JACKSON HEIGHTS — A novel about a Muslim teen coerced into becoming an NYPD informant is the source of an upcoming immersive performance set to take over the streets and buildings of Jackson Heights Sunday.
Theatre 167 — a local group named for all the languages spoken in Jackson Heights — is staging six scenes from author Marina Budhos' latest novel, "Watched," in the neighborhood, where the novel is set.
The book is about Naeem, a rebellious Jackson Heights teen who begins working with the NYPD after getting busted for shoplifting, and ends up spying on his family and friends.
"It's about a teen that's very restless and gets into trouble easily," Budhos told DNAinfo New York.
She began the book while paying attention to the issue of surveillance in the city after the Sept. 11 attacks. She had just finished another book, "Ask Me No Questions," about an undocumented family in Queens.
She wanted to return to the borough — Budhos lives in New Jersey but was born in Jackson Heights, later moving to another part of Queens — but explore another element of the immigrant experience.
"What is the next moment in this experience for a Muslim teen post-9/11?" she asked herself.
After the Pulitzer Prize-winning story in the Associated Press about the NYPD's surveillance of Muslims came out, she found that moment.
"It's a story about a kid who is in some ways is manipulated, but also a story about a kid who is trying to find his manhood and sense of power, and morally deal with this predicament," she said of her novel.
The opportunity to have it shown in real life, on the streets that inspired her, gives the book new life.
"I love the idea that I can bring it back into this really vibrant community," she said.
Sunday's performances begin at 10 a.m., and audience members are welcome to view one or all of them, Budhos said.
The first scene, "Watcher," will be performed at Diversity Plaza, after which it will travel to the offices of Chhaya, at 37-43 77th St., which will serve as a mock NYPD precinct for Naeem's "Interrogation."
Another scene, "Graduation Party," will be held at the Jackson Diner, 37-47 74th St.; "Far Cry" will be held at an apartment on 73rd Street and 35th Road.
The actors return to Diversity Plaza for "Ishrat," and the closing scene, "Under the 7 Train," will be acted out under the elevated line at the corner of 73rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
You can RSVP for the event, which begins at 10:30 a.m and runs until 3, here. It's directed by Ari Laura Kreith. There will be breaks in between performances for food, organizers said.
