Complete Cast and Creative Team Announced for
THE OLD GLOBE’s Southern California Debut of the Moving
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
by URSULA RANI SARMA,
Based on the best-selling book by KHALED HOSSEINI,
Directed by CAREY PERLOFF,
Presented in Association with American Conservatory Theater

Performances Run MAY 12 – JUNE 17, 2018; Opening THURSDAY, MAY 17

PHOTO EDITORS: Advance photos for A Thousand Splendid Suns are available by clicking here.

SAN DIEGO (April 23, 2018)—The Old Globe’s 2017–2018 Season continues with today’s announcement of the complete cast and creative team for the Southern California debut of A Thousand Splendid Suns, Ursula Rani Sarma’s sweeping and deeply moving theatrical production based on the best-selling book by Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner). Directed by Carey Perloff and presented in association with American Conservatory Theater, A Thousand Splendid Suns will run May 12 – June 17, 2018 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Tickets start at $30.00 and are on sale to the general public now. Previews run May 12–16. Opening night is Thursday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m.

The epic story of three generations of Afghan women and their remarkable resilience, A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in the war-torn neighborhoods of 1990s Kabul. When battle upends her family, beautiful Laila must seek shelter, first in the home and then in the arms of her older neighbor. Soon she forges an extraordinary and unlikely friendship with Mariam, her new husband’s first wife. Summoning the strength to defy a tyrannical society, the two women seek hope and the promise of a better future. Adapted for the stage by acclaimed Irish Indian playwright Ursula Rani Sarma, this breathtaking new production features music from renowned composer David Coulter. The Huffington Post says, “There’s no denying the play’s power as well as the beauty of its staging and its exquisite musical backdrop,” while the San Francisco Chronicle heralds its “epic splendor,” writing that it “dazzles with its opulence and humanity.”

The cast includes Denmo Ibrahim as Mariam (A Thousand Splendid Suns at A.C.T. and Theatre Calgary, BABA at New York Theatre Workshop); Lanna Joffrey as Fariba, Nana, and Doctor (The Profane at Playwrights Horizons, Sad and Merry Madness and Measure for Measure at The Public Theater); Haysam Kadri as Rasheed and Talib Soldier (Suns at A.C.T. and Theatre Calgary, The Revenant, “Hell on Wheels”); Joseph Kamal as Babi, Mullah Faizullah, Interrogator, and Zaman (Dinner at Eight at Lincoln Center Theater, Homebody/Kabul at New York Theatre Workshop); Jason Kapoor as Abdul Sharif, Jalil, and Wakil (Suns at A.C.T., Ideation Off Broadway); Nadine Malouf as Laila (Suns at A.C.T., Martyna Majok’s queens at Lincoln Center’s LCT3); Nikita Tewani as Aziza (Suns at A.C.T. and Theatre Calgary, “Falling Water”); Antoine Yared as Tariq and Soldier (Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at Stratford Festival, Edgar in King Lear in Toronto), Abraham German and Arden Pala alternating performances as Zalmai, and local ensemble members Mondis Vakili and Kris Zarif.

The creative team includes Ken MacDonald (Scenic Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design), Robert Wierzel (Lighting Design), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design), David Coulter (Original Music), Stephen Buescher (Choreographer), Janet Foster, CSA (Casting), Haysam Kadri (Associate Director), and Elisa Guthertz (Production Stage Manager).

Ursula Rani Sarma (Playwright) is an award-winning writer of Irish Indian descent. She has written plays for Abbey Theatre, the National Theatre of Ireland in Dublin, as well as American Conservatory Theater, Ambassador Theatre Group, Traverse Theatre, Paines Plough, and the BBC, amongst many other companies. Her recent productions include Joanne (Clean Break, Soho Theatre), Débris (Théâtre La Licorne), The Ripple Effect (Ambassador Theatre Group/London Cultural Olympiad), Yerma (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Riot (A.C.T. Young Conservatory/Theatre Royal Bath), The Dark Things (Traverse Theatre), and Birdsong (Abbey Theatre). Ms. Sarma has been writer-in-residence for Paines Plough, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and Royal National Theatre, among other companies. She is currently developing plays for Abbey Theatre, Traverse Theatre, and Djinn Theatre Company. For the screen, her work includes “Raw,” “Red Rock,” Anywhere but Here, and Judge Dee. She is currently adapting the book Henry’s Demons for BBC One and writing an original drama entitled Guardian for Channel 4.

Khaled Hosseini (Original Book) was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. In 1976, his family relocated to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then the Soviet invasion was underway, so the Hosseini family moved to San Jose, California. Mr. Hosseini went on to become a doctor, practicing medicine as an internist between 1996 and 2004. He is the author of three award-winning and internationally best-selling novels: The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), and And the Mountains Echoed (2013). In 2006, Mr. Hosseini was named a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. After a trip to Afghanistan in this position, he was inspired to establish The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

Carey Perloff (Director) is celebrating her 25th season as Artistic Director of American Conservatory Theater, where she commissioned and developed this adaptation of A Thousand Splendid Suns. Known for innovative productions of classics and for championing new writing and new forms of theatre, she has directed classical plays from around the world, 10 plays by Tom Stoppard (including the American premieres of The Invention of Love and Indian Ink, also at Roundabout Theatre Company, and two productions of Arcadia), and many productions by favorite contemporary writers such as Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, José Rivera, and Philip Kan Gotanda. Her other productions include Hecuba, Mary Stuart, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, The Tosca Café, The Voysey Inheritance, Scorched, and Underneath the Lintel. Ms. Perloff is also an award-winning playwright. Her recent play Kinship premiered at the Théâtre de Paris in 2014; Higher won the 2011 Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation Theatre Visions Fund Award; and Luminescence Dating premiered in New York at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Ms. Perloff’s book, Beautiful Chaos: A Life in the Theater (City Lights Foundation Books), was selected as San Francisco Public Library’s One City One Book selection for 2016. Before joining A.C.T., she was Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company in New York, where she directed the premiere of Ezra Pound’s Elektra, the American premiere of Pinter’s Mountain Language, and many classic works. Named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettresby the French government, Ms. Perloff received a B.A. Phi Beta Kappa in Classics and Comparative Literature from Stanford University and was a Fulbright Fellow at Oxford.

American Conservatory Theater (Co-Producer), San Francisco’s Tony Award–winning not-for-profit theatre, nurtures live theatre through dynamic productions, intensive actor training, and community engagement. It embraces its responsibility to conserve, renew, and reinvent its rich theatrical traditions while exploring new artistic forms and communities. A.C.T. opened its first San Francisco season in 1967 and has since performed more than 350 productions to more than 7 million people. A.C.T.’s 50-year-old Conservatory features its master of fine arts actor training program, its Summer Training Congress that attracts students worldwide, and the San Francisco Semester, a study-abroad opportunity for undergraduates. Its other programs include the Young Conservatory (for students aged 8–19) and Studio A.C.T., theatre study for adults. A.C.T. also brings theatre-based arts education to 16,000 Bay Area students annually. With its increased presence in the Central Market neighborhood, marked by the renovation of The Strand Theater, A.C.T. plays a leadership role in securing the future of theatre for San Francisco and the nation.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsor Debra Turner, as well as Artist Sponsors Sue and Edward “Duff” Sanderson (for director Carey Perloff) and Reneé and Bob Wailes (for Nadine Malouf, playing Laila). Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

Additional events taking place during the run of A Thousand Splendid Sunsinclude:

VICKI AND CARL ZEIGER INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.

An opportunity to closely connect with productions both onstage and backstage. A panel selected from the artistic company of each show (playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and/or technicians) engages patrons  in an informal and illuminating presentation of ideas and insights to enhance the theatregoing experience. Reception at 5:00 p.m. FREE.

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS: AFGHANISTAN THEN AND NOW: Friday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m.

Afghan cultural consultant Humaira Ghilzai, who worked on the original production of A Thousand Splendid Suns with authors Khaled Hosseini and Ursula Rani Sarma, will discuss the development and creation of the play. Ghilzai will also talk about the history of Afghanistan in the time period of the novel and play. FREE.

SUBJECT MATTERS: Saturday, May 19, following the 2:00 p.m. matinee.

Afghan cultural consultant Humaira Ghilzai joins audiences for a brief, illuminating post-show discussion to talk about the history and culture of Afghanistan. Subject Matters will ignite discussion, bring the play’s concerns into sharp focus, and encourage you to think beyond the stage! FREE.

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesdays, May 22 and 29, and Wednesday, June 6.

Join us after the show for an informal and enlightening question-and-answer session with cast, crew, and/or Globe staff members. Get the inside story on creating a character and putting together a professional production. FREE.

CELEBRATING SISTER CITIES: SAN DIEGO AND JALABAD: Monday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m.

This free evening discussion will focus on the work of the San Diego Jalalabad Sister Cities Foundation. The evening will culminate with a Skype video conference call with a group of Afghan women participating in a program in which they learn English and technological skills. Globe audience members will have the chance to hear about their daily lives, ask questions, and participate in conversation. FREE.

SINGLE TICKETS to A Thousand Splendid Suns start at $30.00 and are on sale to the general public now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more.

Performances begin on May 12, 2018 and continue through June 17, 2018. Performance times: Previews: Saturday, May 12 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. Opening night is Thursday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m. Regular performances (May 18 – June 17): Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.; Thursday and Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. There will be an additional matinee performance on Wednesday, June 6 at 2:00 p.m. and no matinee performance on Saturday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m.

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Through a special arrangement with the San Diego Zoo, Old Globe evening ticket-holders have the opportunity to pre-purchase valet parking in the Zoo’s employee parking structure. With a drop-off point just a short walk to the Globe, theatregoers may purchase fast, easy, convenient valet parking for just $14 per vehicle per evening. Pre-paid only, available only by phone through the Old Globe Box Office. Call (619) 234-5623 or visit
www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/valet-parking. The Balboa Park valet is also available during performances, located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. There is a 10-minute zone at The Old Globe, used only for daytime deliveries, ticket purchases, and handicapped access dropoff. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/detailed-directions.

PLEASE NOTE: To look up online or GPS directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. For GPS users, please click here for the map coordinates, and here for written directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.

CALENDAR: American Mariachi (3/23–4/29), The Wanderers (4/6–5/6), AXIS: Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! (4/21), A Thousand Splendid Suns (5/12–6/17), AXIS: coLAB Program Showcase (5/12), Native Gardens (5/26–6/24), AXIS: Kids’ Dance Party, Featuring Dance To Evolve (6/12), The Tempest (6/17–7/22), AXIS: Make Music San Diego (6/21), Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (7/2–8/12), AXIS: Fourth District Seniors Resource Center’s Globe Takeover, Featuring the Seasoned Line Dancers (7/10), Barefoot in the Park (7/28–8/26), Much Ado About Nothing (8/12–9/16), AXIS: LV’s Island Flair, Featuring Dance Lessons with Elvina Addams (8/21), The Heart of Rock & Roll (9/6/18–10/21), AXIS: Mexican Independence Day Celebration, Featuring Las Colibrí in Concert (9/15), 2018 Globe Gala featuring Andra Day (9/22), AXIS: Day of the Dead Celebration (10/28).

PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of The Old Globe’s productions are available at www.theoldglobe.org/press-room.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Meteor Shower, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Abraham German (Zalmai) is making his Old Globe debut. His regional credits include understudy for Trouble in San Diego Opera’s Madame Butterfly, and CSU San Marcos’s Seussical.His other favorite roles include Little Boy in Into the Woods(California Youth Conservatory), Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka and Mini Snoopy in Snoopy the Musical (Performing Lakeside Acting Youth),Marionette in My Son Pinocchio (Young Actors’ Theatre), and Blanket Brigade in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Christian Youth Theater San Diego). Mr. German has also appeared in the Heart of a Child benefit concertfor the past three years at Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall; performed regularly at Martini’s Above Fourth; modeled for Disney; and been in numerous commercials.

Denmo Ibrahim (Mariam) is an actor and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her recent credits include Nana and Fariba in the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns (American Conservatory Theater, Theatre Calgary), Kathryn in Splendour (Aurora Theatre Company), Noor in Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat (Golden Thread Productions; San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award nomination), Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing (California Shakespeare Theater), and Tyra in I Call My Brothers (Crowded Fire Theater; Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Featured Role in a Play). Her solo show BABA, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, won an SFBATCC Award for Original Script and was developed at New York Theatre Workshop with Noor Theatre. Ms. Ibrahim is a Founding Artistic Director of Mugwumpin. She earned her M.F.A. in Lecoq-Based Actor-Created Physical Theatre from Naropa University and a B.F.A. in Acting from Boston University. She is currently developing a new play commissioned by Crowded Fire Theater, and she is a Resident Artist of Golden Thread Productions. adenmoproject.com.

Lanna Joffrey (Fariba, Nana, Doctor) is an actor, spoken-word performer, and writer working in the U.K. and the U.S. Her select performances include The Profane directed by Kip Fagan (Playwrights Horizons), Muse of Fire directed by Harper Ray and Sonnet Walks directed by Federay Holmes (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Soulless Ones directed by Anna Soderblöm and Oscar Blustin (Hammer House of Horror Live), I Call My Brothers directed by Tinuke Craig (Gate Theatre), Timon of Athens directed by Alex Hassell and Louis Scheeder (The Factory), Sad and Merry Madness directed by Barry Edelstein and Measure for Measure directed by Michelle Hensley (The Public Theater), 9 Parts of Desire directed by Carmel O’Reilly (The Lyric Stage Company of Boston; IRNE Award), and 1001 directed by Ethan McSweeny (Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company; Denver Post Ovation Award). Ms. Joffrey’s critically acclaimed verbatim play Valiant has traveled the U.K. (directed by Alexandra Renzetti) and the U.S. (directed by Tamilla Woodard), going to Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Theatre503, Women and War Festival, WOW Folkestone Festival, and InterAct Theatre Company, and earning a FringeNYC Award. Ms. Joffrey’s spoken word has been featured online and in print. She received her M.A. in Acting from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, and her B.F.A. in Acting for Syracuse University. lannajoffrey.com.

Haysam Kadri (Rasheed, Talib Soldier; Associate Director) has appeared in A Thousand Splendid Suns (American Conservatory Theater, Theatre Calgary), Enron, To Kill a Mockingbird, Much Ado About Nothing, The Crucible, and A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary), The Hollow, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Twelve Angry Men, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Black Coffee (Vertigo Theatre), Richard III, Macbeth, Othello, William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead, and The Winter’s Tale (The Shakespeare Company), The Last Wife, Cockroach, The Motherf***er with the Hat, Shakespeare’s Dog, Robin Hood, and Oliver Twist (Alberta Theatre Projects). His film and television credits include The Revenant and “Hell on Wheels.” Mr. Kadri is the Artistic Producer of The Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare by the Bow Program Director of Theatre Calgary.

Joseph Kamal (Babi, Mullah, Faizullah, Interrogator, Zaman) is thrilled to be making his Old Globe debut. He has appeared in world premieres by Tony Kushner, Rajiv Joseph, Charles Mee, Lee Breuer, Betty Shamieh, Herbert Siguenza, Richard Montoya of Culture Clash, and Charles Randolph-Wright. He has also been seen in West Coast premieres and national tours of plays by Theresa Rebeck and Lynn Nottage. He has worked at Lincoln Center Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Atlantic Theater Company, Mabou Mines, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, The Theatre @ Boston Court, and A Contemporary Theatre, among others, and he was a company member of Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Recently in Los Angeles, he appeared in Prometheus Bound at The Getty Villa. Last summer he premiered the play Transmission at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has numerous film and television credits and has done a lot of voice work as well. josephkamal.com.

Jason Kapoor (Abdul Sharif, Jalil, Wakil) is thrilled to make his debut at The Old Globe reprising roles from the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns. He was most recently seen in the San Francisco Playhouse production of Born Yesterday. His other Bay Area credits include Ideation (SF Playhouse, Off Broadway’s 59E59 Theaters), Life Is a Dream (California Shakespeare Theater), and Indian Ink, King Charles III, and The Hard Problem (American Conservatory Theater). Born and raised in San Jose, Mr. Kapoor received his B.A. from San Jose State University and his M.A. from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Nadine Malouf (Laila) is honored to be a part of this story once again, after originating the role at American Conservatory Theater last year. She was most recently seen Off Broadway in Martyna Majok’s new play queens at Lincoln Center’s LCT3. She was seen cooking in various home kitchens in the one-woman, site-specific New York premiere of Oh My Sweet Land with The Play Company. She also played the title role in the world premiere of Salomé with Shakespeare Theatre Company (winner of seven Helen Hayes Awards). Her other recent Off Broadway work includes Today Is My Birthday and Ultimate Beauty Bible (Page 73 Productions), The School for Scandal (Red Bull Theater), The Who & The What (LCT3), and Exile (Cherry Lane Theatre). She has also appeared in Scorched (Syracuse Stage) and Macbeth (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). Ms. Malouf has been seen in new works developed at Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, and Complicité, among others. Her recent television and film credits include “The Looming Tower,” Resolutions, and May in the Summer. She trained at Syracuse University and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Arden Pala (Zalmai) is thrilled and honored to be joining the cast of A Thousand Splendid Suns at The Old Globe. He is nine years old and in third grade at Francis Parker School. He has been acting and singing since he began to walk and talk. Mr. Pala enjoys performing with Trinity Theatre Company, Broadway Theatre Arts Academy, North Coast Repertory Theatre, and STAR Repertory Theatre. Mr. Pala’s favorite roles include JoJo in Seussical, Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, Toto in The Wizard of Oz, and Zazu in The Lion King. Mr. Pala also enjoys writing and is the author of The Adventures of Noah’s Flying Car book series, available on Amazon and Kindle, with all proceeds benefiting low-income youth. When he is not acting, he is singing, writing, playing the piano, and performing martial arts.

Nikita Tewani (Aziza) is thrilled to be reprising the role of Aziza in her Old Globe debut. She is a New York City–based actress and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her recent Off Broadway and regional theatre credits include The Who & The What (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns (American Conservatory Theater, Theatre Calgary), The Fall (Soho Playhouse), and A Muslim in the Midst (Thespis Theater Festival). Her television credits include “The Affair” (Showtime) and “Falling Water” (USA Network). Ms. Tewani has also appeared in national commercials and ad campaigns. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. nikitatewani.com.

Mondis Vakili (Ensemble) is honored to make her debut at The Old Globe. Her recent regional credits include Dust at Cygnet Theatre Company, Under Construction: American Masque at La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Festival, the North American premiere of Rocks in Her Pocket, Lucius in the all-female cast of Titus Andronicus, Trisha in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, the Northern California premiere of The Domestic Crusaders by Wajahat Ali, and much more. Ms. Vakili received B.A.s in Theatre and Communication with honors, with a minor in Dance, from UC San Diego. mondisvakili.com.

Antoine Yared (Tariq, Soldier) is thrilled to be making his American debut here at The Old Globe. Born in Lebanon and raised in Montreal, his work in theatre has led him to perform in theatres across the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes. He most recently appeared as Edgar in Groundling Theatre Company’s production of Lear in Toronto, and he played one of the titular roles in last season’s Romeo and Juliet at Stratford Festival. His other recent theatre credits include The Madwoman of Chaillot, John Gabriel Borkman, Macbeth, As You Like It, Pericles, The Alchemist, The Physicists, King John, Antony and Cleopatra, Mother Courage and Her Children, and The Merchant of Venice (Stratford Festival) and The Snow Queen (Theatre New Brunswick).

Kris Zarif (Ensemble) previously appeared as El-Fayoumy in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Triad Productions), Nepotism Guy, Scientist Guy, and Security Guy in tempOdyssey (Teatro ALTO),and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet,Nanaivandak in 1001 Grains of Sand,and Micah in Inside Story (San Diego State University). He can also be seen in the films September Tapes, In the Wrong Hands, Timing, Any Genre You Like, and Rushing.

Ken MacDonald (Scenic Design) has designed The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring (Canadian Stage, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera), The Barber of Seville and Macbeth (Pacific Opera Victoria), The Threepenny Opera, The Rake’s Progress, and Susannah (Vancouver Opera), A Thousand Splendid Suns (American Conservatory Theater, Grand Theatre, Theatre Calgary), Sovereignty and The Shoplifters (Arena Stage, Theatre Calgary), Engaged, Our Town, Sweet Charity, Arms and the Man, Our Betters, and The Doctor’s Dilemma (Shaw Festival Theatre), Wanderlust, Moby Dick, and The Trespassers (Stratford Festival), Parfumerie, Blithe Spirit, The Government Inspector, and ’night, Mother (Soulpepper Theatre Company), The Arsonists, The Overcoat, and Vigil (Canadian Stage), Sextet, The Amorous Adventures of Anatol, Marry Me a Little, Benevolence, and The Dishwashers (Tarragon Theatre), and The Waiting Room, Hamlet, and Art (Arts Club Theatre Company). Mr. MacDonald has received a Gemini Award for Outstanding Production Design for The Overcoat (CBC); two Dora Awards; a Betty Mitchell Award; and 17 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. kenandmorris.com.

Linda Cho (Costume Design) is thrilled to return to The Old Globe, where she most recently designed October Sky and The Comedy of Errors. This is her 15th show here since 2002. She maintains a highly successful career with opera and theatre companies in the United States and abroad. Among her successes in theatre have been theBroadway productions of Anastasia (Tony Award nomination), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Tony Award), and The Velocity of Autumn. Ms. Cho’s work has also been seen Off Broadway and at numerous American regional theatres and opera companies. She will make her Metropolitan Opera debut this season with Samson et Dalila. She recently received the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for A Thousand Splendid Suns at American Conservatory Theater. She is also the proud recipient of the TDF Irene Sharaff Young Master Award and the Ruth Morley Design Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women, and she is on the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing. Ms. Cho is an alumna of McGill University and holds a master of fine arts degree from Yale School of Drama. lindacho.com.

Robert Wierzel (Lighting Design) has worked with artists from diverse disciplines and backgrounds in opera, theatre, dance, museums, and contemporary music, on stages throughout the country and abroad. Mr. Wierzel’s theatre work has been seen on and Off Broadway, including Fela! (Tony Award nomination), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill starring Audra McDonald, David Copperfield: Dreams and Nightmares,and productions at New York Shakespeare Festival/The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Signature Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, Mostly Mozart Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Acting Company, and Lincoln Center Festival/American Songbook. He has collaborated for decades with choreographer and director Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Mr. Wierzel is currently in pre-production on a new musical, A Walk on the Moon. He is on the faculty at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is a creative partner at Spark Design Collaborative.

Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design) is a sound designer and composer based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. His recent credits include we, the invisibles (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Vietgone (American Conservatory Theater), An Octoroon (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Events (Shotgun Players), A Thousand Splendid Suns (A.C.T., Theatre Calgary, Grand Theatre), The Christians (Playwrights Horizons, Mark Taper Forum), Girlfriend (Kirk Douglas Theatre), and Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (A.C.T., Guthrie Theater). Mr. Rodriguez is the recipient of a 2004 Princess Grace Award.

David Coulter (Original Music) is an English-born multidisciplinary artist, musician, composer, director, and educator based in the Bay Area. Since the 1980s, he has directed shows, produced records, and played his musical saw and other assorted weird and less-weird instruments in studios, theatres, and stages and on recordings around the world with the likes of The Pogues, Tom Waits and Robert Wilson, Kronos Quartet, Laurie Anderson, Yoko Ono, Hal Willner, and Gorillaz. Mr. Coulter curates and directs numerous multi-artist events. His credits include Monkey: Journey to the West (Gorillaz/Chen Shi-Zheng), Double Fantasy Live, Rain Dogs Revisited, Twisted Christmas, In Dreams: David Lynch Revisited, and An Anatomy Act. He was also associate musical director and multi-instrumentalist on The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets (A.C.T., 2004). He is a visiting lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London, and he has played the didgeridoo at the invitation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on a number of official occasions.

Stephen Buescher (Choreographer) is a movement director/choreographer, actor, director, and teaching artist. He has designed movement for A Thousand Splendid Suns, Monstress, The Orphan of Zhao, Stuck Elevator, Let There Be Love, and Underneath the Lintel (American Conservatory Theater), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Private Lives (Long Wharf Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Company), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare Santa Cruz), and Blues for an Alabama Sky (Lorraine Hansberry Theatre). Mr. Buescher is the Head of Movement in A.C.T.’s M.F.A. program. In the Conservatory he has directed The Taming of the Shrew, Black Orpheus, Romeo and Juliet, Galileo, The Island, The House of Bernarda Alba (which traveled to Moscow Art Theatre), Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!, Archangels Don’t Play Pinball, and Hotel Paradiso. He has taught physical theatre at Yale School of Drama, Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company, New York University, University of Connecticut, and University of Missouri–Kansas City. Mr. Buescher has performed nationally and internationally for over a decade as a company member with the physical-based company Dell’Arte International. He is a graduate of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre and California Institute of the Arts, and he is thrilled to be making his debut at The Old Globe.

Janet Foster, CSA (Casting) has cast for American Conservatory Theater for the past six years, including Hamlet, The Birthday Party, A Walk on the Moon, Indian Ink, The Orphan of Zhao, Maple and Vine, Endgame, Play, The Scottsboro Boys, The Normal Heart, A Christmas Carol, 4000 Miles, Dead Metaphor, Arcadia, and many more. Her Broadway credits include The Light in the Piazza (Artios Award nomination), Lennon, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Taking Sides (co-cast). She cast the Off Broadway productions of Lucky Guy, Lucy, Close Ties, Brundibar, True Love, Endpapers, The Dying Gaul, The Maiden’s Prayer, Dream True, The Trojan Women, and A Love Story. For Playwrights Horizons she cast Floyd Collins, The Monogamist, A Cheever Evening, Later Life, and many more. Ms. Foster’s credits include Intiman Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Baltimore Center Stage, Westport Country Playhouse, Two River Theater, and American Repertory Theater. Her television, film, and radio credits include “Cosby” (CBS), Tracey Takes on New York (HBO), The Deal by Lewis Black, Advice from a Caterpillar, “The Day That Lehman Died” (BBC World Services/Blackhawk Productions; Peabody, Sony, and Wincott Foundation Awards), and WNYC Tom Stoppard Radio Plays for 2010–2011.

Elisa Guthertz (Production Stage Manager) has been a Bay Area stage manager for over 25 years. Most recently she worked on Heisenberg, The Birthday Party, and Hamlet at American Conservatory Theater, and last season she staged managed A Thousand Splendid Suns at A.C.T. and Theatre Calgary. Her numerous other productions for A.C.T. include A Night with Janis Joplin, The Realistic Joneses, Monstress, Love and Information, Testament, Major Barbara, Underneath the Lintel, Arcadia, The Normal Heart, The Scottsboro Boys, Endgame, Play, Scorched, Clybourne Park, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Rainmaker, A Number, and Eve Ensler’s The Good Body, among others. She has also stage managed The Mystery of Irma Vep, Suddenly Last Summer, Rhinoceros, Big Love, Collected Stories, and Cloud Tectonics (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Good Body (Broadway), Big Love (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and The Vagina Monologues (Alcazar Theatre).

Southern California premiere

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By Ursula Rani Sarma

Based on the book by Khaled Hosseini

Directed by Carey Perloff

In association with American Conservatory Theater

RUNS:  May 12 – June 17, 2018

Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center

TICKETS:  Ticket prices start at $30.00.

SYNOPSIS: A sweeping and deeply moving theatrical production based on the best-selling book by Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner). The epic story of three generations of Afghan women and their remarkable resilience, A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in the war-torn neighborhoods of 1990s Kabul. When battle upends her family, beautiful Laila must seek shelter, first in the home and then in the arms of her older neighbor. Soon she forges an extraordinary and unlikely friendship with Mariam, her new husband’s first wife. Summoning the strength to defy a tyrannical society, the two women seek hope and the promise of a better future.

CAST: Denmo Ibrahim (Mariam), Lanna Joffrey (Fariba, Nana, Doctor), Haysam Kadri (Rasheed, Talib Soldier), Joseph Kamal (Babi, Mullah Faizullah, Interrogator, Zaman), Jason Kapoor (Abdul Sharif, Jalil, Wakil), Nadine Malouf (Laila), Nikita Tewani (Aziza), Antoine Yared (Tariq, Soldier), Abraham German and Arden Pala at alternating performances (Zalmai), ensemble members Mondis Vakili and Kris Zarif.

CREATIVE TEAM: Ken MacDonald (Scenic Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design), Robert Wierzel (Lighting Design), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design), David Coulter (Original Music), Stephen Buescher (Choreographer), Janet Foster, CSA (Casting), Haysam Kadri (Associate Director), Elisa Guthertz (Production Stage Manager).

BOX OFFICE WINDOW HOURS: Noon to final curtain Tuesday through Sunday. American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and VISA accepted.
(619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623].

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Free parking is available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($14, advance reservation).

PHOTOS: Digital images of Globe productions are available at TheOldGlobe.org/press-room.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

PREVIEW PERFORMANCES:

May 12 SAT 8:00pm

May 13 SUN 7:00pm

May 15 TUE 7:00pm (Insights Seminar)

May 16 WED 7:00pm

OPENING NIGHT: May 17 THU 8:00pm

REGULAR PERFORMANCES:

May 18 FRI 8:00pm (Afghanistan Then and Now)

May 19 SAT 2:00pm (Subject Matters)

May 19 SAT 8:00pm

May 20 SUN 2:00pm

May 20 SUN 7:00pm

May 22 TUE 7:00pm (Post-Show Forum)

May 23 WED 7:00pm

May 24 THU 8:00pm

May 25 FRI 8:00pm

May 26 SAT 2:00pm

May 26 SAT 8:00pm

May 27 SUN 2:00pm

May 27 SUN 7:00pm

May 29 TUE 7:00pm (Post-Show Forum

May 30 WED 7:00pm

May 31 THU 8:00pm

June 1 FRI 8:00pm

June 2 SAT 2:00pm

June 2  SAT 8:00pm

June 3  SUN 2:00pm

June 3 SUN 7:00pm

June 5  TUE 7:00pm

June 6 WED 2:00pm

June 6  WED 7:00pm (Post-Show Forum)

June 7  THU 8:00pm

June 8  FRI 8:00pm

June 9  SAT 8:00pm

June 10 SUN 2:00pm

June 10 SUN 7:00pm

June 12 TUE 7:00pm

June 13 WED 7:00pm

June 14 THU 8:00pm

June 15 FRI 8:00pm

June 16 SAT 2:00pm

June 16 SAT 8:00pm

June 17 SUN 2:00pm

June 17 SUN 7:00pm

PRESS CONTACTS:

Susan Chicoine (619) 238-0043 x2352 / 325-9416
   schicoine@TheOldGlobe.org

Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti (619) 238-0043 x2356
   aenciso@TheOldGlobe.org