About Golden Thread Productions

We believe that immersing yourself in someone else’s experience is the best way to appreciate their point of view. Therefore, every play serves as an invitation to discover unexpected connections and engage in deeply moving conversations that last well beyond the life of the play.

Our programs expose non-Middle Eastern audiences to the authentic voices and alternative perspectives of the region, while serving Middle Eastern audiences who rarely encounter meaningful reflections of their own culture in the performing arts.

Our Guiding Principles are to:

• Develop and produce innovative works that intrigue, inquire, and influence.
• Engage the community in an active dialogue and draw diverse audiences.
• Discover, develop, and support Middle Eastern artists.
• Promote the rich texts and diverse performance styles of the Middle East.
• Seek and include the many talents of our diverse communities in the production of socially conscious works with a progressive political sensibility.

In our vast imagination, the Middle East is defined not by geographical boundaries and political separations, but as the shared experience of the people, who throughout history have been touched by its stories and culture. As such, Golden Thread’s work is borderless and serves to reorient the United States-Middle East relationship.

Audience

For more than 20 years, Golden Thread has created artistic excellence with plays that defy stereotypes, and engage diverse communities. Golden Thread has served over 50,000 audience members, premiered more than 100 new plays, including seven plays for young audiences, and has employed more than 1,000 artists, many from underrepresented communities.

With 32% of our audience self-identifying as Middle Eastern, Golden Thread provides a stirring forum for Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern communities and a supportive environment in which different Middle Eastern communities can interact. The average age of our audience is 49; 67% are female, 89% are college-educated, and 21% identify as LGBTQ. In addition, Golden Thread Fairytale Players annually reach 5,000 youth and families around the Bay Area.

The Basics

We define “Middle East” and “Middle Eastern” broadly and inclusively, and embrace the multiplicity of ethnic and religious identities that span Southwest Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, parts of Mediterranean Europe, and our Diaspora communities. We understand our respective backgrounds in terms of rich pluralism and interconnectedness. We also define “America” and “American” in the broadest possible ways to include the continents of North and South America.

Furthermore, at this time in history, it’s important that we include American Muslims, of all cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, as members of our Middle Eastern American communities.