Ali heads to Philly for "The Hummus Wars"
Can a plate of hummus bring people together? That's one of the questions at the heart of The Hummus Wars, a play by Marielle Buxbaum that Ali will be joining for a staged reading this November. Directed by Philadelphia theatre director Terry Guerin, the play takes inspiration from a real-life event in 2010, when Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese chefs competed to make the world's largest plate of hummus in an attempt to claim a Guinness World Record. What starts as a culinary showdown opens up bigger questions about identity, politics, and whether food can help us find common ground.
Lebanese chefs celebrate around the largest plate of hummus (weighing 10,456kg) setting the Guinness world record in 2010.
Marielle has spent the past six years developing the play, including research in Jerusalem and the West Bank and collaboration with Palestinian chef Izzeldin Bukhari. The play was previously performed in front of an audience once before at Rites and Reasons Theater in Providence, where it earned the George Houston Bass Award for Playwriting. The project has also grown into something deeply personal, connecting Marielle with a family in Gaza and the work of Malahk's Kitchen, a food kitchen run by Yasser, Wajeha, and Ammar from their home, providing daily meals for neighbors in need.
Ali will be sharing the stage with a wonderful group of actors for this reading; Layan Elwazani, Abram Blau, Sohrab Haghverdi, Jeff Hunsicker and Paul Guerin. He is grateful to be part of a reading that brings this story to an audience and supports a meaningful cause, as the funds raised will go toward supporting Malahk's Kitchen in Gaza.
The cast of THE HUMMUS WARS staged reading
If you’re in Philadelphia, Ali and the cast would love to see you there. To attend the reading, fill out the Google Form below and make your donation, and your seat will be confirmed. Seating is limited to 100 people, so if you know someone who’d want to be in the room, send them the link. Bring some cash with you, too. There’s a raffle at the reading, and the prizes are free tickets to upcoming shows at New Light Theater, 1812 Comedy Club and Lantern Theater. Not a bad way to line up your next few nights out.