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Wajahat Ali (Photography by www.kamphotography.info)

Wajahat Ali

"The Domestic Crusaders," a two act play by Wajahat Ali is an authentic, revelatory, no-holds barred depiction of a contemporary Pakistani-American Muslim family, and will be seen at the Kennedy Center in a special showing of Act One. With a background of 9/11 and the scapegoating of Muslim Americans, sparks of tension and humor fly among three generations of family members, culminating in an intense family battle as each “crusader” struggles to assert and impose their respective voice, while trying to maintain and understand the unifying thread that makes them part of the same family. Directed by Carla Blank,  from its first San Francisco Bay area staged readings in 2004, its 2005 showcase at the Thrust Theatre of Berkeley Repertory Theater, to its 2009 sold out 5 week run at the Off Broadway landmark Nuyorican Poets Café and first international appearance at the 2010 MuslimFest in Mississauga, Canada, "The Domestic Crusaders" has been hailed by Newsweek as a “true theatrical breakthrough,” frequently placed in America’s classic tradition of family dramas, with comparisons by distinguished authors Ishmael Reed and Mitch Berman among others, to “A Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” “A Raisin in the Sun” and “The Death of a Salesman” distinguished authors including Ishmael Reed and Mitch Berman.  The six South Asian American actors in this fully staged Washington, D.C.

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Watch Past Performances

<i>The Domestic Crusaders </i> 11/14/10: The Domestic Crusaders

Wajahat Ali’s play The Domestic Crusaders focuses on a day in the life of a modern, Muslim, Pakistani American family of six who convene at the family house to celebrate the 21st birthday of the youngest child. Sparks fly among the three generations, culminating in an intense family battle as each "crusader" struggles to assert and impose their respective voices and opinions, while still attempting to maintain and understand that unifying thread that makes them part of the same family.

The Domestic Crusaders

Wajahat Ali’s play The Domestic Crusaders focuses on a day in the life of a modern, Muslim, Pakistani American family of six who convene at the family house to celebrate the 21st birthday of the youngest child. Sparks fly among the three generations, culminating in an intense family battle as each "crusader" struggles to assert and impose their respective voices and opinions, while still attempting to maintain and understand that unifying thread that makes them part of the same family.

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