Playwrighting
Playwriting is the last form of expression I have come to (thus far). Next to poetry, it's considered the most difficult, given that action and dialogue are your only tools for conveyance.
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No description. No diatribes. Etc, etc.
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My enthusiasm was sparked first by my participation in the 24 Hour Plays, pre-pandemic. They happen all over. Mine was in New Orleans.
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24 hours to write a script, block/direct, memorize lines, and then boom--two shows at 8 and 10PM. Done. Dopamine for days.
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In that case I acted rather than wrote--but it gave me such insight into the needs and beauty of actors and directors, that then felt confident to write my first full-length play without prior theatre training.
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Infinite gratitude to Louis E. Catron for composing, The Elements of Playwriting: How to Write Stageworthy Plays, Develop your Theatre sense, Create Theatrical Characters, Shape Plot and Dialogue, and Find the Resources to Get Your Play Produced.
Without it I never would have be able to self-teach many of the principles and structures of successful script writing.
Fanna fi Hayati:
Love, Sex Work, and the Sacred
What would you, could you do, to love someone to the fullest extent and in the way(s) they need to be loved? How much of yourself could you change, mold, cull, without sacrificing your own authenticity?
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How much of yourself could you face, to remove the blockages to unconditional love?
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Fanna fi Hayati is a full-length play based on a true story that follows the relationship between Dani and Farzin—a trans woman and an Iranian-Sufi academic—as the two endeavor to maintain an allowing and affirming relationship as Dani transitions into professional sex work. Their connection is tested as each strives to face their own limitations and to be self-honoring while honoring the other amidst their own internalized prejudices and stigma. Works by famous Sufi poets such as Rumi and Hafiz and original poetry drive the plot forward in a celebration of the sacredness of sex work and the intersection of sexuality and spirituality. The play breaks the 4th wall by requiring the audience to vote between two potential endings and to face their beliefs and fears about relationships and love.