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Emily is a painter whose work is heavily influenced by Islamic art and incorporates Islamic forms. She is also a white woman married to a Pakistani American man named Amir. In Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced, onstage at the Mark Taper Forum through July 17, 2016, Emily is accused of Orientalism by Isaac, a curator at New York’s...

The Islamic Art of ‘Disgraced’

Critics and audiences across the country (including the Pulitzer Prize committee) have been raving about Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced since its 2012 premiere. But Disgraced and the actions of its characters are not without controversy and can be difficult to watch at times....

‘Disgraced’ Does Not Apologize

Disgraced, which plays the Mark Taper Forum June 8 – July 17, 2016, touches on a wide range of topics, from the effects of Islamic extremism on Muslim Americans and the appropriation of Islamic traditions in Western art to identity, faith, and what it means to live the American dream. With assistance from the Goodman Theatre and Berkeley Rep, we...

A ‘Disgraced’ Library of Resources

Since the late 1980s, Suzan-Lori Parks’ plays have graced stages in every major American city. She is a recipient of the coveted MacArthur “Genius” Award, the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the first Master Writer Chair at New York City’s Public Theater. Her newest play, Father Comes Home From The W...

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Journey from a New York Bar to Household Name

Why would an African-American—and a slave—enter a Civil War battlefield on the side of the Confederacy? Hero, the character at the center of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), which plays the Mark Taper Forum through May 15, 2016, wrestles with this very question as the play opens. His master has prom...

How Slaves Fought—and Found Freedom—in the Civil War

Some great stories not only stand the test of time but go on to inspire great art for generations to come. Homer’s Odyssey, the story of Trojan War hero Odysseus’ journey from the battlefield to his home and family is one such masterpiece. Over 2,500 years after it was written (or spoken), The Odyssey continues to shape a sizable portion o...

Art That Drinks from the Well of ‘The Odyssey’