Now streaming: March 15 - 31, 2023
Featuring the work of Middle Eastern women artists who are fighting against injustice through their art, this year’s program will include presentations by Lujain Jo, an Iraqi filmmaker, activist, and performance artist based in Beirut; Her Story Is, a collective led by independent women writers and artists from the United States and Iraq; Marjan Vahdat, Persian vocalist; Andrea Assaf, writer, performer, director, and cultural organizer along with Syrian coloratura soprano Lubana Al-Quntar from Art2Action; and emerging Afghan performer Mahjabin Khanzada directed by Polina Smith from Crescent Moon Theater Productions and accompanied by Yemeni Oud artist Layle Omeran. Executive Artistic Director Sahar Assaf will facilitate a conversation between the participating artists and the audience following the presentations. The full program is 120-minutes without intermission.
On Demand viewing now extended thru March 31, 2023
Recorded liveon Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at Brava Theater Center (2781 24th Street, San Francisco)
48-hour viewing access available at a sliding scale of $20-$100. One device access per viewing, rental period beginning when you press play.
Friday, April 14, 2023 at 11:00 AM (PDT)
Executive Artistic Director Sahar Assaf and Wafaa Bilal, 2023 Artist-in-residence at Golden Thread, discuss comedy as a coping mechanism and a form of solidarity and resistance. Bilal, currently an Arts Professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, is an Iraqi-born artist known internationally for his performative and interactive works provoking dialogue about international and interpersonal politics. As part of his residency at Golden Thread, Bilal will curate Amreeka: The Comedy Show and participate in the ReOrient Forum.
Friday, May 12, 2023 at 8:00PM
Amreeka: The Comedy Show was born after the 2016 election, bringing together diverse comedians with one thing in common: they love to complain. Then and since, the toxic culture and politics in “Amreeka,” as many Middle Easterners pronounce it, offers ample fodder for complaints. This cathartic and witty venting holds a mirror up to realities showing they’ve become so absurd and surreal one must laugh, if not cry.
Brava Theater Center (2781 24th Street, San Francisco)
General admission tickets available at a sliding scale of $20-$100
Tuesdays, August 22 and 29, 2023
Featuring two new play commissions: one by Adam Ashraf Elsayigh with dramaturg Salma Zohdi based on the life of political prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah; and another by Tariq Hamami with dramaturg Dawn Monique Williams about the Black Panthers in Algiers.
Brava Theater Center (2781 24th Street, San Francisco)
Seats available to reserve at no cost
October 13 - November 4, 2023
ReOrient 2023 will celebrate the return of our signature program, an innovative and spirited festival of short plays from or about the Middle East. The dizzying line-up is diverse in content and style, with 6 plays selected from 113 submissions, highlighting a multiplicity of Middle Eastern perspectives and identities.
Featuring playwrights Karin Arefy, Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Yussef El Guindi, Arti Ishak, Hamed Sinno, and Judith Strang-Waldau; Directors include Sahar Assaf, Amal Bisharat, Susannah Martin, Adin Walker and Becca Wolf.
GOLDEN THREAD TICKETING POLICIES In our continuing efforts to provide an equitable and accessible theatre experience for all, we recently revised our ticketing policies and pricing structure to better reflect three fundamental values we hold that we believe foster a just, inclusive and community-driven space.
We have eliminated gatekeeping practices such as exclusive access to prices via discount codes, student/senior status, or group sales and are instead offering a broader range of ticket prices designed to achieve fair wages for our artists while maintaining financial flexibility for our audiences. These include the following ticket categories:
NAME YOUR PRICE Ranging from $20 to $40, Name Your Price tickets offer a range of options, reflecting our more traditional prices. If you previously purchased $20 Thursday tickets, Student/Senior tickets, or General Admission tickets, these are for you!
PAY IT FORWARD Ranging from $50 to $100, Pay It Forward tickets are intentionally priced to support our goal of increasing access to low and no cost tickets, like our Community Walk-ins, each night, for every show. When you purchase one of these tickets, you’re contributing to greater access for all!
PAY WHAT YOU WANT PREVIEWS A self-determined sliding scale, Pay What You Want tickets are available for any preview performance when you pay at the door. (Unfortunately, our box office software can’t do it in advance.) You can also purchase in advance online for only $15.
COMMUNITY WALK-INS A consistent low or no cost option, Community Walk-ins are intended to ensure no one is turned away for lack of funds. 5% of all our seats are set aside each night and can be requested in advance by emailing us at boxoffice@goldenthread.org under the subject line ‘Community Walk-in’ or at the door subject to availability.
GENERAL BOX OFFICE INFORMATION For assistance with any box office related issue, please email boxoffice@goldenthread.org.
Ticket Policies:
If you have registered for a virtual event the link to access your virtual program can be found in the confirmation email for your ticket purchase. For troubleshooting tips for viewing, visit https://goldenthread.org/posts/your-guide-to-the-patron-manager-video-on-demand-platform/.
If you have registered for a free event but can no longer attend, please notify the box office so we can accommodate someone else.
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessibility for hearing, sight, or mobility can be addressed via email (boxoffice@goldenthread.org), phone (415-626-4061) or by putting a note in your ticket order. A request in advance of purchase or attendance will assist us in accommodating your party. Unfortunately, our venue cannot offer listening devices.
While we are unable to provide gender neutral restrooms in the venues we rent at this time, we embrace gender diversity and maintain an inclusive space where individual identities are respected. All are welcome to use the restroom that is most comfortable for them, including a private single-stall restroom available in our adjacent office, accessible via a staff member.
COVID-19 SAFETY & PROTOCOLS
Golden Thread is a fully vaccinated company. All patrons must present proof of vaccination with a booster shot, along with a matching photo ID, and be masked for entry to all in-person events.
Per CDC guidance, we encourage the use of procedural masks (either alone or with a cloth mask on top) or a higher grade N95 or KN95 mask instead of cloth masks alone. Masks must be worn at all times in all areas of the theatre.
Seating will be general admission and limited to 75% capacity. Advanced purchase or registration is advised.
By registering for an in-person event, you agree to adhere to our COVID-19 health and safety protocols. For more health and safety information, click here.