Birthright Palestine at Open Book Performance Hall

Birthright Palestine is a reading presented as part of the first Midwestern Festival of New Middle Eastern and SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) Plays, hosted by New Arab American Theater Works at Open Book Performance Hall. Written by Sana Wazwaz and directed by Sherrine Azab, the play follows Palestinian-American student Aida Shalabi and her university's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter as they organize the first-ever Birthright Palestine trip in the face of a Zionist smear campaign. The festival features six new plays by Midwestern SWANA playwrights, with cast members including Bruce Abas, Noor Adwan, Zeyy Fawaz, Leor Benjamin, Hanen Bouchrit, Wasima Farah, Joey Haddad, Christine Harb, Nader Helmy, Taous Khazem, Tony Larkin, Alexander Attea, Ifrah Mansour, Kayla Karnesky, Michael Quadrozzi, Bahdoon Ahmad, Amir Shereef, Shavunda Brown, and Aamera Siddiqui. Each reading is followed by a 20-minute audience talkback facilitated by members of the SWANA community.