A DISTINCT SOCIETY to be Presented at Weston Theater in August

Set in the unique Haskell Free Library—a real-life building that straddles the US-Canada border between Vermont and Quebec—A DISTINCT SOCIETY follows an Iranian father and daughter who use the library's peculiar geography to visit each other across international lines. As their story unfolds, the quiet lives of the library's patrons and staff are stirred, revealing the many ways that family, love, art, and politics can both divide and unite us.

The play is written by Kareem Fahmy, a NYC-based director, playwright, and screenwriter, who also directs Weston's regional premiere. Fahmy is a NYC-based playwright and director from Sherbrooke, Quebec. Along with A Distinct Society, his plays American Fast (winner of the Woodward/Newman Award) and Dodi & Diana have been produced nationwide. Other plays include Riparian States, Fountains of Youth, Pareidolia, The In-Between, and an adaptation of the acclaimed novel The Yacoubian Building.

Says Fahmy, “Bringing A Distinct Society to Weston Theater Company is a thrill and an honor that's been years in the making. I was born and raised just on the other side of the Vermont border in southern Quebec, and I wrote this story to celebrate the beautiful and historic relationship between the U.S and Canada, symbolized by the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. To share the play, and its heartfelt tale of connection, with Vermont audiences feels so vital right now when there is so much strife and division in the world. I can't wait to welcome Vermonters to the Haskell on Weston Theater's Walker Farm stage.”

The show introduces Barzin Akhavan (Broadway credits include Network and The Kite Runner, among a host of other Off-Broadway, regional, film, and TV credits) playing Peyman, to the Weston stage. Jason Bowen (Broadway: The Play That Goes Wrong, Off-Broadway: Goddess at The Public Theater and Half-God of Rainfall at NYTW/A.R.T., among others) plays Bruce Laird, and Daniel Clark (co-originator of his role in the Co-World Premiere of A Distinct Society and most recently seen in I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts) plays Declan Sheehan. Polly Lee (select regional: La Jolla and Lincoln Center; select TV/Film: "Succession” and "Law & Order”) joins the cast as Manon. Hailing from the West Coast is Fatemeh Mehraban (recent works including Working for Crumbs at B Street Theatre, Oriental at re:Orient: Golden Thread, and English at Capital Stage)

Fresh off of Weston's production of White Christmas, Felicity Stiverson (13 Weston productions, with other recent regional credits including Buddy (Cape Playhouse), Waitress (The Engeman Theater), and The Anonymous Lover (Opera Philadelphia) returns to choreograph. Emily Nacrissa Griffith (with experience working on over 50 regional productions and two seasons of Sundance's Summer Theatre) joins the team as Production Stage Manager. Multi-hyphenate Alexander Woodward (at Weston: Oklahoma! and Two Trains Running, Broadway: The Sound Inside and Their Eyes Were Watching God) returns to Weston as the Scenic Designer. Herin Kaputkin (recent credits include Little Women at Geva Theatre, Prelude to a Kiss at Milwaukee Rep, Twelfth Night at Shakespeare on the Vine) joins the creative team as Costume Designer. Minjoo Kim (credits include The Far Country at Berkeley Repertory, The Comeuppance at Wilma Theatre, and The Twelfth Night at the Folger Theatre, among others)  is the production's Lighting Designer, and composer Mark Van Here (production audio for Singe Street, Slave Play, and What the Constitution Means to Me at New York Theatre Workshop, among other credits) is the Sound Designer. Ana Radulescu  (founding company member of Clumsy Theatre Company, with select credits from Sanguine Theatre Company, and Rhinoleap Productions) is the Assistant Director, and Barbara Rubin (Broadway: The Road to Mecca, Off-Broadway: minor•ity, Irishtown, and The Mulberry Tree, among theatre, film, and TV credits) is the Dialect Coach. With over 500 film and theatre credits, Michael Cassara, CSA, casts the show.