- Full Length
- Drama
The hilarious and deeply moving story of conservative Muslim mother at her wits end, a Muslim father who likes to tell jokes, and a queer American woman trying to make a good impression on her Indian in-laws. In a story about family and love and the things we do to be together, one immigrant family must come to terms with a child who defies their most basic expectations of what it means to have a daughter... and one woman will redefine the limits of unconditional love.
Told entirely from the point of view of family and friends, yet performed by Deen himself, this unique show compassionately brings to life the often ignored struggle that a family goes through when their child transitions from one gender to another.
This play is my most autobiographical piece. It was many years in the making, and was developed primarily in the Public Theater's Emerging Writers Group in 2009. I worked extensively with Chay Yew in the shaping of the final piece, and he directed the world premiere at PlayMakers Rep in August 2016, as North Carolina struggled with its repressive HB2 law.
The play has been performed in theaters and colleges, and I'm particularly proud of the way we've been able to partner with community organizations to facilitate conversations about gender expectations, family pressures, and the specific ways this can impact immigrant communities.