People of the Book
In-person
Monday, October 28th, 2024 | 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET
Join us on for a thought-provoking evening as we partner with Urban Stages for the New York premiere of People of the Book by Yussef El Guindi, directed by John Langs on Monday, October 28th at 7:00 PM. This off-Broadway production explores the intersection of personal relationships and global politics. As part of our community, you can use the code 2020 for discounted admission and a complimentary glass of wine. After the play, there will be an exclusive talk with Lisa Anderson, Network 20/20 Advisory Council member and former President of the American University in Cairo.
This special collaboration with Urban Stages highlights our ongoing mission to bring international affairs and contemporary global issues to life in unique, engaging ways. Don’t miss this dynamic exploration of personal politics and societal reflection!
Use code 2020 to get discounted admission and a complimentary glass of wine
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About the Play: Jason returns from war to literary glory after writing an international best-seller, but his celebrity is underscored by his marriage to Madeeha, an Iraqi woman he saved. When he reunites with old friends, Amir and Lynn, questions emerge about the veracity of the book and its particular patriotic American gaze. Lust, jealousy, and personal politics bring things between old friends to a boiling point and we are asked “what is the expense of lies – personally and as a country.
About the Playwright: Yussef El Guindi: Born in Egypt and raised in London, Yussef El Guindi is an award-winning playwright whose works explore the intersections of ethnicity, culture, and politics, particularly as they relate to Arab-American and Muslim-American identities. With an MFA in Playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University, his notable works include The Talented Ones, Threesome, and Language Rooms. El Guindi has been honored with numerous awards, including the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award and the Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award.
About the Director: John Langs: A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and artistic director of Seattle’s ACT Contemporary Theatre, John Langs is known for his dedication to original work. He has directed productions at prominent theaters across the country, including Playwrights Horizons NY, Ensemble Studio Theater NY, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
“[Yussef El Guindi’s] sheds a sharp light on [the recent] war’s intimate effects on two couples whose battlefield becomes the home front … The play’s melt-down climax is truly shocking… And as with any tragedy, including a Euripidean tragedy, there are no answers — only consequences, which leave the theater with you.” —Oregon Artswatch
“You may think you know what to expect … it’s a climax I never saw coming which made it all the more exciting. I love that a play can still surprise me like this and when one does, I need to give it its due.” —Broadway World
SPEAKER:
Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson is Special Lecturer and James T. Shotwell Professor Emerita of International Relations at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.Dr. Anderson served as President of the American University in Cairo for five years, from 2011-2016. Prior to her appointment as President, she was the University’s provost, a position she had assumed in 2008. She is Dean Emerita of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia, where she led the school from 1997-2007. She was on the faculty of Columbia since 1986; prior to her appointment as Dean, she served as Chair of the Department of Political Science and Director of Columbia’s Middle East Institute; she held the Shotwell Chair in the Department of Political Science. She has also taught at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and in the Government and Social Studies departments at Harvard University.Dr. Anderson’s scholarly research has included work on state formation in the Middle East and North Africa; on regime change and democratization in developing countries; and on social science, academic research and public policy both in the United States and around the world. Among her books are The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and Libya, 1820-1980 (1986) and Pursuing Truth, Exercising Power: Social Science and Public Policy in the Twenty-first Century (2003); she has also published numerous scholarly articles.
Dr. Anderson is a trustee of the Aga Khan University and a member of the advisory board of the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and the Sciences Po’s School of Public Affairs in Paris. She is a member emerita of the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch, served as President of the Middle East Studies Association in 2003 and as Chair of the Board of the Social Science Research Council (1998-2008). She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Use code 2020 to get discounted admission and a complimentary glass of wine
NOT YET A NETWORK 20/20 MEMBER?
Apply today to enjoy all exclusive briefings with high-profile speakers
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