A Study about the Ecologic Arts is Needed
Follow
Yekta
WEBSITE
SYNOPSIS
An Iranian scholar must choose between staying with her husband in Iran, where her research is dismissed, or crossing a physical and emotional border to pursue sustainable work in the United States. Her work could help women with cervical cancer conceive and, in the long term, prevent human extinction. In October 2024, when all airspace suddenly shuts down, the couple decides to take a road trip to the U.S. embassy in Ankara for the woman’s J-1 visa appointment. A shooting at the border leaves them stranded at a remote inn where time bends and buried truths slowly surface.
PLAYWRIGHT’S BIO
Yekta Khaghani is an Iranian playwright, actor, and theatre educator based in New York City. Her plays often explore themes of displacement, diaspora, and the complexities of identity, blending meta-theatrical elements with deeply personal narratives. In 2022, Yekta curated Whispers of the Flesh, an anthology celebrating the resilience of Iranian women playwrights. This anthology has been showcased both in the U.S. and Europe and is set to be produced in Europe in Summer 2025. In 2023, she received the New York City Women’s Fund for her play which was showcased at The Tank Theater in February 2024. Since immigrating to the U.S. in 2016, Yekta has been a dynamic voice in independent theater, creating work that bridges cultural boundaries and challenges conventional storytelling.
A BIT ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
When did you start writing plays? If you had a moment where you realized you wanted to write, what was it?
I’ve been engaged with theatre as an actor since I was 14 growing up in Iran. During my undergraduate theater studies, I was certain I’d pursue acting. I even joined a private acting class focused on physical theatre and storytelling. At the end of each class, our instructor encouraged us to write, helping us build writing skills that could support our work across different mediums as actors. One day, he asked us to write an open-ended dialogue between two or three characters: no plot, no background, just pure interaction. That exercise became a turning point for me. I discovered the power of what remains unspoken between the lines and how those silences can nourish the imagination. That was the moment I realized I wanted to write plays.
How did you come to write your OOB play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? How has it developed?
I had seen my friends and collaborators engage with and in the OOB Festival in past years, and their experiences inspired me. When I saw that submissions were open, I revisited one of my plays and created a new draft adjusted to the OOB requirements. The new iteration turned out to be the strongest version of the play so far.
What are five words that describe who you are as a playwright?
-
-
poetic
-
transformative
-
magic
-
dream-like
-
resilient
-
What/who are some of the major influences on your writing?
My writing is shaped by my experience as an active member of an underground theater group in Iran. The political and social climate at the time strengthened my writing muscles, teaching me that in the face of emotional hardship or systemic injustice, the most empowering path to resilience is writing and transforming lived experience into a simple manifesto for change.
What’s one fact someone would never guess about you?
When I was a child, I had two imaginary friends I talked and played with constantly. I don’t see them as vividly anymore, but I still speak to them in my heart and share some secrets with them.
What are some of your favorite plays?
Chekhov’s Three Sisters, Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City.
Any new projects you’re working on or shameless plugs?
Yes, I’m currently working on the final draft of a short play titled A Laugh Too Far which will be produced by New Perspective Theatre Company this summer as part of the Women’s Work Play Lab. Simultaneously, I’m developing a full-length play called Mercury, Me and the Others, centered around the relationship between a woman and her cat, who secretly writes a journal documenting its daily observations.
Get Tickets