Pulitzer Prize Winner Ron Suskind Appears at Tonight's SHAHEED Talkback at Culture Project
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Ron Suskind, the last major journalist to interview Benazir Bhutto, for a special post-performance discussion tonight, Monday, April 8th at 7:30 P.M. with Anna Khaja, writer and performer of the acclaimed new play, Lafayette Street). Ms. Khaja relied on Mr. Suskind's 2008 bestseller, "The Way of the World," for insights in Bhutto's final days.
Ron Suskind is the last major journalist to interview Benazir Bhutto before her death. He was with her in Quetta, Pakistan's western, radicalized-Islamist city (where Mullah Omar lived and the base from which the Taliban fought its war with the U.S. in Afghanistan), just ten days before she was assassinated in Rawalpindi. After a day of being chased by suicide bombers, Bhutto and Suskind found refuge in the compound of the local warlord and talked for hours. She was terrified and, in essence, made her last confession. They dined at midnight with tribal leaders (one who had brother who was a professor at UVA) and 500 others in a giant tent. In describing the event, Mr. Suskind had this to share, "It's a story I can tell -- an amazing tale -- that sums up the troubled world as we know it, and the improbable resilience of hope."
Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto, written and performed by Anna Khaja, is directed by Heather de Michele. Performances began March 8, 2013, with opening night soon after on March 14, 2013. The limited engagement was originally set to end April 1, 2013 but, by popular demand, has been extend through Sunday afternoon, April 21, 2013 at Culture Project at 45 Bleecker Street (at Lafayette Street).
In Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto, Anna Khaja illuminates the lives and forces surrounding the slain Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Assassinated in 2007, Bhutto returned from exile to unite a nation bitterly divided over the ideals of Islam and democracy. Each monologue occurs in the minutes leading up to Bhutto's assassination in Rawalpindi. Shaheed takes us on a journey into Pakistan's complex relationship with the United States, into the depths of religious fundamentalism, and a people's struggle to reclaim their beloved nation, true freedom, and faith.
As a Women Center Stage production, Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto is written, performed, directed, stage managed, marketed, operated and produced by women, and was recently designated an official SWAN Day Event by WomenArts, an international holiday designed to showcase the power and diversity of women's creativity. Founded by Martha Richards, WomenArts has designated the whole production as part of the celebration.
Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto plays the following performance schedule: Fridays/Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m., and Mondays at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $45 ($65 premium), and with student tickets at $25 (with valid I.D.). Ticket are available online at cultureproject.org or via phone by calling OvationTix at (866) 811-4111. For additional information, send inquires to info@cultureproject.org, or call (212) 925-1806.
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