Theater: King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild, (UTR) Under The Radar Festival 2023 Public Theater

King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild is a one-act theater-music production featuring Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe alongside acclaimed Arabic-maqam / jazz band, Moneka Arabic Jazz. A present-day story of friendship interweaves with the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, along the way tracing Ahmed's real life journey from an actor-refugee in a new country to an acclaimed musician at the top of his game. Featuring themes of art, ambition, sex, fatherhood, mortality and identity, this two-man epic spans centuries, cultures and continents, illuminating the mysteries of love, death and friendship in a moving, funny, tragic and ultimately celebratory performance. 

TRIA Theatre is a collective committed to making risk-taking and cross-cultural performance works. We believe in the fusion of music, theater and conversations across national, racial and religious differences. Moneka Arabic Jazz is an acclaimed Toronto-based world-music ensemble that includes members from across the globe.

Created and written by Seth Bockley, Jesse LaVercombe and Ahmed Moneka
Cast: Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe
Director: Seth Bockley
Music created and performed by Moneka Arabic Jazz (Waleed Abdulhamid, Jessica Deutsch, Demetrios Petsalakis, Max Senitt, Selcuk Suna)

https://www.lamama.org/shows/king-gilgamesh-2023

Theater: HOLES IN THE SHAPE OF MY FATHER, (UTR) Under The Radar Festival 2023 Public Theater

 

Written and Performed by Savon Bartley
Developed in part with the #BARS Workshop at The Public Theater

What spirals when an absent father reaches out to his son over Instagram with no apologies, no remorse, and 20 years’ worth of unanswered questions? Savon Bartley unravels the nuances of boys who grew up without a father. Told by the son of a mother who tried, HOLES IN THE SHAPE OF MY FATHER is the myth and miracle of boys becoming men.

Theater: THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL, (UTR) Under The Radar Festival 2023 Public Theater

 

Created by Justin Elizabeth Sayre

A brand-new play by playwright and performer Justin Elizabeth Sayre, THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL is a doom comedy for children. Libby ran out of her ninth birthday party with two of her best friends, Marigold and Joanne. They all fell down a well. Now a year later, they've all survived, but will they ever be saved, or must they continue a life underground? A comedy about death, grace, towering doom, and the will to go on. As the world premiere, THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL is a comedy for our time.

https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2223/utr-2023/jes-dtwg/

Film: RRR

 

"A short while later, both Bheem and Raju encounter each other; unaware of their opposing identities and intentions, they unite to save a boy from a train wreck, sparking a friendship between the two. Over time, the two grow close to each other..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RRR_(film)

Theater: The New Group, Fall 2022, "Evanston Salt Costs Climbing"

https://thenewgroup.org/production/evanston-salt-costs-climbing/

Winters keep getting worse in Evanston, IL where salt truck drivers Peter and Basil battle the ice and snow and pass the time with jokes and stories. But what’s with this creeping sense of dread? Is it because their boss Maiworm has noble visions of new green technology that would make their jobs obsolete? Or is there a more terrifying warning calling out from under these roads? At least they have each other, right?

Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Arbery confronts humanity’s darkest fears with humor, warmth, and the fortitude of municipal public servants in this play about climate and change.

Directed by Danya Taymor (Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery, “Daddy” with The New Group), Evanston Salt Costs Climbing features Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Ruined, Marys Seacole), Jeb Kreager (HBO’s Mare of Easttown, Heroes of the Fourth Turning),  Ken Leung (HBO’s Industry, Lost) and Rachel Sachnoff (Evanston Salt Costs Climbing at White Heron Theatre). 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/theater/evanston-salt-costs-climbing-review.html