FOREIGNER at Old Lab at Summerhall

FOREIGNER is an anti-identity clown show written and performed by Sohrab Haghverdi, a performing artist and asylum seeker originally from Iran living in the United States. The solo performance explores the push and pull of performing identity for different audiences and institutions, set against the backdrop of the Trump administration's mass deportation threats and active conflict with Iran. Throughout the show, Haghverdi teeters between two outcomes: earning an O-1B visa by proving his artistic genius, or being deported for moral turpitude. Written and directed by Benjamin Rosenthal and Mason Rosenthal, the show received the Al-Bustan Award for SWANA Artists and the Ed Tyler Fringe Touring Fund, and marks its UK premiere at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026.