Mosaic Theater Company To Present The DC Premiere Of ANDY WARHOL IN IRAN

Mosaic Theater Company to present the DC premiere of Andy Warhol in Iran, a provocative, humorous and fictionalized portrait of the artist's infamous visit to Iran in 1976.

Asked by the Empress Farah to create pop-art portraits of the royals, Andy Warhol arrives in Tehran and is taken hostage by a fascinating university student, hoping to publicize his group's demands and get their “15 minutes of fame.” A life or death struggle ensues over revolution, responsibility, and the arts.

Written by Brent Askari and directed by Serge Seiden, performances run May 29-June 29, 2025, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The press opening for Andy Warhol in Iran is scheduled for Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m. Members of the media are invited to attend this performance, or any performance thereafter.

“I love comedies that count; plays that make you laugh and make you think,” said director Serge Seiden. “The play asks ‘What is the responsibility of the artist to society–and by extension the responsibility of any individual?' The play is a roller coaster of emotions–thoughtful, humorous and deeply moving. It's about truly seeing each other across deep divides. I also love tour-de-force acting opportunities for extraordinary creatives like multi-hyphenate actor Nathan Mohebbi and Alex Mills, whose physical-theater superpowers are no secret to DC audiences.”

“I am thrilled to welcome Serge back to the director's chair for this production following his previous work at Mosaic and throughout the DC community,” said Reginald L. Douglas, artistic director of Mosaic Theater. “The questions that playwright Brent Askari asks in this play are strikingly relevant: What is the value of art in a world of war? How do we find the humanity in a pop icon as well as for the people who often go unnamed and untold? What responsibility do we all share to help make our world a more just place for people of all backgrounds including those vastly different than ourselves? The questions are core to Mosaic's identity and provide a fitting close to our 10th Anniversary Season.”

About Andy Warhol in Iran
It's 1976, and less than 3 years before her exile, the Empress Farah beckons Andy Warhol to begin pop-art portraits of the royals in Tehran. When a fascinating University student takes Warhol hostage to publicize his group's demands, a life or death struggle ensues over revolution, responsibility and the arts.

A fictionalized account of Andy Warhol's real-life trip to Iran, Andy Warhol in Iran hums with intelligence and humor. Award-winning playwright Brent Askari affirms the power of art to transcend boundaries and connect across cultures and time. Serge Seiden returns to direct after Popular Productions of Hooded and Eureka Day, where he showed his skill at bringing dark, clever, spiky comedy to life.

Mosaic continues its Reflection Series, started in 2022 in conjunction with The Till Trilogy, with year-round programming that provides inroads for deep engagement with the themes of our plays. In addition to being an official partner of Capital Pride Alliance and a Featured Event in  World Pride 2025, events for Andy Warhol in Iran include:

• Thursday June 5, 2025 at 11 a.m. — Intergenerational Matinee. After watching Andy Warhol in Iran together, students and seniors will engage in a post-show conversation with Mosaic's artists and one another.
• Thursday June 12, 2025 at 11 a.m. — Intergenerational Matinee. After watching Andy Warhol in Iran together, students and seniors will engage in a post-show conversation with Mosaic's artists and one another.
• Thursday June 12, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. — Equality Chamber of Commerce Night. Come join the Equality Chamber of Commerce for a night of queer community, featuring a curated post-show conversation alongside space to gather for LGBTQ+ business owners and community members alike. 
• Saturday June 28 at 7:30 p.m. — Open-Captioned Performance 

Additional events and partner organizations include a Pride Performance in partnership with DC Public Libraries, a panel diving into Iranian history and how it impacts the story of Andy Warhol in Iran, and an event highlighting DMV queer artists and photographers with the Hill Center, with dates to be announced soon.