Hard Cell by Brent Askari

Hard Cell is a comedy concerning Nick Abtahi, an Iranian-American professor whose car breaks down during a cross-country road trip. When a tough local thug falsely identifies the mild-mannered Nick as a terrorist -- and threatens his life -- Nick feels he has no choice but to pose as a bomb-wielding terrorist merely to stay alive. As the situation spirals out of control, Nick uses his attackers' own...
Hard Cell is a comedy concerning Nick Abtahi, an Iranian-American professor whose car breaks down during a cross-country road trip. When a tough local thug falsely identifies the mild-mannered Nick as a terrorist -- and threatens his life -- Nick feels he has no choice but to pose as a bomb-wielding terrorist merely to stay alive. As the situation spirals out of control, Nick uses his attackers' own Islamophobic stereotypes and fears against them, manipulating the situation in order to survive a modern American nightmare.
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Hard Cell

Recommended by

  • Ken Levine:
    20 Sep. 2020
    “ Hilarious and timely and sooooo smart. One of the best plays I've read this year. ”
  • Maximillian Gill:
    11 Feb. 2020
    “ Askari's timely play skewers the stereotypes of Middle Eastern people while being very funny and sharply written. I particularly like that even the most reactionary characters in the play have dimension and are trying to do the right thing, even though they are completely clueless in all sorts of humorous ways. Thus, Askari's approach is hard-hitting but never abrasive, always acknowledging everyone's basic humanity. Very impressive! ”

NICK ABTAHI - Male, 30s to early 40s. A college professor of mixed Middle Eastern heritage -- half Lebanese and half Persian.
JANE SIMONS - Female, late 20s to late 30s. A bartender.
EVAN WEATHERS - Male, late 30s to late 40s. Evan is a loud, boisterous, and pugnacious guy.
DEREK SHIRLEY - Male, early 20s. A young man with an emo/goth appearance. He looks like he's trying to emulate Robert Smith from the Cure or the Morpheus character Neil Gaiman's Sandman.
TERRY BURTON - Female, 30s to early 50s. A sheriff.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Ensemble Studio Theater of Los Angeles
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    PlayPenn Conference
    ,
    2017

Production History