program > main stage
Khawla Ibraheem
A Knock on the Roof
Presented by New York Theatre Workshop, a co-production with piece by piece productions
photos: Alex Brenner
“Extraordinary. A Knock on the Roof reverberates with an irresistible truth.” – The National
Set the timer. The everyday existence of a mother during a sweltering summer vacation: prepare meals, pack the bag, run the drill, repeat. With a dry wit and the determination of an Olympian, Mariam meticulously practices for the run of her life—the dreaded knock on the roof. Straight from a heralded run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Khawla Ibraheem’s unforgettable new play about obsession, survival and everyday life in Gaza is directed by NYTW Usual Suspect and Obie Award winner Oliver Butler (What the Constitution Means to Me).
Note: This production contains suggestions of violence and war and is recommended for audiences ages 12 and older. For more details and specific trigger warnings, please reach out to LetsChat@NYTW.org.
SCHEDULE
Friday, January 10 @ 8pm
Saturday, January 11 @ 7pm
Sunday, January 12 @ 2pm
Sunday, January 12 @ 7pm
Tuesday, January 14 @ 8pm
Wednesday, January 15 @ 8pm
Thursday, January 16 @ 8pm
Friday, January 17 @ 8pm
Saturday, January 18 @ 2pm
Saturday, January 18 @ 7pm
Sunday, January 19 @ 2pm
Sunday, January 19 @ 7pm
Performances continue following Under the Radar
Run time: 80 minutes
NB: During this UTR pre-sale, individuals can purchase ticket vouchers for a performance only during the dates of Under The Radar (Jan 9-19) for $54. Once you purchase a ticket voucher, you are confirmed for your date! We will then email you in mid-November to redeem your voucher into a specific seat in our theatre. Purchasing a pre-sale voucher now will allow you to pick your seats after NYTW members and donors but before the general public. Pre-sale vouchers are available now until November 3rd.
CREDITS
Directed and developed by Oliver Butler
Scenic Design: Frank J Oliva
Music and Sound Design: Rami Nakhleh
Projection Design: Hana S Kim
Associate Scenic Design: Michael Ruiz del Vizo
Associate Sound Design: Bryn Scharenberg
Original Lighting Design: Muaz Aljubeh
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Khawla Ibraheem is a playwright, actor, and director based in Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. She is a regular at many theaters in Palestine, including El Hakawati (the Palestinian National Theatre in Jerusalem), The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, and Al Jawal Theatre in Sakhnin. Ibraheem’s recent project, London Jenin, was a collaboration with The Freedom Theatre for which she won Best Director and Best Script at the Palestinian National Theatre Festival. Outside of Palestine, she has collaborated with many theaters and institutions, including as a fellow at Macdowell and as an artist-in-residence at the Sundance Theatre Lab, where she met longtime collaborator, director Oliver Butler. Ibraheem was also commissioned by Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies as part of a series of new radio plays written by Palestinian playwrights.
Oliver Butler (he/him) is a theater director who grew up in New England and is now based in Queens, NY. He directed the critically-acclaimed Broadway premiere of Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me (Best Play Tony Award Nomination, Obie Award Winner, Lucille Lortel Award Nomination, Drama League Award Nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination; and Drama Desk Award Nomination; Finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), a film version of which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. He directed the off-Broadway premiere of A Bright New Boise by Sam Hunter at Signature Theatre Company. Other recent credits include: the World Premiere of Hester Street in Washington D.C., the NYC premiere of Will Eno’s GNIT at Theatre for a New Audience, the world premiere of Will Eno’s The Plot at Yale Repertory Theatre; the world premiere of Jordan Harrison’s The Amateurs at The Vineyard; the West Coast Premiere of Will Eno’s Thom Pain (based on nothing) starring Rainn Wilson at The Geffen Playhouse; and the triumphant return of Thom Pain (based on nothing) to New York starring Michael C. Hall at the Signature Theatre Company. Additional career highlights include: Itamar Moses’s The Whistleblower at Denver Center, Christopher Shinn’s An Opening in Time at Hartford Stage, Daniel Goldfarb’s Legacy at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the world premiere of Timeshare by Lally Katz at The Malthouse in Melbourne, and the world premiere of Will Eno’s The Open House (OBIE Award for Direction; Lortel Award, Best Play) at the Signature Theatre Company. He is a co-founder and co-artistic director of The Debate Society with whom he has directed 10 premieres in 15 years including The Light Years (Playwrights Horizons), Jacuzzi (Ars Nova), and Blood Play (Bushwick Starr). He is a Sundance Institute Fellow and a Bill Foeller Fellow (Williamstown). He’s a long-distance hiker who recently covered 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail and adventured near the Arctic circle in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve known as “The Iceland of Iceland.”