The Public Theater's upcoming production of The Vagrant Trilogy by Mona Mansour will feature a cast made up of Tala Ashe, Ramsey Faragallah, Osh Ghanimah, Nadine Malouf, Rudy Roushdi, and Hadi Tabbal. The six actors will play 19 roles in Mansour's drama spanning four decades and three generations of a family uprooted by war and politics.
An epic story told in three parts, The Vagrant Trilogy delves into the Palestinian struggle for home and identity. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, the production will begin March 17 ahead of an April 1 opening.
tIn part one, Adham, a Palestinian Wordsworth scholar, goes to London in 1967 with his new wife to deliver a lecture. When war breaks out at home, he must decide in an instant what to do—a choice that will affect the rest of his life. The two parts that follow explore alternate realities based on that decision, together painting a picture of Palestinian displacement and a refugee’s life of permanent impermanence.
“Ten years ago, when I started writing in earnest, I submitted Urge for Going to The Public Theater for its Emerging Writers Group. I had no idea how much this program would influence the writing of the three plays that make up The Vagrant Trilogy ,” says Mansour. “Later, I was given a commission to write The Vagrant, and Jesse Alick and Jeanie O'Hare helped me craft that 'middle' play, distilling it from a full two hours to the fever dream it is now."
All through that 10-year process, I felt an unflagging support for the scope, material, and politics of these plays from Oskar Eustis. I’m not unaware of how daring it is for him to program this: plays that feature Palestinians at the center are extremely rare in the American theatre landscape. Frankly, it shouldn't be so 'daring,' but it is. And I've always felt the rightness of this incredible home.”
The Vagrant Trilogy will feature scenic design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Dina El-Aziz, lighting design by Reza Behjat, sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar, and video design by Greg Emetaz.
Performances are scheduled through April 26. Click here for more information.
