RECOMMENDED FOR: Years 10-12 (some coarse language, sexual references)
CAST SIZE: 3 performers, 2 performers play multiple characters
A PLAY TO: Read, read aloud, study, perform (please see staging notes below), use as stimulus for responding and making.
GENRE: Drama, comedy, non-naturalistic
THEMES: Loss, family, identity, refugee
CURRICULUM LINKS: Drama – Australian Theatre, Theatre Studies – Modern Theatre, General Capabilities – Intercultural Understanding
SYNOPSIS: The play tracks Osamah’s relationship with his father, their journey to Iran, his father’s sudden death and Osamah’s attempts to return his father’s body to Australia. The play has close to 50 scenes that move through space and time. These include flashbacks to Osamah’s childhood in Iran, his life in Melbourne, and encounters with Iranian bureaucracy, police, courts, officials and airport staff as he tries to bring his father home to Australia. “The play will hopefully speak to you in the universal language of emotion, and despite our many, many differences, I hope (again, inshallah) it can highlight our similarities and of course, be entertaining” – Osamah Sami, playwright (Education Resource).
STAGING: No age limit on any of the actors, however if producing this play the cast must be of Middle Eastern heritage. The Man and Woman play various characters, at times more than one character in a scene. The move between time and space should feel fluid. Accents are to be avoided. The few exceptions are marked. Italics denotes culturally specific words better served in Arabic or Persian (notes from the script).
Education resource: Good Muslim Boy education resource
