Northlight To Present Online Reading Of A DISTINCT SOCIETY

Northlight Theatre continues to engage audiences with its commitment to developing new work with free Interplay readings. A Distinct Society, written and directed by Kareen Fahmy, premieres Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 6:30pm.

The cast of A Distinct Society includes Barzin Akhavan, Declan Desmond, Marika Engelhardt, Susaan Jamshidi, and Kevin Minor. The dramaturg is Leean Kim Torske. The Zoom Coordinator is Sophia Danielle-Grenier

A quiet library that straddles the border of the U.S. and Canada becomes an unlikely crucible for five people from around the world. When an Iranian family, separated from one another by the "Muslim ban," use the library as a meeting place, the head librarian, a U.S. border patrol officer, and a local teenager have to choose between breaking the law and saving themselves.

The play is set in the main reading room of the Haskell Free Library & Opera House, located on the border between Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec. While the library and the circumstances around it are real, the characters and events in this play are entirely fictional. A Reuter's feature about the library is available here.

The reading is part of Northlight's Interplay New Play Development program, providing customized support for new work in the critical stages of early play development. The premieres will be followed by a live Q&A with the director and playwright. Recordings of each play will be available for 96 hours following the premiere.

Interplay events are FREE with a suggested donation, but registration is required to receive a viewing link. The reading premieres Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 6:30pm with a live post-show discussion, streaming through May 20, 2021. To register, and for additional details, visit northlight.org/events/interplay-distinct-society/.