ABOUT THIS SHOW
Written in the same spirit as Samuel Beckett's Endgame and other absurdist plays, Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister? is an absurdist two-act play by the late Syrian playwright Riad Ismat. Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister? captures a different spirit of existentialism coming from a Southwest Asian perspective, and yet it defies specific meanings in the same vein as Theatre of the Absurd.
From Sami Ismat
I am the son of Riad Ismat. My father tragically passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19 in Evanston, IL. I happen to have become a theatre and performance researcher-practitioner, teacher and soccer coach since I moved here to the US. This event is not just a tribute to my father's legacy and belief that we can build better systems in the world, but also a celebration to the existence of the many intersecting identities that I represent here in the US. I am offering a perspective and NOT an intervention. I am inviting you all to participate in a global dialogue that is necessary on my terms, it takes courage & bravery to do that, to engage and I hope you all do.
Cast & Crew
Director: Sami Ismat
Stage Manager/Dramaturg: Jesse Boyle
Assistant Director: Delani Hamilton
Old Man: Rom Barkhordar
First Sister: Josh Razavi
Second Sister: Owais Ahmed
Third Sister: Ninos Baba
Bride: Makenzie Iszard
Stage Directions: Delani Hamilton
About Sami Ismat
Ismat is a researcher-practitioner of theatre and performance from Damascus, Syria working between theatre, performance and film alongside other disciplines. Ismat creates work that unpacks, investigates and interrogates the ongoing Syrian crisis and its effects on society. Ismat’s work tries to challenge mainstream ideas on refugees, Muslims and the Middle East (Southwest Asia) through their own biographical experiences.
Ismat’s solo video work and performance practice is of a confrontational nature that aims to provoke emotional responses from the viewer and attempts to get them to re-evaluating social and cultural norms of Eurocentric and Middle Eastern societies. Their theatrical works portray the political realities of Syria through devised theatre techniques and interdisciplinary storytelling aesthetics inspired by global performance as a source.
Ismat’s projects are often process oriented, and the rehearsals are based on experimentation and exploring sources of research in collaboration.
About SWANASA Central
SWANASA Central is a newly formed collective of artists and organizers dedicated to representing, amplifying, and advocating for the South West Asian, North African and South Asian artist communities.
Artist Links: www.samiismat.com
Running Time
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