Brown University is putting on a play concerning Islamophobia, “institutional bias,” and — remarkably in light of the first two societal ills — “media spin” as they pertain to Arab males.
Written by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Brown’s production of the satirical play “Invasion!” is produced by Sock & Buskin, a student-faculty group at Brown, and by the Brown University Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. The play, whose run ends today, had showings on Apr. 6-9 and Apr. 13-16.
According to the description on Brown’s Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies site:
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The play is a sharp satire of how the Western world has come to fear its own preconceived idea of the Arabic male identity. It is a biting look on how the media has built up the idea of an enemy threat that exists only in the eye of the beholder.
Layers of misinformation, institutional bias, and years of half-remembered news stories are peeled away to show us some unsettling truths. This is [a] play about Islamophobia, media spin, and our own prejudices and fears.
The department site asserts that “Invasion!” stems from conversations pertaining to inclusion and diversity at Brown.
“The [Brown University Theatre] season aims to reflect the strengths and the challenges that students face in making contemporary performances that embrace diversity and can effect social change,” states the description. “In this moment of heightened awareness of the great strengths that immigrants make to this country, and of the daily fears and challenges many immigrants now face, this play’s critical attack on lazy and unconsidered stereotypes of people born in other countries resounds with a new and urgent voice.”
Tickets to “Invasion!” cost $7 for students, $12 for seniors, and $15 for adults.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Ashley Teague, the director of Brown’s rendition of “Invasion!”, as well as the Berkeley theatre department, but did not receive comment in time for publication.
Tuition at Brown for full-time undergraduates is $52,231 per academic year.
This report, by Rob Shimshock, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
