CREWMATES Opens May 1

Sameer Arshad, playwright, and director Shahbaz Khan shows us the divine battle of changing expectations in the heart of Seattle with Annex Theatre's spring off-night, Crewmates.

Sameer Arshad brings a new ensemble play where Islamic supernatural folklore meets American Millennial realities in a thought-provoking comedy about dating while Muslim, with the help of Seattle transplant artists: Carol Tagawa, Priyanka Bhardwaj, Karina Garcia, Vishal Verma, and Ajinkya Bagul, as well as others deeply involved in the community: Kiefer Harrington(Forward Flux Productions, Theater Schmeater), Queenelle Gazmen(Fantastic.Z Theatre, NWFF), and Simone Dawson (Earth Pearl Collective).

A sensitive American-Muslim man (Played by Ajinkya Bagul) and an inspiring atheist Asian-American woman (Played by Carol Tagwa) navigate their cultural differences in a budding romance, accompanied by comedic awkwardness. Meanwhile, the invasive supernatural world cannot handle the fluffy, saccharine goodness. Angel and djinn alike struggle to accept the ever-changing narrative of human sexuality and morality because even the Heavens are not immune to the power of the human condition.

"In this comedy, I explore what it means to be a modern Millennial Muslim in America while also dispelling many misconceptions about Muslim sexuality, behavior, and belief. Toxic masculinity exists in Muslim culture and young Muslim males are usually portrayed as war-mongering monsters. I am eager to portray an opposing voice. The male lead is a lover, not a fighter. The positively-portrayed interracial romance in the story challenges the perception that Muslim men are a threat to non-Muslim women. With a non-white Asian-American female lead who learned her ethnic heritage from people who were not her parents, the romantic couple explores the importance of cultural identity in everyday life.

If we don't know where we come from, it is difficult to know where we are going. This play speaks towards accepting our humanity as a guiding principle towards forming identities that are positive, honest, authentic, nourishing and healthy, while putting forth the challenge of continually revising our sense of morality based on new realizations that we come across in life."

-Sameer Arshad, Playwright

Crewmates performs May 1 through May 16, Tuesdays & Wednesdays. PWYC Industry night is Monday, May 14. $10-$15 Sliding Scale Tickets. All performances are at 7:30 pm at Annex Theatre at the corner of 11th & Pike in Capitol Hill.

Photo: From top left to center: Valkyrie (Queenelle Gazmen), Tian (Vishal Verma), Pari (Morgan Lerner), Nikita (Karina Garcia), Sarah (Carol Tagawa) by David Le

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