←Recommendations of A Distinct Society

A Distinct Society reveals such a society and creates one too. Five characters of different nature, heritage and situation talk in seamless language. Language that is seamless but fraught to absurd situations from 5 minute visits to sharing food to surrendering passports and life. The play gets better and better as is goes along revealing the characters to themselves and each other. Bravo.

A brilliant play about the power of family in the face of cruel legislation.

A Distinct Society by Kareem Fahmy was a finalist for NNPN's 2020 National Showcase of New Plays.

In their own tiny corner of the universe, five very different people trying desperately to understand one another come together and fall apart. Fahmy slowly and lovingly traces the boundaries between them and asks us to judge whether they are insurmountable.

This play tugged at my heartstrings. A uniquely woven ensemble piece that takes place during a tormented era when our world is in strict border surveillance – in this instance a border between Vermont and Quebec. Kareem draws extremely likable characters to make individual choices that are best for their specific instances which in turn can cause unanticipated grief for one another. Alliances are built and broken, borders are straddled, and family connections persist and prevail.

There are some plays you hear, or read, or see a reading of and they tug at your heart over and over again. I have fallen deeply in love with this play. For me, at the heart of A DISTINCT SOCIETY is a fraught Iranian daughter-father relationship unlike any other I have seen on stage. It is moving and heartbreaking. As fragmented a society we ourselves live in, I believe this play can connect audience members and open eyes, reach hearts. Can we, in our divided country, and world, lift up the tape that divides our own library?

A DISTINCT SOCIETY is smart, moving, with plenty of room for theatricality and play. A great exploration of xenophobia, family, and ley lines of strength and power. Simultaneously international and deeply local, especially when centered in a library---humanity's symbolic site for enduring, collective knowledge. We look forward to producing this play when we return to live performance.

A DISTINCT SOCIETY is one of the most evocative, emotional, and impactful pieces I have read in a long time. Its setting, a library that straddles Canada and the United States, propels five deeply compelling and well-drawn characters into a conflict that defies our construct of borders and interrogates our understanding of nationalism, patriotism, family, community, and home. Through sharp dialogue and nuanced relationships, Fahmy crafts a world full of compassion, heartbreak, and humanity, urging his audience to find the personal in the political. In short, I was completed stunned by this poignant play.

Kareem manages to weave transnationalism, anti-nationalism, Quebecois separatism, universalism, and humor within a story that contemplates the sheer absurdity of policing identity. I must say, I love that it’s set in a library, that secular sacred space where redemption and salvation crescendo around stories and images. A DISTINCT SOCIETY invites audiences of all backgrounds to transcend borders and interrogate our fears. Along the way, whatever cultural and political signifiers we ascribe to “America,” “Canada,” “the Middle East,” and “Muslims” morph into whole new ways of reflecting our actual lived experiences. An extraordinary artist has crafted an exquisitely engaging tale.

Kareem Fahmy’s A DISTINCT SOCIETY is a powerful and necessary play for our time. Set in a small library on the U.S./Canada border, the story eloquently demonstrates how the political is personal and vice-versa. Mr. Fahmy manages to tell a gripping tale that’s populated with rich characters, engaging dialogue, and tremendous emotional and thematic resonance. As a Persian-American, I am grateful to Mr. Fahmy for illuminating the plights and struggles of Middle Eastern immigrants in such a heartfelt manner. A DISTINCT SOCIETY celebrates fellowship over fear, people over policies, and humanity over hate.