BURQ OFF to Play Los Angeles & San Francisco in July

Paprika Productions is pleased to present West Coast premiere performances, in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, of Burq Off!, a gutsy autobiographical one-woman show written and performed by Nadia Parvez Manzoor. Los Angeles performances will run from Thursday, July 17 through Saturday, July 19, 2014 at Elephant Stages in Hollywood. San Francisco performances will run from Thursday, July 24 through Saturday, July 26, 2014 at the EXIT Theatre Studio Space. Directed by Tara Elliott, Burq Off! follows Manzoor's search for identity and acceptance, while navigating the cultural conflicts of her British-Pakistani home. With great humor and insight, she explores themes of sex, religion, culture, truth, and family. Performances in both cities will start at 8:00pm. The runtime is approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. For information, please visit http://nadiapmanzoor.com.

Los Angeles Premiere - Thu. 7/17/14 - Sat. 7/19/14; 8:00pm:?
Elephant Stages
6322 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90038 (http://www.elephantstages.com; 323-962-0046)?
• tickets $15 in advance; $20 at the door - purchased online here

San Francisco Premiere - Thu. 7/24/14 - Sat. 7/26/14; 8:00pm:
EXIT Theatre Studio Space
156 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (http://www.theexit.org; 415-931-1094)
• tickets are $15 in advance; $20 at the door - purchased online here

Burq Off!, an autobiographical one-woman show written and performed by Manzoor, is a jaunty tour through madly opposing worlds. The glowing promise of modern London contrasts with the glum realities of a conservative Pakistani Muslim home, punctuated by fierce Bollywood dance moves and at least one blackout drinking incident.

Embodying 21 different characters - a domineering father, soulful mum, saucy English friend, and Islamic studies teachers whose interests range from slapping to pornography - Manzoor illuminates her conflicted sense of identity, while questioning repressive cultural norms. Moving, funny, deeply personal, and yet universal, Burq Off! explores what it takes to evolve past the veil.

"I want to encourage young Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, to have the courage to challenge the people who we love when our ideologies are in conflict," says Manzoor, "It's much easier to stay silent... when you question the ideas that you were raised with, it can be very scary. Yet, silence - not expressing your beliefs - also comes at a price."

Photo Credit: Leslie Van Stelten Photography