American Blues to Host Reading of Award Winning Play By Yussef El Guindi

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces a virtual reading of the winner of the 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award, Refugee Rhapsody by Yussef El Guindi, directed by Kaiser Ahmed.

The virtual 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Festival includes an online library of new work by finalists Juan Alfonso (An Educated Guess), Matthew Libby (The Machine), Wendy MacLeod (The Good Samaritan), and Chandra Thomas (The Buzzer). The 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Festival offers a free, online library that in accessible internationally, allowing the public the opportunity to read five incredible scripts.

"We're so excited to present a reading of Yussef El Guindi's script Refugee Rhapsody as the 2021 winner. Yussef is an important voice in theater. We are honored to share this powerful and unforgettable story," comments Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside.

The Blue Ink Playwriting Award has a track record of success. Seven of the previous ten winning scripts have proceeded to receive world premiere and second productions at LORT, nationally acclaimed midsize and Chicago theaters.

Tickets are available at www.americanbluestheater.com and (773) 654-3103 for a suggested donation of $10 or pay-what-you-can.

The nationally-renown Blue Ink Playwriting Award was created in 2010 to support new work. Since inception, we've named 11 Award winners, 95 finalists, and 139 semi-finalists. Over $9,000 in cash and prizes will be distributed to playwrights in 2021.

Each year American Blues Theater accepts worldwide submissions of original, unpublished full-length plays. The winning play will be selected by Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and the theater's Ensemble. The 2021 winning playwright received a monetary prize of $2,000. Cash prizes are also awarded to finalists and semi-finalists. All proceeds of the administrative fee are distributed for playwrights' cash prizes.

Submissions for the 2022 Blue Ink Playwriting Award are open until August 31, 2021.

Sakinah, an Arab American woman, undergoes a mental health evaluation to determine what led to the violent crime she committed against Emily, a rich heiress. The play explores race, class, privilege, and how those factors collide and play out in today's culture.

Refugee Rhapsody features Ensemble members Manny Buckley(Richard/Waleed) and Camille Robinson (Jenny) with Jenna Bosco (Sakinah), Bryce Gangel (Emily), and Joey Vahedi (Fouad). The stage manager is Ensemble member Cara Parrish.

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