In a small town in the boonies of South Carolina, a closeted young man named George is trying to figure out how to keep his late father’s business running, only to be faced with a ghost from his youth. A young Muslim, who he knew as his boyhood lover Latif, has returned as Latifa to take care of her estranged father’s funeral. Forced to confront devils both have been avoiding, they find that their only way out of the past, is through each other.
Content Advisory – The Devils Between Us contains sexual content, transphobic & homophobic language, and mentions of violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community. This show is not meant to re-harm, but to be a release. With that said, its content has the capacity to trigger, and it’s strongly advised to not attend if any of the above themes might cause harm for you.
Friday, June 30 @ 7:00 PM Central on Zoom.
Join us for a live reading via Zoom. The reading runs approximately two hours with intermission. Following the reading, stay in our virtual space for a group discussion and meet our artists. For more information, read our Backstage Guide or downloadable PDF.
Buy tickets HERE or call (773) 654-3103. Suggested donation is $10 or pay-what-you-can. Your Zoom link will be sent the day before the reading and again 1 hour before the reading starts.
CREATIVE TEAM
SHARIFA YASMIN she/her (playwright) is a trans Egyptian-American director, actor, playwright and intimacy coordinator. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Yasmin’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been produced with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Uprising Theatre, Amphibian Stage, Trans Theatre Fest, Women’s Theatre Festival, taught at DePaul, Susquehanna, and Kansas Universities, and published in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Yasmin was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021 for her work in directing. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League’s Directors Council, and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep. www.sharifayasmin.com
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ALI-REZA MIRSAJADI they/he (director) i
MANNY BUCKLEY he/him (Hunter) is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. He is a Chicago-based director, actor, playwright and teaching artist. Blues credits include Fences, It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, Six Corners, Looking Over the President’s Shoulder (Jeff Award Nomination-Best Solo Performance), and Dutchman/TRANSit (Black Theatre Alliance Award Nomination). Manny toured nationally as “Satchel Paige” in the original production of The Satchel Paige Story, and appeared in The Father (Helen Hayes Award Nomination) at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. He originated the role of “Carson” in Hit the Wall, which sold out extensions in Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep. Select Chicago credits include The Brothers Size, 1984, and Of Mice and Men (Steppenwolf); Dorian (House Theater); and Love’s Labor’s Lost (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Mr. Buckley is the recipient of a Black Theatre Alliance, and Black Excellence Award. He most recently directed Kingdom, an audio drama, with Broken Nose Theatre.
LISA FAIRCHILD she/her (Barb) is a well-known actor in the Texas/Oklahoma area. Since graduating from Otterbein University with a BFA in Theatre Performance and completing an acting apprenticeship at Actors Theatre of Louisville, she has worked in theatre, film and television. Most recently, she appeared in Amphibian Stage’s SparkFest reading of TAKE MY MILK FOR GALL by Leela Velautham and her previous SparkFest appearance was in Sharifa Yasmin’s CLOSE TO HOME. Recent theatrical performances include Edna in HANDLE WITH CARE at Stage West, Sofia in DANCE NATION at RecRoom Arts and award-winning roles as Siobhan in THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NITE-TIME at OKC City Rep and Hazel in THE CHILDREN at Stage West. She is currently in final workshopping in preparation for a full production in the fall at Circle Theatre of I’M PROUD OF YOU by Tim Madigan.
POOYA MOHSENI she/her (Latifa) is a multi-award-winning Iranian American actor, writer, filmmaker and transgender activist. She recently appeared in the world premiere of The Sex Party (Menier Chocolate Factory) in London. Her other stage performances include her Obie win in the Pulitzer and Obie-winning play English (Atlantic Theater Company), Hamlet (Play On Shakespeare Festival), One Woman (United Solo), She,He,Me (National Queer Theater), Our Town (Pride Plays), Galatea (The WP Project), The Good Muslim (EST), White Snake (Baltimore Center Stage), and the Audible production of Chonburi Hotel & The Butterfly Club (Williamstown Theater Festival). Her film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Big Dogs, Falling Water, Madam Secretary, Terrifier and See You Then, streaming on all digital platforms. She’s part of the advisory council for The Ackerman Institute’s Gender & Family Project. She’s represented by Headline Talent Agency and TGTalent.
MATTHEW TYLER he/him (George) is an actor, director, photographer and writer. He is a California native and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (BFA Acting) and has appeared in more than 40 productions around the country. Most recently he could be seen in Slap & Tickle with Boundless Theater Company, a site-specific, immersive experience at The Eagle NYC. Past favorite roles include, Sidney in Deathtrap (Millbrook Playhouse), Oberon in Midsummer Night’s Dream (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company) and Romeo In Romeo and Juliet (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival). He has directed a number of productions including Theatre 68 NYC’s production of Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls. Love and appreciation always to my amazing husband Jeremy (and Bella and Buster). IG: @calimatty and @matthewwilliamsonphotography. https://www.matthewtyleractor.com
RELATED RESOURCES
CENTER ON HALSTED – Center on Halsted is the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland. More than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day, located in the heart of Chicago’s Lakeview Neighborhood. In addition to offering programs and services on-site, Center on Halsted serves as a gateway to the broad array of community resources available in Chicagoland and beyond. Their Trans* Resources page includes over a dozen organizations that provide services and support to trans individuals in Chicagoland.
GLAAD – Founded in 1985, GLAAD is a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change. GLAAD works to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation and creates national and local programs that advance LGBTQ acceptance. Serving as a storyteller, media force, resource, and advocate, GLAAD tackles tough issues and provokes dialogue so that authentic LGBTQ stories are seen, heard, and actualized. GLAAD strives to protect all that has been accomplished and helps create a world where everyone can live the life they love. GLAAD’s Transgender Resources page includes dozens of national resources for transgender people, including crisis resources, advocacy resources, and legal services.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY – The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.