Program. This means that after every performance of Disgraced The Rep will provide audiences the opportunity to discuss challenging topics including identity, religion, politics and Islamophobia through panel discussion, facilitated dialogues with leaders from the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, and Intercultural Dinners moderated by InterFaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. This program is sponsored in part by Cream City Foundation Will Radler Fund. Additionally, The Rep is partnering with Many Faces One Humanity, an organization which celebrates human diversity through photographic narratives, to feature a lobby exhibit of large-scale photographic portraits by artist and CEO Sherry Lemke. For more information and to join the conversation online visit www.TalkIdentity.com.

Executive Producer for Disgraced is Judy Hansen, Associate Producer are Catherine and Buddy Robinson. Disgraced is a co-production with Guthrie Theater and McCarter Theatre. The Rep is sponsored in part by The United Performing Arts Fund.

Photos by Michael Brosilow.

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