How does an anxious, asthmatic child of immigrants navigate religion in the American South? “Zara” is a one person show about identity, God, marijuana, and an actual 400-pound gorilla.

ADMISSION: FREE

Join us this May for Zara, a brand new one-person show about race, religion, and identity in the American South. Zara is a comedic account of an anxious, asthmatic Muslim kid’s search meaning and the chance encounters that impacted him, including a friendship with the man who mugged him and a love affair with marijuana. Drawing on personal stories, philosophy, and the history of monotheism, Zara is Andrew Aghapour's story about how identity is inherited and remade in 21st-century America.

The project won the Durham Arts Council’s Catalyst Grant, a program supported by their Annual Arts Fund and the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. Additionally, “Zara” is supported by UNC Chapel Hill's Performing Arts Special Activities Fund and the Humanities for the Public Good Initiative.

Performed, written and produced by Andrew Ali Aghapour
Directed and produced by Ashley Melzer 
Executive produced by Jeff Polish

This special show features a post-show panel with invited the creative team to discuss show themes and answer audience questions.