The Ground at 20: Middle East, Center Stage
The Ground at 20: Middle East, Center Stage featuring Torange Yeghiazarian, Golden Thread Productions, interviewed by Jamil Khoury of Silk Road Rising
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of “The Ground on Which I Stand,” August Wilson’s seminal remarks delivered at the TCG National Conference, we hosted The Ground at 20, an arc at the 2016 TCG National Conference to celebrate the legacies of veteran leaders of theatres of color. Over three days, The Ground at 20 featured intergenerational conversations about the visions of these leaders, the enduring impact of their theatres, and the current state of theatres of color in the field. These conversations were recorded as part of TCG’s Legacy Leaders of Color Video Project, which seeks to create a roadmap for future theatre leaders and raise broader cultural awareness about the essential value of theatres of color.
Founded in 1996 by playwright Torange Yeghiazarian, Golden Thread Productions is the first American theatre company focused on the Middle East, defined broadly and inclusively. Golden Thread produces passionate and provocative plays from and about the Middle East that celebrate the multiplicity of its perspectives and identities. The company brings the Middle East to the American stage, creating treasured cultural experiences for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Programs annually serve over 7,000 youth and adults across the Bay Area, exposing non-Middle Eastern audiences to the authentic voices and alternative perspectives of the region, while serving Middle Eastern audiences who rarely encounter meaningful reflections of their own culture in the performing arts.
Torange Yeghiazarian is the Founding Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions, the first American theatre company devoted to the Middle East. Torange’s plays include Isfahan Blues, 444 Days, The Fifth String, Abaga, Waves, and Call Me Mehdi published in Salaam. Peace: An Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Drama, TCG 2009. Her articles on contemporary theatre in Iran have been published in The Drama Review, American Theatre magazine, Theatre Bay Area Magazine, and HowlRound. Born in Iran and of Armenian heritage, Torange holds a Master’s degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University.
Jamil Khoury is the Founding Artistic Director of Silk Road Rising. Promoting playwrights of Silk Road backgrounds (Asian and Middle Eastern) is a passion that dovetails well with Khoury’s experiences living in the Middle East and his eleven years as a cross-cultural trainer and international relocations consultant. A theatre producer, playwright, filmmaker, and essayist, his work focuses on Middle Eastern themes and questions of Diaspora.
To learn more about The Ground at 20, contact Elena Chang.