Burnt City
to
LSU HopKins Black Box Theatre Coates Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
A dystopian bilingual one-person show traveling through time and dealing in everything from U.S.-Iran relations to domestic abuse—it seems almost impossible to believe that LSU Ph.D candidate Josh Hamzehee's Burnt City could be....funny. And yet!
Set in the year 2032, the comedy centers on the wild experiences of Kurosh (played by Hamzehee himself), a United States citizen thrown into the frightening world of Shahr-E Sukhite in Iran—where he confronts ghosts, gaslights, and gods in an "apocalyptic graveyard".
The story is based upon Hamzehee's experiences as a bi-racial and bilingual second-generation American, the son of an Iranian military man who immigrated to Los Angeles after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Using poetry and innovative staging, Hamzehee confronts the complexities of both cultures, posing the question to audiences: "What do we owe those who came before, and what are the responsibilities of those with power?"
Performances will be held from February 20–23 in LSU's HopKins Black Box Theatre, located in Coates Hall Room 137. 7:30 pm. Reservations can be made at www.goo.gl/LUXduq, and donations will be accepted at the door.