American Dreams


"SMART, PROVOCATIVE..."
"DESERVES TO BE IN AS MANY U.S. CITIES AS ARE ON THE MAP"



CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER


PERFORMANCES


“It is involvement
theater at its best.”



TALKIN BROADWAY


PERFORMANCES

“If a good play should make you think... then American Dreams does the job.”



THE SCENE


PERFORMANCES

PERFORMANCES



FOLLOW LINKS BELOW FOR TICKETS
MORE DATES/COMPANIES TBA!



*ALL SHOWTIMES ARE LISTED IN HOST'S TIMEZONES

DOUBLE CHECK TIME ZONE FOR YOUR SHOWTIMES*


Sept 26: Arizona State University, 6pm MST

Oct 2-3: Texas Performing Arts, 7pm CT

Oct 5-11: Round House Theatre, 2 & 7pm ET

Oct 14-18: Salt Lake Acting Company, 1pm, 6pm, 7:30pm MDT

Oct 20-25: Working Theater, 2 & 7pm ET

Oct 28-Nov 1: HartBeat Ensemble/Bushnell/UCONN, 7pm ET

Nov 10-15: Marin Theatre Company, 7pm PT


*DOUBLE CHECK TIME ZONE FOR YOUR SHOWTIMES*



ABOUT AMERICAN DREAMS



It’s a Game. It’s a Show. It’s America!



American Dreams invites YOU to participate in the newest game show sensation - where you, the audience, decide who wins the ultimate prize: citizenship to “the greatest nation on earth.” Redefining online theater, this is a participatory performance which changes every night.


American Dreams captivates you, while simultaneously exploring how we navigate between fear, security, and freedom; who and what we choose to believe—and how those choices come to shape who we are as citizens, and as a nation.


American Dreams premiered to great acclaim at Cleveland Public Theatre for live audiences. This fall, the show launches as a national virtual theater production. This ground-breaking online tour will "travel" across the U.S., inviting audiences into playful, timely engagement and dialogue around what it means to be a citizen of this country.


FIND A PERFORMANCE

Running Time





American Dreams runs about 75 minutes.



Tech Requirements





This interactive show can be watched on any device connected to the internet. We recommend viewing the live broadcast on a laptop or desktop but if phone or tablet is all you got, you are welcome!



Tickets for All!




Some of our fabulous partners have made tickets free or pay-what-you-can.


FIND YOUR SHOW

1 Device - 1 Vote





Voting is an integral part of the show. We recommend each viewer watch on their own device.

Protect your vote!



Family Friendly





American Dreams follows all FCC broadcast guidelines and is appropriate for audiences of all ages.



ACCOLADES



Cleveland Plain Dealer



"It's interactive, fun and darkly comic. The ensemble is unnervingly believable, hosts and hopefuls alike. And, although we are ostensibly watching the competitors, it's actually we who are under scrutiny."


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BEST OF 2018



"American Dreams offered more than smart performances, whiz-bang visuals, ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter, and clever, cheeky packaging. Never shrill or preachy, “American Dreams” engaged our heads and hearts, asking us to confront a thorny problem only the most disingenuous pundits and politicians promise has an easy fix."


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AMERICAN THEATRE MAGAZINE



"Isam Zaiem, an American Dreams audience member and himself an immigrant, confessed that he didn’t realize how difficult it would be to make a decision. “How do you choose which of the three applicants should have the opportunity to become an American citizen?"


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THE SCENE



“If a good play should make you think about an issue and make you a bit uncomfortable about your preconceived notions, then American Dreams does the job.”


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TOP TEN STAND-OUT MOMENT



The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society honored American Dreams, as one of the top 10 achievements in the American theatre for diversity and inclusion.


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TALKIN BROADWAY



“It is involvement theater at its best.”


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KILROY'S LIST



After just two public readings in LaGuardia Performing Arts Centers Rough Draft Festival, American Dreams​ landed on the Kilroy's Honorable Mention list.


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CREATORS & CAST



Leila Buck



Writer/Conceiver/Performer



Leila is a Lebanese-American writer, performer, and intercultural facilitator who has lived and worked in more than 20 Arab and European countries and throughout the US. Learn more HERE.



Tamilla Woodard



Director/Developer



Tamilla is the Co-Artistic Director of Working Theater and co-founder of PopUP Theatrics, which has created immersive and participatory experiences for online and theatrical audiences in Europe, South America, Mexico and the US since 2007. Associate Director for the TONY AWARD WINNING, Hadestown. www.tamilla.com



Jens Rasmussen



Collaborator/Performer



Jens is a co- founder of Bechdel Project and makes devised theatre focused on social justice. www.jensrasmussen.info



Imran Sheikh



Deviser/Performer



Imran Sheikh is a first generation Pakistani-American actor who is focused on bringing the universality of theatre as a study of the human condition to communities across America. @imransheikhinfo



Ali Andre Ali



Performer



Ali Andre Ali is an actor and musician based in New York. As an actor he has worked on various new work in New York and regionally. As a musician he writes and performs with his music duo fajjr+ali www.aliandreali.com



India Nicole Burton



Performer



India Nicole Burton is an actress, director, playwright, and producer. She is a founder of Ma’Sue Productions and was awarded The National New Play Network Producer in Residence Fellowship at Cleveland Public Theatre.



Andrew Aaron Valdez



Performer



Andrew Aaron Valdez is an actor, director, playwright, poet, and educator, and is a C.A.R.E. Teaching Artist at Cleveland Play House, Steering Committee Member of the Latinx Theatre Commons, and a Americans for the Arts (AFTA) Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellow.



Written by: Leila Buck
Directed by: Tamilla Woodard
Created and developed by:
Leila Buck and Tamilla Woodard with Jens Rasmussen
in collaboration with Imran Sheikh, Osh Ghanimah & the company

Performed by: Ali Andre Ali, Leila Buck, India Nicole Burton, Jens Rasmussen, Imran Sheikh, Andrew Aaron Valdez


Video Design: Katherine Freer
Virtual Performance Design: ViDCo
Scenic Design: Ryan Patterson
Costume Design: Kerry McCarthy
Sound Design: Sam Kusnetz
Lighting Design: Stacey Derosier
Graphic Design: the watsons
Production Stage Manager: Colleen McCaughey
Assistant Stage Manager: Carolina Arboleda

A Working Theater Production
American Dreams virtual tour has been co-commissioned by Arizona State University’s ASU Gammage and Texas Performing Arts with support from the JKW Foundation.

AMERICAN DREAMS was first produced by Raymond Bobgan for Cleveland Public Theatre in 2018

Additional Credits:
Production Manager: Lory Henning
Assistant Sound Designer: Mike Deyo
Technical Operator: Nitsan Scharf
Technology Consultant: Ryan Holsopple
Consulting Producer: Amanda Cooper
Production Photographer: Cherie B. Tay
General Press Representative: Miguel Nelson Mendiola, Holly Garman





HISTORY





October 2016 - First developmental reading at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and Queens College thanks to a grant from Queens College’s Center for Economic, Racial, Religious, and Ethnic Understanding with actor/devisers Jens Rasmussen, Monte Bezell, Ahmad Maksoud, and Rasha Zamamiri.

Spring 2017 - Rough Draft Festival at LaGuardia PAC. Jens Rasmussen, Imran Sheikh, and Osh Ghanimah, offer key language, ideas, and improvisations toward their characters.

Summer 2017 - Kilroys List Honorable Mention​

November 2017 - New character of Alejandro is developed in collaboration with Andrew Aaron Valdez, Jens Rasmussen, and US Army veteran Jason Drevenak

​February 2018 - World premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre. Cast: Leila Buck, Jens Rasmussen, Imran Sheikh, Ali Andre Ali, Andrew Aaron Valdez.

Summer 2018 - Featured in American Theatre Magazine

October 2018 - Named Top Ten "Standout Moment" for diversity and inclusion

December 2018 - Named Best Ten Plays of 2018

Spring - Winter 2019 - Planning and booking for 2020 Election Tour

May 2020 - JKW Foundation support to retool as an interactive online show

September 2020 - Live, Online, Interactive Tour Begins!



PRESS



PLAYBILL



Working Theatre Partners with 9 Theatres Around the Country on American Dreams


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BROADWAY WORLD



Working Theater Presents Virtual Production of American Dreams


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TALKIN BROADWAY



WORKING THEATER - Off Broadway’s DRAMA DESK and AU DELCO winning - presents new play 'AMERICAN DREAMS' for Six Weeks - LIVE! - ONLINE! -- Sept. 26 - Nov. 15


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