How far do you have to go to find yourself?
Hotter Than Egypt
Dates: January 28-February 20, 2022
Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Location: Allen Theatre
ACT in association with Marin Theatre Company proudly presents Hotter than Egypt, ACT’s 50th World Premiere by Core Company artist and acclaimed Seattle playwright Yussef El Guindi. Hotter than Egypt is a poignant play about personal revelation. Paul and Jean, an American couple, travel to Cairo for their 24th wedding anniversary. Long-dormant troubles within the marriage start to percolate, and their two Egyptian tour guides, newly engaged Maha and Seif, become drawn into the crisis. This dramedy explores the uneven power dynamics between these Western tourists and the locals. Dreams and relationships are put to the test when old connections lead to new temptations. Hotter than Egypt, recently workshopped through the ACT Local program, is a vivid new work from the audience favorite and award-winning author of Threesome, Ramayana, and People of the Book.
Cast
Ahmad Kamal — Boatman / Museum Guard / Doorman
Jen Taylor — Jean
Naseem Etemad — Maha
Paul Morgan Stetler — Paul
Wasim No’mani — Sief
Candace Vance — Understudy
Frank Lawler — Understudy
Nima Rakhshanifar — Understudy
Vahishta Vafadari — Understudy
Creative Team
John Langs — Director
Yussef El Guindi — Playwright
Nihan Yesil — Composer
Nakissa Etemad — Dramaturg
Carey Wong — Set Designer
Melanie Burgess — Costume Designer
Robert Aguilar — Lighting Designer
Johanna Melamed — Sound Designer
Ian Bond — Intimacy Director
Tori Thompson — Stage Manager
David Hsieh — Production Assistant
TBD.
ACT believes that our patrons can determine what is offensive for themselves, and what is appropriate for their children. We don’t create age restrictions but do our best to offer content advisories for each show. For detailed information about show content and possible triggers, please contact communications@dev.acttheatre.org.
In Yussef El Guindi’s plays, personal and political are in bed together.
Yussef El Guindi, winner of the Stranger Genius Award in Literature, exquisitely modulates comedy with tragedy… His plays feature geographically disoriented characters trying to navigate new circumstances. [His] ability to write from that gap, that moment of displacement and discomfort — whether geographical, cultural, or sexual — is the heart of his genius.