Ally Theatre Company is proud to present Dhana and the Rosebuds, an original devised piece created by documentarian and journalist Federica Cellini that will play at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland November 1-23 2019. Dhana and the Rosebuds is an adaptation of the original screenplay, Dhana and the Rosebuds, written by Federica Cellini and Giulia Corda and was created using Ms. Cellini’s journalistic experience which included extensive research and interviews with Syrian women and refugees.
As war, violence, and the climate crisis continue to force people around the world to migrate and leave their homes behind, Dhana and the Rosebuds explores these themes through a poetic lens. Dance, movement, and sound reveal the intimate history of Dhana – a young Syrian woman, now a career scientist living in New York – who forgot about her past. When she thinks she sees her estranged grandmother on television among the refugees crossing the border in the Balkans, she decides to go and find her. Ally invites audiences to join them this November for a spiritual journey into place and time as Dhana makes her way to the heart of the migration emergency – across oceans, through refugee camps, bus and train stations – to find her grandmother, her roots, and ultimately herself.
Dina Soltan stars as the titular character with Valerie Fenton as Julia, a journalist covering the Syrian refugee crisis, who accompanies Dhana on her journey. The multi-cultural cast of all women also includes Mariam Hathor as Young Dhana and Jane Petkofsky, returning to Ally’s stage after playing Miz Washington in Ally’s inaugural production, as Sham/Nur and ensemble members Anika Harden, Lauren Kieler, Natasha Preston, and Chelsea Thaler.
Scenes from Dhana and the Rosebuds were previously presented at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and the Scena Italian Theatre Festival in Brooklyn. This is its first full theatrical staging.
Ms. Cellini is a director and artist who uses various media in her research to focus on social issues and current affairs such as migration and the refugee crisis. Her artwork Draunara, designed to raise awareness about the desperate migrants landing on the shores of Lampedusa, was exhibited in several Italian contemporary art museums. Her installation, Ornella dove sei, shot right before the war in Syria, portrays the customers of the souq market of Aleppo. She is assisted in her direction by Allison Frisch, an alumna of the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory whose recent directing credits include Dear America for Voices Unbarred and Pride of Doves for Action to the Word Theatre Company.
Ally Theatre Company, recently named the 2019 recipient of the John Aniello Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company Award, is committed to producing theatre designed to acknowledge and confront systemic oppression in America. This season also marks their third year of residency at Joe’s Movement Emporium.
Tickets are $25 General Admission and $15 for Students/Veterans/Seniors/
More information can be found at www.allytheatrecompany.com
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