PICT launches 2026-27 season with the rolling world premiere of ‘Refugee Rhapsody’
Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre (PICT) has been selected,
alongside Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) in Shepherdstown W.Va., and the Sound Theatre Company in Seattle for the national rolling world premiere of “Refugee Rhapsody” by Yussef El Guindi.
It will be presented at the Carnegie Stage in Carnegie starting Friday and continuing through Oct. 25.
“Refugee Rhapsody” centers on a chance encounter between Emily, a wealthy socialite heiress, and a young Arab-American couple, Sakinah and Fouad, children of refugees now working at Goodwill. It unfolds into a darkly comic and unsettling exploration of race, class, and privilege in contemporary America.
As their lives intersect, tensions escalate, culminating in a violent crime driven by jealousy and desire. In the aftermath, Sakinah undergoes a psychological evaluation conducted by a pregnant mental health professional working for the defense, whose own marriage is strained by her husband’s objections to her involvement in the high-profile case.
As the investigation deepens, questions of culpability and motive take center stage. As the truth unravels one question remains: Why?
Born in Egypt, raised in London and now based in Seattle, Yussef El Guindi’s work frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures and politics that face Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans. He
is the recipient of several honors, and received a degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
For more information and showtimes, visit PICT’s website at www.picttheatre.org.