Refugee Rhapsody at Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre

Refugee Rhapsody Rolling World Premiere By Yussef El Guindi October 9 - 25, 2026 Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie Directed by Elizabeth Elias Huffman

Cast: Fouad – Hari Bhaskar; Sakinah – Milia Ayache; Jenny – Dominique Dobson Briggs; Emily – Erika Krenn; Richard/Waleed – Dionysius Akeem

Refugee Rhapsody, a rolling world premiere by acclaimed playwright Yussef El Guindi, opens our 30th anniversary season. The play centers on a chance encounter between Emily, a wealthy heiress, and Sakinah and Fouad, an Arab American couple, and children of refugees, setting in motion a darkly comic examination of race, class, privilege, and desire. When a crime of passion disrupts their lives, Sakinah is evaluated by a pregnant mental health professional whose own marriage is under strain, and the unfolding case raises complex questions of motive and culpability.

Blending sharp humor with emotional depth and touches of magical realism, Refugee Rhapsody offers a timely and layered lens on contemporary American tensions around identity, belonging, and inherited privilege. As a rolling world premiere, the production connects our organization to a broader national conversation, staging the play in dialogue with other theatres developing the work across the country during its initial rollout.

Refugee Rhapsody, a new play by award-winning playwright Yussef El Guindi, is the 2025 recipient of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Citation of Excellence.