That context is most immediate for the Egyptian characters. “Seif is a would-be father and husband, had he not been stifled by the political and economic climate in Egypt,” No’Mani reflects. Instead, he is trapped in “waithood … a term coined specifically for an elongated period prior to proper adulthood in Egypt, as impoverished men and women wait to start their own life.”
For Seif, black humor is a weapon against despair, in a homeland he can barely survive. “Being fed up is the air we breathe in this country,” he tells his partner, Maha. “What if we’re struggling? Poverty is in. It’s all the rage these days. We’re part of a fashion trend.”
But beyond the sarcasm, there is love and loyalty. “What I found so moving in Seif’s journey,” adds No’Mani, “is his selfless sacrifice for the one person he loves the most. This action to lift others even at the cost of what one wants has always been inspiring to me.”
Conversely, for the economically privileged Jean, it’s her so-called “perfect” American life that is oppressive — and which she longs to break out of in her own rebellion.
“Jean’s character arc is enormous and that is a big, scary challenge,” says Taylor, a veteran Seattle actor. “She ends the play in a drastically different place from where she begins. She finds herself behaving in ways and in situations which she couldn’t earlier comprehend.”
Granting his characters complexity, ambivalence and the ability to evolve — in front of a live audience — is an aspect of theater El Guindi holds dear. While many of his peers have transitioned from playwriting into the more lucrative field of screenwriting for film and TV, El Guindi (who is a member of ACT’s Core Company) is still laser-focused on writing for the stage, despite the enormous hit that live performance has taken during the pandemic. And he hopes that audiences for live drama will return and grow as the pandemic recedes. Once again, it comes down to communication.
“If you watch a movie, it is absolutely indifferent to your presence,” he says. “Live theater is a dialogue. People appreciate the immediacy, the engagement, the participation. The actors are performing, but so is the audience. I think the desire for that thing will never go away.”
