Superior performance. Superb storytelling. Superlative transfer of knowledge. “This Is Who I Am,” is a first-rate, live, broadcast theatrical performance specifically made for Zoom viewing. There is only one warning I must give:  The 70-minute stream cannot pause and at the end of every performance, the stream is no longer accessible. After months of cultivating Zoom habits, there may be some who may need to adjust their routines to fully enjoy this performance.

The story is about an estranged father and son separated by continents who reunite over Zoom. From their respective kitchens in Ramallah, Palestine and New York City, they recreate a cherished family recipe and struggle to bridge the gap between them, one ingredient at a time. Through the cutting and mixing and with humor and humanity, Amir Nizar Zuabi’s play demolishes cultural and geographical boundaries.

Through Zuabi’s finely crafted word’s, knowledge of Palestine and even knowledge on how to cut onions creeped into my conciseness. Similar to the onion-cutting lesson, the affect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on their family echoed in my mind as I related their experience to the African-American experience.  

Humorously, the Palestine-born playwright, who currently lives in Palestine/Israel, reinforced that the typical generational divide is universal as the father calls his son’s profession of being a curator, a “sophisticated shelf stacker.”

Mammoth Theatre Company Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes says, “(Zuabi) has written a story specifically meant to be told through a video call, connecting form and content seamlessly. The experience is intimate and still inherently theatrical. I am so honored to have co-commissioned this piece with PlayCo and to continue to poke at the boundaries of what theatre can be; both online and in person." The performance is also done in association with American Repertory Theater (Cambridge, MA), Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, Minnesota), and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, Oregon).

This performance made me a bit hopeful that I will be able to make it during this COVID-19 winter without stepping out into a theater in the real world. The superior performances continues December 17-19, 22, 23, 26-30, and January 2 at 8:30pm EST and December 20, 26, 27, 31, January 2 and 3 at 4pm EST. Tickets to “This Is Who I Am” start at $15 and are available online, by phone at (202) 393-3939, and via email.