EVREN ODCIKIN
West Coast Premiere
LANGUAGE ROOMS
by Yussef El Guindi
Golden Thread Productions & AATC, San Francisco, CA (2011)
Golden Thread Productions & Latino Theatre Company, Los Angeles, CA (2012)
Ahmed is a shining example of the American Dream, working as a translator in a Homeland Security detainment facility. His friend Nasser, the only other Muslim on the compound, soon brings him some bad news—that his loyalties are being called into question. As office politics take a turn for the absurd all around him, Ahmed realizes that much more than just his job hangs in the balance.
Critic's pick!
"In a well-paced and well-considered staging, director Evren Odcikin strikes a delicate balance between comic romp and tragedy."
—Los Angeles Times
"A must-see. . . Everything about Evren Odcikin’s staging hums on all cylinders."
—LA Stage Times
"It’s to the credit of up-and-coming, detail-oriented director Evren Odcikin, who knows how to integrate realism and absurdity, and his terrific ensemble of actors—who thankfully never play for laughs or pander to the audience—that Language Rooms is both hilarious and heartbreaking."
—San Francisco Examiner
"Evren Odcikin finds moments of truth and humor that are rich and haunting."
—LA Stage and Cinema
"Odcikin's direction brings El Guindi's satire hauntingly to life, emphasizing the lives of countless individuals, with the lines between coreligionist, colleague, friend, stranger, antagonist—and, yes, family—irredeemably blurred."
—Berkeley Daily Planet
Cast
Mujahid Al Rashid, James, Asher, William Dao, Terry Lamb
Creative Team
Miyuki Bierlein (costume design), Alan Chang (sound design), Patty Loeb (stage manager, LA), Valerie M. Niles (props), Karen Runk (stage manager, SF), Daryl Andrew Packard (lighting design), Mikiko Uesugi (scenic design)