←Recommendations of Close to Home

A beautiful piece about found family and building a home (both figuratively and literally) with compelling characters and witty dialogue. I read this as part of the literary council for Bay Area Playwrights Festival 45 and can’t wait to see where it goes next!

WHAT A GEM! This hit all my buttons. It's such a lovely and tender story about the family you choose. How important that family is to shape, love, and hold us. Bravo. Gave me all the feels in a great way, and I would LOVE to see this on stage.

If this play had just a couple of moments of striking tenderness, warmth, and astonishing human connection I would've called it a success, but Yasmin somehow fills the piece with such moments. The author's assured handling of the material is simply breathtaking at times. A key scene involves a "sex talk" that in a less confident voice could seem overly descriptive, but the author uses it to bring characters together in a natural and open way. The author's notes state "Bring truth to their story," I'm floored by how much truth this story holds.

What a beautiful piece populated by a compelling cross-section of well-drawn characters. I especially appreciated how this story of deeply intersectional queerness, finding family, and identity never ignored its character's struggles while also never wallowing in them. Between the huge oak, the cluttered trailer home, and the house being assembled onstage, there were also many gorgeous stage images that I'd love to see realized. Sharifa Yasmin demonstrated such care and love for her characters while not letting them off the hook for hurting and coming into conflict with one another. I hope this is produced far and wide!

This is a masterpiece of a play. Sharifa's work is so subtle, elegantly-crafted, and character-driven that you instantly get lost in the world she creates. She approaches her playwriting from the mind of a director, and this is particularly evident in Close to Home, with its lush imagery and symbolism of the live oak, the trailer home, and the house-in-progress. Each of the characters is so nuanced, and Sharifa pushes against stereotypes of queer & trans people, Muslims and MENA immigrants, and the American South in a way that is empowering without preaching. PLEASE read this play, then produce it.

I really loved the fact that they are building an actual house during this play while these three characters are building a home together. So often plays that feature trans characters is all about the struggles and hardships only they are going through. Yasmin is really good at showing how we all have our issues and no matter who we are we can learn from each other and help each other heal.