Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Tell Your Story About Being Muslim in NYC in New Show

By Katie Honan | October 21, 2014 12:31pm
 "Beyond Sacred: Unthinking Muslim Identity" will culminate in an oral storytelling performance, which Ping Chong & Company has been putting on for decades.
"Beyond Sacred: Unthinking Muslim Identity" will culminate in an oral storytelling performance, which Ping Chong & Company has been putting on for decades.
View Full Caption
Ping Chong & Company

FLUSHING — A theater group working on an oral history of the Muslim experience in New York City is planning an open call for locals with interesting stories and perspectives.

Ping Chong & Company will host the event at Flushing Town Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 22 to meet with residents who identify as Muslim and would like to share their experiences in a new production.

The show is part of the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center's "Beyond Sacred: Unthinking Muslim Identity" series, which also features community forums, open mics, exhibits and discussions.

Ping Chong & Company, which has produced oral history shows for 20 years, will select six or seven participants who will perform in the spring.

"What makes the project stand out from other theater projects is the people also become the performers," said Sara Zatz, associate director of the company.

"It's really a chorale of storytelling."

The goal of the series is to "challenge assumptions about what it means to be Muslim in NYC," Zatz said, and they are looking for a diverse group, especially communities "not associated with Muslim identities."

"We're trying to get a broad range of cultural backgrounds and life experiences."

Participants will fill out a questionnaire and then take part in a two-hour interview.

If selected, they'll commit a month to the project, with rehearsals three to four times a week culminating in performances on two weekends at the LaGuardia PAC April 29 to May 9, 2015.

Performers will be compensated for their time, Zatz said.

"The ultimate goal is to create community dialogue and bring voices to the stage that aren't usually represented," she said. 

The open house runs from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 at Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing. Anyone who can’t make the info session but is still interested in applying can visit the theater group's website or email pingchongco@beyondsacrednyc.org.