2020 Friday Speaker Series

Each week, Cal Poly’s Theatre and Dance Department hosts an hour-long Zoom interview with an exciting Theatre-Maker. The interview is guided by questions generated by Cal Poly’s theatre students.

We are pleased that our Guest this week is playwright: Yussef El Guindi.

Born in Egypt, raised in London and now based in Seattle, Yussef El Guindi’s work frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures and politics that face Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans. El Guindi holds an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University, and has worked as a playwright at Silk Road Rising; literary manager for Golden Thread Productions; and playwright-in-residence at Duke University. He is the recipient of many honors, including the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award and the 2010 Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award. El Guindi's most recent productions include “People of the Book” at ACT in Seattle; “Language Rooms” (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award) at Pony World Theatre in Seattle, and Broken Nose Theatre in Chicago; "Hostages" at Radial Theater Project in Seattle; "The Talented Ones" at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland ( Santa Barbara Independent Indy Awards); "Threesome" at Portland Center Stage, ACT, and at 59E59 (winner of a Portland Drammy for Best Original Script); "Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World" (winner of the Steinberg/ American Theater Critics Association's New Play Award in 2012; and the 2011 Gregory Award) also at ACT, Center Repertory Company (Walnut Creek, CA), and at Mosaic Theater Company (DC). Other productions: "Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat" was produced by Silk Road Rising and won the M. Elizabeth Osborn award. His play "Back of the Throat" (winner of L.A. Weekly's Excellence in Playwriting Award for 2006), "Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World", "Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes", "Such a Beautiful Voice is Sayeda and Karima’s City” have been published by Dramatists Play Service. "Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith", "Collaborator", "Threesome", "The Talented Ones" and "Hostages" have been published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc. In January, 2019, Bloomsbury/ Methuen Drama published "Selected Works by Yussef El Guindi". Currently a Core Company playwright member at ACT in Seattle, and a Resident Artist at Golden Thread Production.