InterAct Theatre Company: JIHAD JONES & THE KALASHNIKOV BABES

Ashraf is an actor who has just received rave reviews for his performance of Hamlet at a struggling theatre in Los Angeles. But he's only earning $200 a week and he's having trouble paying the bills. He needs his big break. A starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. And that's just what his smarmy agent is offering: a feature film, big money, working for his favorite director, and playing opposite his favorite Tinsel Town starlet. All Ashraf has to do is play the most stereotypically evil, fanatical Islamic terrorist ever to grace the silver screen. JIHAD JONES follows Ahraf as he battles the infamous slippery slope, while hilariously balancing his personal ethics and cultural pride against his professional ambition.

It's surprising to write the words comedy and InterAct Theatre in the same sentence, but there they are: InterAct's Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes by Yussef El Guindi, at the Adrienne, is funny. And not in the "reductive and mean-spirited" way satire is funny, but laugh-out-loud funny. Which is not to say it isn't about a serious subject - this is InterAct, after all. ... The serious subject at hand is racial stereotyping in popular entertainment, more specifically, Middle Eastern actors who are cast as Muslim villains, and the tough choices actors sometimes have to make between their principles and the allure of lots and lots of money. ... Half convinced that the disgusting script is a satire, Ashraf whips a kaffiyeh out of his messenger bag, flings it on his head ("Who says fashion doesn't pack a punch?"), and he and Cassandra do a preliminary run-through ... Which is fabulous. And spectacularly erotic. And hilarious. ... The cast members, all impressive, each get only one thing to do. Al-Kaisi is, over and over, torn by temptation. Schmitz is oh-so-soothing and slimily convincing as the director. Zak, as the frantic agent, is frantic (and crashes into walls better than almost anybody). Walton is the starstruck lesbian with the hots for Cassandra. Catlaw is sexy and gets to deliver the play's big speech about the schlock a film actor has to do and how "theater rats" need to get over it. ... and the evening ends with the perfect sendoff, the theme song from Lawrence of Arabia."

"... Yussef El Guindi, who wrote Jihad Jones, is all the rage right now. ... Two weeks ago he won the American Theater Critics Association's M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award, which recognizes an emerging playwright who has not yet achieved national stature. ... Seth Rozin ... directs this boiling-over comedy ... El Guindi sets up the situation so that the Arab-American protagonist is poised between selling out or honoring his principles ... The action becomes convoluted and hysterical ... The actors clearly enjoy playing their characters: Fajer Al-Kaisi, earnest and forthright, is a wonderful straight man. He can also be seriously funny. Jon Zak is over the top, right where his agent character lives. Peter Schmitz nails the director role with droll Zenlike calm. Laura Catlaw does a self-possessed comic temptress, and Leah Walton handles zany infatuation well. Director Seth Rozin keeps the crazy ride rolling. ... In Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes the laughs keep coming and timely issues are aired as Ashraf grapples with his dilemma. The humorous language is so good in this farce with a message you'll want to memorize lines and pretend you made them up yourself. ... "

’s most recent productions: JIHAD JONES AND THE KALASHNIKOV BABES, produced by Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco. OUR ENEMIES: LIVELY SCENES OF LOVE AND COMBAT, produced by Silk Road Theatre Project in Chicago, where it was “Jeff Recommended”. Other productions: BACK OF THE THROAT was winner of the 2004 Northwest Playwrights’ Competition held by Theater Schmeater. It won L.A. Weekly’s Excellence in Playwriting Award for 2006. It was also nominated for the 2006 American Theater Critics Associations Steinberg/ New Play Award, and was voted Best New Play of 2005 by the Seattle Times. It was first staged by San Francisco’s Thick Description and Golden Thread Productions; then later presented in various theaters around the country including The Flea Theater in New York. Another play of his, TEN ACROBATS IN AN AMAZING LEAP OF FAITH, staged by Silk Road Theatre Project, won the After Dark Award for Best New Play in Chicago in 2006. His two-related one-acts, ACTS OF DESIRE, were staged by the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles. BACK OF THE THROAT, and the two related one-acts, now titled, SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE IS SAYEDA’S and KARIMA’S CITY, have been published by Dramatists Play Service. The latter one-acts have also been included in The Best American Short Plays: 2004-2005 to be published by Applause Books in 2008. His play, TEN ACROBATS IN AN AMAZING LEAP OF FAITH, is to be included in Salaam/Peace: An Anthology of Middle-Eastern-American Playwrights, to be published by TCG in 2009. Yussef holds an MFA from Carnegie-Mellon University and was playwright-in-residence at Duke University.

co-founded InterAct Theatre Company in 1988, and has since served as Producing Artistic Director. He has directed over 40 productions for InterAct, including Israel Horovitz's LEBENSRAUM (1999 Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble), IT'S ALL TRUE (2001 Barrymore nominations for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Overall Production), and PERMANENT COLLECTION (2004 Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Overall Production). He has twice been named "Best Director" by the Philadelphia Inquirer for the world premiere of Thomas Gibbons' 6221 in 1993 and for LEBENSRAUM. Other notable productions with InterAct include the world premieres of Thomas Gibbons' BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE, BLACK RUSSIAN and A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS and the Philadelphia premieres of SKIN IN FLAMES, BLUE/ORANGE, NIXON'S NIXON, AUNT DAN AND LEMON, LONELY PLANET, SEASCAPE, and GOD'S COUNTRY. Seth has also directed for the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, Blue Heron Theatre and the 45th Street Theatre in New York, as well as regionally with Act II Playhouse, Venture Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival, and the University of Pennsylvania. As a playwright, Seth is the recipient of two fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, as well as The Smith Prize for his play BLACK GOLD. MEN OF STONE and MISSING LINK garnered Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding New Play in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Seth has served on funding and/or award panels for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Theatre Communications Group, and the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist. He has served on the Boards of the Women's Theatre Festival, Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, New Paradise Laboratories, Fresh Visions Youth Theatre, and the National New Play Network (for which he served as Chair from 2002-2006).

makes his InterAct debut in JIHAD JONES. On stage, Fajer has performed in the Iraqi Refugee Project (New York Theatre Workshop), the Arab American Comedy Fest '08 (Zipper Factory NYC), GIRL BLOG FROM IRAQ (Dallas Theatre Center), and OMNIUM GATHERUM (Zachary Scott Theatre), among others. Fajer has been seen in several films, including Clearance and I'll Come Running, as well as on television in "30 Rock" and "Time Bomb." He has also written and workshoped his solo performance piece, FROM AUSTIN TO BAGHDAD IN 3 EASY PIECES, which premiered to wide acclaim at the University Coop Cohen New Works festival in Austin, TX. Iraqi-Canadian by way of Texas, Fajer completed his Masters in Acting from the University of Texas at Austin.

makes his InterAct debut in JIHAD JONES. John was last seen in A TUNA CHRISTMAS at the Walnut Street Theatre. Other recent credits include THE EUROPEAN LESSON (Philadelphia Live Arts Festival (European tour, Spring 2009)) and GALILEO (The Wilma Theatre). John has been acting in the Philadelphia area for 13 years performing with many area theatres. He received a 2006 Barrymore award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Caliban in THE TEMPEST (Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival). John also performs competitive improvisational comedy regularly with Comedy Sportz.

returns to InterAct after appearing as Hanna in SKIN IN FLAMES. Recent performances include THE ODD COUPLE (Walnut Street Theatre), 10% OF MOLLY SNYDER (Montgomery Theatre), and TALK RADIO (New City Stage), among many others. She has been a part of two Barrymore Nominated Best Ensembles: PAY UP (Pig Iron Theatre Co.) and SPRING AWAKENING (EgoPo Productions). Original pieces created include THE GIANT SQUID for the 2008 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Leah trained at Ithaca College, the National Theater Institute and the Moscow Art Theatre School.

makes his InterAct debut in JIHAD JONES. Peter has appeared locally with The Walnut Street Theatre (including HAIRSPRAY and LES MISERABLES), the Arden Theatre (THE DINOSAUR MUSICAL and WINESBURG, OHIO) and Act II Playhouse (ALMOST, MAINE). He has also worked at the Guthrie Theatre, the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, and the Penumbra Theatre, the Yale Repertory Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre in D.C., the Portland Stage Company in Maine, Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. In New York, he has played on Broadway (MY FAIR LADY), off-Broadway, and in off-off Broadway (Suzan-Lori Parks’ IMPERCEPTIBLE MUTABILITIES IN THE THIRD KINGDOM). Peter's on-camera credits include the Oscar-winning Coen Brothers’ movie, "Fargo."

makes her InterAct Theatre Company debut in JIHAD JONES. Laura was last seen in Philly as the Placard Girl in 11th Hour's REEFER MADNESS. Past credits include the first national tour of THE BACKYARDIGANS with Nickelodeon, HAIR and STRIKING 12 (Prince Music Theatre), A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (Arden Theatre Co.), MRS. BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE and THOSE WERE THE DAYS (Bristol Riverside Theatre) and Jackie O in HOUSE OF YES (Flashpoint Theatre Company).

The design team for JIHAD JONES... includes Set Design by Adam Riggar, Costume Design by Susan Smythe, Lighting Design by Peter Escalada-Mastick, and Props by Amanda Hatch. The production will be Stage Managed by Joshua Lieberman, with Rebecca Wright serving as Dramaturg, Jessica Hurley serving as Assistant Director, Kia Feindt as Assistant Stage Manager and Britt Plunkett as Technical Director.

InterAct’s production of JIHAD JONES is the second of three “rolling” World Premieres as part of National New Play Network (NNPN)’s Continued Life of New Plays Fund, a cooperative venture designed to insure that new plays will see future productions beyond the initial world premiere. Partnerships of 3 theatres receive funds in support of multiple productions of the same new play. Each theatre produces its own independent “rolling” World Premiere production, which guarantees an opportunity for the play to grow and flourish through contact with a wider national audience. As part of the program, InterAct’s premiere of JIHAD JONES was preceded by a production at Golden Thread Productions (San Francisco, CA), in June 2008 and will be followed by a production at Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas, TX) in May 2009.

Founded in 1998 with InterAct as one of its original members, NNPN is an alliance of twenty not-for-profit professional theatres across the United States that champions the development, production and continued life of new plays for the American theatre. For more information about the National New Play Network visit www.nnpn.org.

During JIHAD JONES, InterAct will host several post-performance talk-backs to encourage further discussion on the issues it raises. Speaker Sundays, a series featuring invited scholars, community leaders and artists. Following the 2nd and 3rd Tuesday and Wednesday performances of every play, we invite patrons to grab a brownie and a cup of joe, then join us for Coffee Converstaions, informal discussions with company artists. During JIHAD JONES, Coffee Converstaions are scheduled for Tuesday, April 21; Wednesday, April 22; Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29.

Hazami Sayed is an Arab-American and graduate of Columbia University and Stanford University. She is an architect and has worked in the fields of architecture and urban development in Philadelphia and New York City. She founded the non-profit organization Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture six years ago in an effort to expose children and youth of diverse backgrounds to the Arabic language and cultural and to promote cross-cultural exchanges through arts education.

Jamal Alsarraj is an Iraqi-American, who was born in the United Arab Emirates and grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He is currently a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, about to receive his B.A. degree in History and Anthropology. Since a young age he has had an interest in the Middle East and Arab histories and identities, which has informed his current academic pursuits. Discussions of different social allegiances and ideologies greatly interest him, as well as playing piano, sketching, traveling, and of late, dabbling in amateur music mixing.

Featuring Ennis Carter, Found & Director of Design For Social Impact, a creative organization that focuses on a broad definition of Design - ideas, messages, organization and visual design - to combine artistry & activism in order to call attention to important social issues.

Sunday, May 3Featuring Dr. Salman Akhtar, Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson University, who uses his years of psychiatric experience to analyize a play's characters, and often the play itself, as if a patient he is seeing for the first time. Smart and insightfully witty, Dr. Akhtar is a "Don't Miss" among long-time InterAct audiences.

Free reception honors the Opening Night of Posters For The People, an exhibition of posters from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program created during the 1930’s and 1940’s under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, which employed thousands of citizens, including hundreds of out-of-work artists, during the Great Depression. Co-sponsored by Design For Social Impact.

Pre-performance Happy Hour reception at 7:00 p.m. Patrons under 30 years of age only pay $20.00 for reception and a ticket to JIHAD JONES. (Proof of age required at Will Call.)

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