{"product_id":"futures-an-anthology-of-contemporary-arab-theater-9798986581491","title":"Futures: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab Theater","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFutures\u003c\/i\u003e is an anthology of six new plays written in Arabic, published here in English translation. Including five plays selected from over 500 submissions to Masrah Ensemble's 2021 Open Call and one by Masrah Ensemble's former playwright-in-residence, these six texts--by Yasser Abu Shaqra, Wael Kadour, Arzé Khodr, Rim Mejdi, Nasr Sami, and Leila Toubel--represent a diverse array of voices and styles, and push at the limits of theatrical form and public discourse. The volume features an introduction by theater writer\/director\/academic Hanan Kassab Hassan along with short introductions to the plays by US-based playwrights Lucas Baisch, Jess Barbagallo, Jordan Baum, Agnes Borinsky, Nazareth Hassan, and Haruna Lee.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSometimes We Remember\u003c\/i\u003e by Arzé Khodr (Lebanon). Translated by Clem Naylor, with an introduction by Nazareth Hassan.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA Fornesian diamond of a play that unfolds in a series of seemingly simple domestic and urban scenes, about the lure of dwelling in memories of war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBraveheart by Wael Kadour\u003c\/i\u003e (Syria). Translated by Clem Naylor, with an introduction by Lucas Baisch.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA play about a group of friends writing a novel together, in which relationships collapse and get rebuilt through the act of writing. How do you move out of a state of war into a time of presumed stability? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRuby\u003c\/i\u003e by Leila Toubel (Tunisia). Translated by Hisham Ben Khamsa, with an introduction by Haruna Lee.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA rhythmic monologue, lyrical and dark, in which a woman unpacks a life of misogyny and violence as she prepares to meet her daughter for the first time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUprooting; Or, the Cat and Dog Pizza Chapters\u003c\/i\u003e by Nasr Sami (Tunisia). Translated by Jonas Elbousty, with an introduction by Jess Barbagallo.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA dizzying trip into a world of violence and distortion, by way of the Biblical Song of Songs. In which cats are nailed to walls, and two lovers seek to become one. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEternity\u003c\/i\u003e by Rim Mejdi (Morocco). Translated by Caline Nasrallah, with an introduction by Jordan Baum.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA young woman is stuck on a train, and just wants to get off. An allegorical knot of a play that moves between liveness and video, vernacular and formal Arabic, with interludes from Rimbaud's French. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeft Out Gone Bad\u003c\/i\u003e by Yasser Abu Shaqra (Palestine\/Syria), with an introduction by Agnes Borinsky.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA Syrian family arrives as refugees in Europe, where life does not resemble what they imagined. Over the course of the play, each member of the family finds themselves backed deeper and deeper into a corner, and \"safety\" proves a devil's bargain. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Yasser Abu Saqra\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e 53rd State Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 404\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.70h x 5.60w x 1.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798986581491","brand":"53rd State Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45398113616009,"sku":"9798986581491","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_eab2963c-33ae-424c-b96c-9625033a5a9c.jpg?v=1773727445","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/futures-an-anthology-of-contemporary-arab-theater-9798986581491","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}