Casting Announced For First Floor Theater's HATEFUCK at The Den Theatre

First Floor Theater will conclude its Tenth Season with the Chicago premiere of Rehana Lew Mirza's Kilroys'-lauded hit Hatefuck, directed by Arti Ishak, playing May 5 - June 10, 2023 at The Den Theatre (2B), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 27 at firstfloortheater.com. The press opening is Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 8 pm.

The cast includes Aila Peck and Faiz Siddique.

Passions ignite when Layla, an intense literature professor, accuses Imran, a brashly iconoclastic novelist, of trading in anti-Muslim stereotypes. But as their attraction grows into something more, they discover that good sex doesn't always make good bedfellows. Conflicting cultural identities collide in this thornily clever antidote to a meet-cute romance.

Comments Director Arti Ishak, "As an actor I've experienced first-hand how Muslim stories get filtered through the lens of whiteness, whether it's pining to prove we're 'just like you,' playing up the exotic other, or blatantly leaning into stereotypes. Muslim Americans deserve nuanced representation that asks us to wrestle with our intracommunity issues while tangled in a story about messy human connection. Rehana Lew Mirza's Hatefuck is the modern Muslim love story I've been waiting for and I'm ready to help bring that story to Chicago as my directing debut."

The production team includes Paloma Locsin (Scenic and Props Designer), Isaac Pineda (Costumes Designer), Ben Carne (Lighting Designer), Troy Cruz (Sound Designer), Samantha Kaufman (Fight and Intimacy Director), Layla Bahmanziari* (Assistant Director/Dramaturg), Shelbi Weaver* (Production Manager), Anastar Alvarez* (Director of Production) and Devonte Washington (Stage Manager).