This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Hello, and welcome to the Drama Book Show! My name is Mark-Eugene Garcia. Today, we are joined with playwright, Barry M. Putt, and director, Robert Liebowitz, and cultural consultant, Asal Abasian, for a moving conversation about Omeed's Tapestries. Inspired by more than three dozen firsthand accounts and extensive research, this play follows an Iranian shopkeeper and his partner as they struggle to escape persecution and build a life together, only to have their dreams threatened when a neighbor discovers their secret. Together, we discuss the years of research behind the play, the responsibility of telling stories rooted in real experiences, collaborating with artists from different backgrounds, and why theater remains one of our most powerful tools for building empathy.

What begins as the story of one couple ultimately becomes a conversation about identity, freedom, love, and the universal desire to live authentically. Here's our live conversation, recorded at the Drama Book Shop, introducing Barry M. Putt and Robert Liebowitz.

[1:21] Barry M. Putt Jr.: We're going to start with a scene from the play, and then Robert and I will be back to talk a little bit about the play and answer some questions.

[1:30] ♪ Musical number: "Scene from Act Two" — performed by the cast ♪

[3:01] Barry M. Putt Jr.: So that was the scene from act two of the play. And really it talks about... We see how differences in people's feelings about different things. Really about difference. There are actually more similarities in people than differences, but sometimes people tend to focus on difference. And what I write about is valuing the outsider. So if we really were to look at people, we would see that everybody has ambitions. Everybody hurts. And everybody loves. And I think that the more that we can focus on that, the more that we'll be able to value one another. And I think that's something that's really important. And that's what I strive to write about. Also, I'd like to just say that this story was inspired by some actual instances. And through that, that's where the plot essentially came from. That's a little bit about the background of the play. Robert.

[3:59] Robert Liebowitz: Yes, Barry. What drew you to want to direct this play? When I read the play, I was flabbergasted and overwhelmed that such a monstrous situation can be existing in the 21st century. That this country was living in the 7th century and that somehow the wrong needed to be righted. And the reason that I've consented to direct the play and my cast who have graciously showed up here tonight to support us. And I've said this at rehearsal before and I'm happy to say it a thousand times. I've directed plays for a long time. And I'm happy to report that this is the first play that I have actually directed where I feel it can not only make theater history or make an artistic statement like this is what we try to do anyway, but also make real world history.

And that if three months from now or 50 years from now, in the year 2100, when people are reading in Wikipedia that the regime in Iran has been toppled and people are like now who are reasonable and have common sense are now running things in Iran. And now in the Wikipedia entry of this historical event that'll happen in 2100, that Barry's play is mentioned as a stepping stone toward that. Then that would be the absolute pinnacle of my theater career. And that's the reason, the sole reason to do this. Sometimes we do, we direct plays for money. We do for a favor. We want to build our resume. We do all reasons for theater for all sorts of reasons. We're all, look where we are. This is a community.

This is what we do. This is what we've been given gifts to do. But on this particular show, I don't care if I get paid. I don't care about any of that. I care about the work and to make history and to make the world a little better place. And that's what I was drawn to the play.

[6:03] Barry M. Putt Jr.: That's beautiful.

[6:05] Robert Liebowitz: Thank you.

[6:07] Barry M. Putt Jr.: Graciously, Bianca Torente stepped in as the understudy for Mahasty for tonight's performance. Daphne Oskun is also, is the primary actress, but Bianca here is playing tonight very well. You did a great job. So I wanted to ask you, tell us a little bit about your character and what, without revealing too much of the story.

[6:28] Asal Abasian: So when I first came into this audition and when I first saw the breakdown for Mahasty, I was really drawn. I spoke to you all about this in the audition room. I was really drawn to the paradox about her as a person versus her physical persona. And so her emotional being versus her physical being. I'm not sure if it's in the description and the physical copy of the play, but in the breakdown on Playbill, it had said that she was wearing a chador, which is a head to toe covering traditional Persian wear for women in Iran. But with that, it also said that she was this fireball that had this desire to help change and this desire to make a difference despite the oppression that she was facing as a woman in Iran.

And so I just, the contrast between this fireball literally being concealed is so fascinating to me and I find that so beautiful and complex, especially as an actor. And then there's also just the personal attraction to it as a Persian actress myself and getting to read characters and actually see people that are like the people that my grandmother would talk to me about and are like family that I still have in Iran is not an experience that I've had very often. And so that was a lot of my connection to Mahasty and I'm just, I'm so excited to see this show go up and to see the story that I read and auditioned for finally come to life because it's imperative and it's very important for right now.

[8:04] Barry M. Putt Jr.: Great. Thank you.

[8:08] Robert Liebowitz: Umair, please tell us also a little bit about your character and your connection, how you interpret the role.

[8:15] Unknown speaker: Sure. When I auditioned for the play and when I was given this part for both Hadzafi, who's like a around 47 years old father to a young girl, he's old school patriarchal and he has those old school philosophies and he had some grief in his life that he has not really moved on from. So that has been holding him back in many ways. And at the same time, he's very controlling over her daughter for the reasons that he was brought up in a similar fashion. And he is very mindful of how people will perceive the image as it goes. But at the same time, deep down, he wants to give, in my interpretation, that he wants to give a little bit freedom to her daughter. But at the same time, the judgmental perceiving that comes from the culture or the neighborhood, the people he knows, that basically holds him back way too much.

But deep down, he's grieving because he lost his wife that he loved very much at the time. And then he's dealing with a lot of work setbacks and a lot of things in his life. So the only thing that he wants to do more than anything is that he wants to get her daughter married. Even she's like way too young for getting married. She wants to experience life in her own way. She wants to see what's what and what not. And in that manner, he sees a little bit of freedom for her that once she'll be married, his responsibility will be passed over to her other half or her husband. And then they will work out how they want to spend their life in whatever fashion they want to do it. So that's how it goes from a patriarchal way or the cultural values goes.

But when he comes across these two characters of Afshar in the tapestry shops, he's a little menaced towards them for no good reason, just because he had his own traditional old school values. And that's where he becomes a little menaced and mean and not so nice person because he has no right to be judging people over whatever choice they are making in their personal life. And also he has no reason to be petrifying them in one way or another. And that's where the negative character of this person shows up. And I think that is a really disgusting mixture of his own traditional thoughts, his grieving that he's not been able to move on from. And then he's trying to do something in his own personal and work life where he want to show that he's worth something. And that doesn't come across really sophisticated as a play. And that's how it becomes an antagonist of the play. And that's how I look at it.

[10:56] Barry M. Putt Jr.: Thank you. And there is another person on the panel that you may not know. I will introduce them right now. Asal Abasian, who is our cultural consultant. Can anybody see the computer? If not, I can hold it up. Anyway, Asal is an exiled queer journalist from Iran. And they currently live in France. And Asal, oh great, there you are. Hi. I wanted to ask you, how does this play relate to the experiences that are going on in Iran?

[11:29] Asal Abasian: First of all, thanks to all of you and thanks for having me tonight. I'm happy for being part of this event, even from this afar, the continent afar. And thanks, Barry, for your offer to join this project. It was a valuable opportunity for me to contribute in this project. And what drew me to this project was not only its focus on queer lives in Iran, but its attempt to explore how love, belonging, and survival exist under pressure and surveillance. As a queer person who has spent years documenting this kind of repression and human consequences of this repression, I immediately recognized elements of stories I have encountered throughout my life and work. And what interested me most was the opportunity to contribute a lived perspective to help bridge the distance between documented realities and the emotional texture that people experience from within.

[12:51] Barry M. Putt Jr.: So at this point, I'd like to just open it up and see if anybody has any questions. Has Asal been a part of the process? Asal has come in mostly to help with the script. And a couple of cultural questions as well as we go along. And Asal will continue. They are a part of the project in the long term.

[13:13] Unknown speaker: Hi. I was just wondering how you hold space for both sides. Obviously, the Iranians who are very progressive and are open to queer lengths and people, but also holding space with people who are still really close with their nationality towards Iran and have family that has more traditional values. How do you respect them and where they come from, but also trying to push a narrative that is more authentic? So how do you just not necessarily cradle in both, but how to be safe and how do you drive that?

[13:46] Barry M. Putt Jr.: So I would say, and Asal, you're welcome to join in too, but I would say that I really focused on the characters and their lives. The two, Omid and Afshar, those are the two main characters in the play. And I've really focused on their life and their world and trying to make it as authentic as possible. And I think that when you make it authentic, and that comes from a lot of different things, that comes from talking to Asal, that comes from a lot of research that I've done, talking with people, reading, reading a whole bunch of different things. I think that if it's made to be authentic, then that will resonate with the community.

[14:25] Asal Abasian: Actually, if I got what you mean correctly, I can say that for me, of course, audience and their approach is important. But rather than that, the most important element for me is that how the narrative is truth-based. And I don't think so I ever...

[14:58] Asal Abasian: Specifically, when it comes to challenging topics, I think it's even more important to give the audience space to be even dissatisfied. And I think, based on what Barry said, being a Genie, it's more important for me, at least, about how it interests people or not. And it might come from my activism side. Yeah, love it.

[16:18] Asal Abasian: I like that these things were going on. And there were very specific pieces and things that I was reading about. And then I understood that's how it was and thought that this was an important topic. And some of the things that I was reading were how people felt that nobody cared and nobody heard them. And I thought that was something I really want to, I think this is an important story to work on. Then I came upon at least 36 firsthand narratives about, you know, about different things that related to the play. And that was a very, that was also another very personal thing. So that's really how the research came about. And also a bit about how it affected me. I will say one thing that I have been working on the play for a number of years. And in all that time, the story hasn't changed one bit. But the characters have been fleshed out. But the journey of the story has always been the same.

[17:15] Audience Member: I have a very close connection to Iran. My ex-husband is Iranian. I speak Farsi a little bit still. I love the country. I love the culture. So just curious why? What it was? What was the seed?

[17:32] Barry M. Putt Jr.: The seed was that I wanted to write about the LGBT community, and about a place that most people didn't, and the larger world didn't know about in terms of certain circumstances that were going on, and where being LGBT was illegal, and where it was the most severe in its punishment. That's that was the real beginning. And then I came to Iran. And then I researched Iran. And that's really how that's really how it began.

[18:07] Audience Member: Did you have an opportunity to travel there?

[18:10] Barry M. Putt Jr.: No, I did not. I did not.

[18:14] Audience Member: This question is for everyone. But Robert specifically mentioned that he believes that this story has the ability to change the world. And I believe that to be true. I wish I could remember who said it. But there's a quote that essentially art and creativity will change the world faster than politics ever will. And that is something that I myself firmly believe as a writer for the theater myself. But I'd love to hear not only from Robert, but from all of you about the ways in which this story and its themes have the ability to do that. And maybe even to just talk about the way that the themes of this show can change not only the world, but Iranian culture.

[19:07] Robert Liebowitz: Yeah, because I know that sounds grandiose, but as storytelling beings, I think that theater is one of the most visceral ways in which that can be made manifest. So I'd love to hear. I could speak to that and also at the same time amplify answers that were given toward your question. Barry could have picked any occupation or store that he wanted. He could have picked a bodega. It doesn't matter. He could have picked a mechanic shop. It doesn't matter. He picked a tapestry shop. A Persian tapestry is the finest in the world. A Persian knot that is used to make Persian tapestry is regarded, made by hand, as the finest in the world. So to speak toward your point about old time culture, this is literally thousands of years old.

And what I'm trying to do as a director, along with what Barry wrote, I'm trying to incorporate elements of traditional Persian society that is life-affirming and positive and doesn't need to change, like making or making a living at making Persian rugs. That's where the story takes place.

[20:23] Robert Liebowitz: The beauty of a well-written play, in my view, of a theatrical endeavor, you start with nothing. You walk into the theater, you have a program in your hand, and you have a kind of an idea of what's going on. But there's no commercial. There's no movie star. You have no idea what's going on. And by 90 minutes, you feel that you have been somewhere, that you've gone on this wild journey that started with nothing. I am telling you, without giving away too many plot elements, I'm saying that the play begins with two gay men sharing coffee and bread when lights come up in their tapestry shop, all is well in the world. And 90 minutes later, my hope is that people stagger out of the theater, having not believed what they had just witnessed.

That's my hope. This isn't his imagination. This is based on reality that we need to document, dramatize, and depict as best as we can, so that when the old lady riding the Q train going home to Brooklyn goes, wow, I didn't know that's going on in Iran, or, oh, wow, I feel so awful for these people, that kind of a thing. So we try to incorporate elements of old Persia, and there are several endearing qualities. And at the same time, when act one turns to act two, it's the flip side of a coin, and you're getting what Abraham Lincoln referred to as the lesser angels of our nature. I'll be as charitable as I can without giving away the plot. So that's my hope.

[22:05] Barry M. Putt Jr.: I would like to add one simple thing. Love is love, right? And how I look at things is live and let live. Whoever's doing their thing, let them be, as long as they're not harming anybody, there's nothing wrong with it. That's how I look at it, and out of my negative character of the play, but this is how it generally is.

[22:21] Audience Member: I think the question was directed towards Paul. To as many people as you want to take.

[22:28] Robert Liebowitz: The production is at the Midtown International Theater Festival, which is at the American Theater of Actors. It's a limited engagement from June 29th to July 10th, and everyone that has a postcard, there's a lottery for free tickets that you can enter on the back, and then there's a place where you can buy tickets. So that's just a little bit about where the play will be performed. There will be six performances over a two-week time.

[23:05] Barry M. Putt Jr.: Like I said at the top, I'm 66. It takes a lot to shock me, because I've seen a lot in the theater world and in the real world. So when I read the play the first time, not that I thought it was fiction, but I thought, this is going on? I know our country in some aspects still lives in the 20th century or the 19th. It's having a hard time in some areas coming into the 21st, but I would never dream in a thousand years that there are some countries that live in the 8th century, and it's quite monstrous and quite appalling. So that was a learning thing for me, a shocking thing for me. So when the opportunity presented itself to, Robert, would you like to direct it? Sign me up. Empty my tank to give my best effort to bring out the best of my actors and everything else with that, and at the same time tell his story and physicalize it and what directors do for that greater good to maybe what we do anyway, to change the world a little better, with a little pebble that we do, and that kind of thing.

[24:12] Asal Abasian: I'll jump in. In reading the play and hearing that you had the reaction of, oh my gosh, this is really happening. I was growing up, I grew up in America, but my mom came from Iran and my grandparents came when she was a child with my grandparents, and these are stories that we grew up hearing when everything was recently happening in Iran. There were family members that we couldn't talk to because of the internet shutdown, and the paradox of the fact that we are ultimately all on the same planet, and we see the same sun and moon, but that is happening just a plane ride away, and we're over here with the privilege of being in the drama bookshop in New York City while all of this stuff is currently happening in Iran, and in other places around the world as well, and so I think I grew up with the Persian rugs in my house.

They cover, you don't see the floor, all you have the different rugs that do not match, but that's all, and all the smells, and I feel like everything that culturally I love about being Iranian was also present in this, and I think that provides an authenticity to this play while also highlighting some serious conflicts and issues that are going on still to this day, and it's neat to know that already just by directing the show, somebody has already been educated, and someone has already been enlightened, and made aware of stuff that is going on that didn't know prior to this play being written.

[25:39] Barry M. Putt Jr.: That's beautiful. It really is beautiful, yeah.

[25:44] Asal Abasian: I'll go start back home. I've worked with various theater groups and different theater for cause, for theater for underprivileged community, kids, and for education, for women's rights, and everything, as well as some commercial theater too, and over the course I've worked with different theater maker directors and everything. One of them, she met Robert literally a week ago or something like that. She was here in New York for a couple of days, and I've worked with a couple more people here in the USA probably a year before last year, but when I got to work with Robert, he is very direct, and I was like amazed. No, direct not in the sense that like in a harsh way or something like that, but he tells you what he sees in the character, and he tells you what he's trying to get out of that character from you, and for the first few days I was like, okay, I'm just going to let the reins go.

I'm just going to, no seriously, because I have my own, because I'm a little laid back into the character, and I just get into then later on the story when it develops that when you have your lines back and forth, as you do as an actor, and that's when I try to start to lock down the choices for the actors, for the emotional range and stuff like that, having that some kind of notion, some part of a mind, but when I did the first two rehearsals with Robert, I said, okay, I'm not going to do any emotions. I'm just going to say the line after the line, because I know I'm going to get something really golden stuff, and it worked, because Robert said, okay, I can see you can say the line. I said, yep, I can, and then he said, okay, this.

I said, okay, great. So working with Robert so far, it's been one of great experience in my opinion, yeah, and it makes the whole rehearsal process very transparent for me, and I can see that what we're going to be doing in the next scene, and when he tells you different choices and different things, it makes the whole process really smooth for me, as far as I can say.

[27:33] Audience Member: I'm hesitant to ask this question, but we're talking about some relatively important and serious stuff here. I have a question for you about the current war in Iran, and it's a very difficult thing to talk about insofar as everything about it is devastating. You have spoken to the fact that the Iranian government is stuck in either the 7th or 8th century, right? One of the two, and how unfortunate that is, and that is the direct result of the policies implemented by the Iranian government. Now, the fact that the supreme leader was murdered is distressing in its own right, insofar as how absurd to think that violence is going to lead us towards, and violence alone is going to lead us towards, the world that we want to build.

Ultimately, my question for you is just, I would love to hear if you happen to know what the present Iranian consensus and view is about this war, because from my perspective, everything about it is completely terrible and abysmal, but I have heard a few Iranian voices speaking to the fact that they're actually somewhat pleased that the supreme leader is no longer alive and in charge, and yet it's his double-edged sword, but he's furthered the way to therefore liberate individuals, so anyone who has information about this and would like to share, I'm very open and would love to hear about, is there a general consensus on the view about this war, about either being in favor of it as a means towards justice and liberty for all of the Iranian people, or do they view it perhaps pessimistically as I do, that oh goodness, when has bloodshed ever led to a more just and loving society?

I'm on the verge of rambling, so I'm gonna stop, but if there's any, I would just love to, if nothing else, to learn from anyone with an Iranian perspective about this war, and how the Iranian people view it. I'm sure views are diverse, but I would love.

[29:57] Asal Abasian: Here with an open mind and an open heart. Thank you for this question because it is really heartfelt that we see that people from other parts of the world, specifically from the countries which are other parties of this devastation, are caring about the situation. Actually, of course, all freedom-seeking forces in Iran were against the system, the shape of the system, the dictatorship which ran the country for half a century. But at the same time, most of the society, at least people who care about freedom and democracy, based on critical thinking and not with propaganda-run narratives of what is happening, all of us were against Khamenei and how his oppressive system killed at least thousands of young people since January.

If we want to go to the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, as of 1972, there were millions. They never cared about human existence but themselves. I only can say that some people are happy and I'm not empathic with them but I understand them. And, of course, some people, the idea of this war is victorious for Iranian people has been sold to them. I can say that sometimes they've been fooled by, I don't know, fake narratives but, of course, millions of people, not only in Iran and as Iranians but, I think, across the globe, were against Khamenei and how his system executed and killed numerous people. But, of course, we never want an aggressive war and foreign intervention to actually bombard him and his palace, everything, and so on.

And imagine that now, since last day of February, actually the country doesn't have any leader. There is a narrative about that Khamenei Jr. now is the leader but there is no evidence, no voice, no video. There is no evidence even about that he's still alive or not. And at the moment of fighting with a foreign enemy, the victim, the main victim, is not the system. It's not the army or the IRGC. It's, again, people of Iran because it makes our civil society fragmented, I believe.

[33:51] Dylan Glick: Just a really quick tag in on that. I have experienced both of the sides and it really is so confusing. And I've had so many conversations both with friends, people that are also Persian, people that aren't Persian, with my Persian relatives that are, the second we found out that he was murdered, it was like celebration, fireworks, everyone was excited about that. But then there's that moral part of it where it's, you're right, it is bloodshed and he wasn't the only one whose life was lost. At what cost? What is the cost of taking down this, some people might have different thoughts, but in my opinion, villain. And they were absolutely right. It's not the army and it's not the government. It's the people that are ultimately being hurt.

My grandmother, she always tells me that she wants to go back to Iran. She wants to go back to Iran because she has this pride and this love for her country. And she hasn't been back since two years ago when her mother passed. And we have to tell her, Molini, it's not safe to go. It's not safe. It's so dangerous. But I love my country, but she hates the regime. And so it's really the people. I think there's so many different groups, but it's the people and then there's the government and they are two completely separate entities.

[35:11] Asal Abasian: Correct. And I think that there are times where I don't, I'm also half Colombian. And so my last name doesn't sound Persian. And there are times that I don't really share that I'm Persian, especially in today's political climate, because people immediately are like, Oh, Iran. Oh, but there's also so many things that are so beautiful about the culture. And I can't imagine a life where I didn't grow up in the Persian culture, but absolutely it is. It's something that I don't really know what I understand where your pessimistic views about it come from, because it is absolutely, it's war. It's something that's not okay. But then there, I also have so many family members that are happy that he was killed.

But then the rational part of my brain was like, okay, he's gone, but there's still an entire nation. There is still a regime. It's not like he's gone. Okay, now blank slate. We're good. Everybody can start from scratch. That's not how it works. And I think it's really been a now what now what's going to happen? Is this a step in the right direction? Is this a step towards the Iran that my grandmother tells me stories of that she remembered growing up in that was just fruitful and bright and full of life. And so I don't really have I don't think there is one answer. I think that there if I if you ask my grandmother, she'd be saying I'm so happy that he's dead. If you said that point blank, no questions asked.

That's what she would say. But that is obviously from her cultural context and her relation to her nation and the government and everything. And so I don't want to speak for every Iranian person. But I think it is it's a lot more gray. It's not very black and white.

[37:12] Barry M. Putt Jr.: Yeah, absolutely.

[37:19] Robert Liebowitz: Oh, wow. My husband was talking about all these people were disappearing.

[37:25] Asal Abasian: Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I will just try to touch on the same points. Because as you said that if you are trying to bring a revolution by force, and in the process, you are killing thousands and thousands of innocent people, then it's definitely not for the greater good. It's for the hunger of the power that you want to try to hold to start with. On both sides. There's no denying on both sides, there are so many political aspects, which we call as a gray area and which, for us, it's really confusing at times, because now I think it's gotten to the point where if they have closed the Hormuz and Strait of Hormuz is closed, and I'm just giving you the things that I've heard in the news in the last few weeks.

And if they are trying to fight or repel Americans in this situation, why just because of having the Strait of Hormuz being closed, the countries around are suffering. For instance, I'm from Pakistan, right? The fuel prices went from about 187 rupees per litre all the way to 420 rupees per litre. So the people who are like literally living hand to mouth, they are cursing everybody. They are cursing Iran, they are cursing Pakistan, they are cursing everybody. Why they have to and there are thousands and thousands of people. So if the war battle becomes this kind of thing where there's people suffering, then you got to let the ego thing go, you got to let the political side go, and you got to let the sense prevail to have it talked and just deal with it and make peace. That's what I think.

[39:06] Dylan Glick: So I think that, yes?

[39:07] Dylan Glick: I have just one more question for you, Barry, bringing it back to the play. I'm wondering if you could speak to, without giving away any plot points, if there was a section that you found to be the most difficult to write and also if there was a section that you found to be the most rewarding.

[39:24] Barry M. Putt Jr.: There was a section that was the most difficult to write. I've written it quite a few times. I don't know how much more specific I can be without revealing. Let me just say that I had to do research after I wrote it. It is the beginning of, for anyone that happens to see the play, I would just say that it is the beginning of Act Two. There's very specific things that happen there and I had to do a lot of research because I wanted to, I didn't know specifically about different tactics that would be used in that situation. I had to do a lot of research to do that, to understand more and there's a real structure to that point. What was the second part of your question?

[40:05] Dylan Glick: If there was a section of the play that was the most rewarding to write or maybe satisfying?

[40:14] Barry M. Putt Jr.: I would say the whole, I guess the whole play in itself was rewarding and satisfying to write as it evolved and became more complex in the rewriting process. I would say in three words, just that love is love.

[40:31] Robert Liebowitz: Beautiful, yeah. And again, the thing I said before, live and let live. That's what I would say. In any well-written play, 2,500 years, any well-written play, you either can identify a defect in a character, so that's a life lesson for you. I won't do that. So what happened? Like Willy Loman is always an excellent example of that. He's playing now. In 10 years, he'll be playing again and we can identify with it because he's got obvious character defects that it's like a cautionary tale to the rest of us not to do. In addition to that, it's more grandiose where Barry has presented a wrong that just simply needs to be righted. It transcends a character defect. It goes beyond that. The play is, there are many plays, many well-written plays that are intimate in nature where we follow a particular character and their journey and what's at stake, and by plays then hopefully they've changed, learned, and they're the better for it or worse or whatever.

This is not that. This is a little more substantial because it's dealing with a nation of people and by extension, a well-written play, and I'm not saying this because he's here at the Flatiron, but I am saying that it's one of the virtues of the play is that it speaks to the universe. I have seen and reviewed too many plays that are topical. They're topical. They're written for a particular audience. I know it. They know it. They just want a particular audience. I got that. This play speaks to the universe even though it takes place in Iran. The ideas that Barry is depicting and presenting and that my actors are embodying physically transcends Iranian people because the circumstances can fall here or in Europe or on Mars.

It doesn't even matter where, but it speaks to the universe and whatever lands, and that's what I hope the little lady on the Q train running back to Brooklyn is not thinking about, oh, when's the next train or I have to go to the bathroom or anything like that. They're thinking, oh, well, I didn't know that. I'm a little more enlightened about this, that, and the other, and I'm a better human being for it because Barry, the actors, myself, the tech people, the designers have raised the consciousness, which is what we're here in the first place to do. That's my hope. Thank you for having me.

[43:04] Dylan Glick: And welcome back. A huge thank you to Barry M. Putt Jr., Robert Liebowitz, Asal Abasian, and the cast for joining us, and everyone who came out to the Drama Bookshop for such a thoughtful discussion and performance. If today's conversation resonated with you, be sure to check out Omid's Tapestries and support new plays that amplify voices and stories that we often don't get to hear. As Barry reminds us in this conversation, theater has the power to foster empathy. We also remember that love is love and that great theater can raise our consciousness and make us better human beings. Our next episode is going to be an interview with longtime Steppenwolf Ensemble. Our next episode is going to be an interview with playwright, director, screenwriter, and longtime Steppenwolf Ensemble member Eric Simonson.

Joined by his brother, a journalist, Robert Simonson, he discusses his memoir, Between the Lines, Steppenwolf's Segal and Reluctant Actor's Journey Back to Stage. The conversation explores Eric's unexpected return to acting after more than three decades away from the stage, and the stage fright that led him to leave acting behind, and the journey that brought him back. So I hope you'll join us for that discussion. And remember to follow us on Instagram at Dramabookshowpodcast. Follow us on Eventbrite at Dramabookshop. And all the books we talk about can be found here at the bookshop, and so can we. And we will see you at the bookshop!