STAGE PRODUCTION OF - A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS - TWO WEEK RUN AT A.C.T. SAN FRANCISCO

 

Play Synopsis: A Thousand Splendid Suns is the epic story of three generations of Afghan women who are bound together by marriage, family, and a secret past, amid the war-torn streets of modern-day Kabul. Strong-willed Laila, unmarried and pregnant, is forced to marry her older neighbor when her family and home are torn apart. In her new home, she forges an extraordinary and unlikely friendship with Mariam, her husband’s first wife, and together the two women find the hope and strength to raise a new generation.

Adapted by Ursula Rani Sarma
Based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini
Original music written and performed by David Coulter
Directed by Carey Perloff
 

A.C.T.’s Geary Theater in San Francisco

Running dates in A.C.T.: July 17—29

Click here to purchase tickets

Discount code to Save up to 45% on tickets to select performances—use code SUNS2018 when ordering
online. 

Special discount codes for ages under 30! Save up to 50% on tickets—use code UNDER30 when ordering. ID required.

 

SUNS_4829_web.jpg

Khaled Hosseini created my first cultural consulting gig in 2009. A theater company was staging the first production of his novel The Kite Runner and he wanted the play to feel authentic. Naturally, when a friend and international bestselling author asks me to help, I say, “Yes!” I jumped in and have since consulted on nine stage productions, several scripts and a Hollywood film.

As a Cultural Consultant, my main goal is to bring cultural literacy for authentic portrayal of Afghan people, their customs and the Dari language. I hack away at stereotypes and generalizations, and spend a great deal of time explaining Afghanistan’s history so there is a better understanding of why Afghans pray differently from Saudis, or how Afghans communicate with their body, and how 35 years of war has affected the Afghan people’s mindset. 

In the past three years I've been part of a group of highly talented and visionary team who have worked closely to move the story of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS from pages of a book to an awe inspiring play for stage. This play has resonated with audiences so much that after it's World Premier at A.C.T., over a year ago, the production went to Canada, San Diego and after this two week run  San Francisco it will move on to the Seattle Rep.

I hope you'll be able to see. I've included a special community discount code (SUNS2018) for my readers.

Click here to purchase tickets.

SUNS_5131_web.jpg

HELP EDUCATE AFGHAN GIRLS #GivingTuesday

 

By Humaira

My family and I were one of the many lucky Afghan refugees who immigrated to the United States in 1979, after the Russian red army marched into Afghanistan and occupied it for the next nine years.  

I'm thankful for living in the Bay Area where we have abundant opportunities and my children live in a safe community where they have access to education, art, community and a promising future. Unfortunately not all children around the world are as lucky as mine. There are Afghan girls who go to school hungry, if they even have a school, they go to bed with the sound of exploding bombs, if they even have a bed, and they worry about what tomorrow brings them, if they live long enough to see tomorrow.

As a way to give back for my good fortune, twelve years ago, I co-founded Afghan Friends Network, a non-profit organization where we enable local communities in Afghanistan to send their girls to school, to teach their boys the worthiness of their sisters and to empower women to read and write. 

This #GivingTuesday I ask you to support the students of our schools in Ghazni, Afghanistan through a tax deductible donation to Afghan Friends Network (AFN).

We, at AFN believe that education can be transformative. Our students come to our learning centers through snowy winters, in spite of concerns for their personal security, and against the weight of intractable poverty. The 5,000 middle and high school students and adult women we have educated are determined to change their communities - as nurses, computer scientists, teachers - and their lives.

Hear it from a student of Afghan Friends Network’s Women’s Literacy Program:

[Literacy] influences my family life, when some letter comes to my house my husband gives it to me to read it, I am proud of my lesson studied in KLC.
— Zia Gull, 56 year old student at our Women's Literacy Program

 

Afghan Friends Network is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization—almost all funds raised go directly to our projects in Afghanistan. Today, we ask for your support to help us continue our work in Afghanistan. A donation of any amount $5, $25, $100 or $250 will make a difference in our student's lives. Please consider making a donation today to support our #GivingTuesday campaign. 

 

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

 

Most importantly, please share the message - about #GivingTuesday, about Afghanistan, about AFN. What moves you to give? When you are thinking of the word giving, what do you imagine?  

 

Happy holidays, and happy #GivingTuesday!