Benefit Reading Of BELLY DANCING LESSONS To Be Presented At Ace Hotel New York

A benefit reading of BELLY DANCING LESSONS, written and directed by Borna Barzin, will take place March 6, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Libera inside the Ace Hotel New York. The event is presented by Gemma Josephine in partnership with Garden Party Studios and will benefit the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Online reservations are required for attendance, and donations are encouraged, with all proceeds supporting the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center. The reading will be followed by a post-show reception with cocktails and music.

Set in 1980s Iran, BELLY DANCING LESSONS follows a group of high school students who open a belly dancing studio in the basement of a bakery under a regime where dancing is restricted. The presentation will feature Tony Award nominee Marjan Neshat, Obie Award winner Ava Lalezarzadeh, Ari Derambakhsh, Ava Yaghmaie, Ariana Mahallati, and Arash DeMaxi. Stage directions will be read by BBC Persian.

Borna Barzin is a Brooklyn-based playwright and director and a 2024 Van Lier Fellow in Theater with the Asian American Arts Alliance. His recent directing credits include Blood Wedding by Federico García Lorca and Summertime by Charles Mee at Atlantic Stage 2, as well as projects with Lincoln Center Theater and New York Theatre Workshop. He recently completed a MacDowell Fellowship and is developing a new play, The Tunnel of Love, with Charles Mee.

Reservations for the March 6 reading are available online.