Ali & Ali: The Deportation Hearings

A play by Camyar Chai, Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef
Directed by Diana Lobb

It is November 2008, President Barack Obama is elected, and collective optimism for a more tolerant post-Bush world spreads to Canada – and to the backroom of Salim’s Falafel Shoppe in Toronto. There, Ali Hakim and Ali Ababwa, refugee entertainers from the fictitious, war-torn country of Agraba, write a stage play to celebrate the new president’s message of “hope and change.” But the premiere of Yo Mama, Osbama! (or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Half-Black President) halts abruptly when a RCMP constable arrives at the theatre and arrests the pair for suspected financial ties to the Agrabanian People’s Front, an alleged “terrorist organization” on the Canadian government’s watch list. Hilarious comic, slapstick, and exuberant, the play raises serious questions about the cost for some when we endeavour to protect the “freedoms” of others.

Performances are on November 10-12, 17-19, and 24-26. Seating is first-come, first serve. Doors open at 7:30PM; the show starts at 8:00PM each evening. The show is presented with no intermission, with an expected run time of about 90 minutes. Audience masking is required at all performances.

This is a COVID-cautious performance: the audience capacity is limited to 50% of normal, and patrons shall not have food or drinks within the auditorium.

See the show homepage for more information about this production.

November 19
8:00 pm — 10:00 pm

9 Princess Street East

Diana Lobb

Tickets

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