Leila Ghaznavi

Leila will produce Broken Wing, a play where east meets west: two men, one Iranian and one young American struggle to do what each thinks is best for an orphaned young woman, who herself is awakening to her own identity. Incorporating photography, puppetry, Iranian mythology and Persian Poetry, Broken Wing hopes to educate the audiences about the history and politics of Iran through dramatic storytelling and to create discourse that can shift current social and political thought. The play also seeks to bring both Middle Easterners and Americans into the same space to share a common experience. 

Leila’s project, Silken Veils, is a one-act theatrical performance piece aimed at creating social change by raising knowledge and awareness about Iranian culture, injustice, and inequality in Iranian society, and the origins of the political tensions between Iran and the United States. These issues are explored through the story of Darya, a  young Iranian emigre who questions the value of love while reliving her childhood and the turbulence and passion her family experiences during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the Iran-Iraq War. The piece utilizes live performance, marionettes, shadow work, animation, and  the poetry of Rumi to create a highly theatrical and elegant performance that engenders empathy and greater cultural understanding.