Photo Flash: A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Celebrates Opening Night at Arena Stage

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents A Thousand Splendid Suns, adapted for the stage by Ursula Rani Sarma and based on the 2007 New York Times bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner).

Set in 1992 in war-torn Afghanistan, this gripping story centers around a friendship that develops between two Afghan women following a tragedy. While facing insurmountable odds of a brutal and oppressive way of life, the two form an unlikely bond in a heart-rending fight for survival. Directed by Carey Perloff, A Thousand Splendid Suns runs January 17 - March 1, 2020 in the Kreeger Theater.

A Thousand Splendid Suns made its world premiere at American Conservatory Theater in 2017 under the direction of Perloff.

Making their Arena Stage debuts and reprising their roles from the 2017 original production at ACT include Haysam Kadri (Theatre Calgary's The Crucible) as Rasheed, Jason Kapoor (San Francisco Playhouse's Born Yesterday) as Wakil and Nikita Tewani (Milwaukee Repertory's The Who & The What) as Aziza.

Also making their Arena debuts are Hend Ayoub (Broadway's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) as Mariam, Sarah Corey (Theater J's Love Sick) as Ensemble, Lanna Joffrey (The Old Globe's They Promised Her the Moon) as Fariba/Nana, Joseph Kamal (Broadway's The Band's Visit) as Babi/Zaman/Interrogator, Mirian Katrib (Tailsman Theatre's Me and You) as Laila, Justin Xavier Poydras (CCPCS's Comedy of Errors) as Zalmai, Ravi Mampara (Ford's A Christmas Carol) as Zalmai, Yousof Sultani (Drury Lane's And Then There Were None) as Ensemble and Antoine Yared (Seattle Repertory's Indecent) as Tariq/Driver.

In addition to Perloff, the creative team includes Set Designer Ken MacDonald, Costume Designer Linda Cho, Lighting Designer Robert Wierzel, Sound Designer Jake Rodriguez, Choreographer Stephen Buescher, Original Music by David Coulter, Associate Director Haysam Kadri, Original Fight Consultation by Jonathan Rider, Fight Consultation Lewis Shaw, Vocal Coach Anita Maynard-Losh, Casting Director Victor Vazquez, CSA, Stage Managers Dani Bae and Christi B. Spann and Assistant Stage Manager Marne Anderson.

Additional casting will be announced at a later date. Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org, by phone at 202-488-3300 or at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C.

Photo Credit: Cameron Whitman

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