Misty is a very self-aware show, one that contains a strong narrative drive as well as a sense of happening in the here and now with its audience. This has allowed us to rework the show with an understanding of it being performed in NYC, and specifically at The Shed. We’ve looked at how some of the ideas and debates contained in the show might translate to a wider audience with different cultural references whilst maintaining the unique place from which the piece sparked.
I’m curious to discover how audiences in NYC will react to the piece, diving into a portrait of a London that I hope will feel new and refreshing. It’s an amazing opportunity for our show to subvert expectations about what British plays might look and feel like.
Contributor Bio
Omar Elerian is a freelance director, dramaturg, and theater-maker. Italian of Palestinian descent, Elerian trained in Italy and then graduated from Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris in 2005. He was the resident associate director at London’s Bush Theatre from 2012 to 2019 where he commissioned and directed some of the theater’s most successful shows.
His directing credits include the smash-hit Misty by Arinzé Kene (Bush Theatre and West End), NASSIM by Nassim Soleimanpour (Bush Theatre, Traverse Theatre, and world tour), Going Through by Estelle Savasta, and Islands by Caroline Horton. Other credits include the Olivier Award–nominated show You’re Not Like the Other Girls Chrissy by Caroline Horton and the acclaimed site-specific show The Mill: City of Dreams, co-created with Madani Younis for Freedom Studios. His most recent directing credits include The Return of Danton by Syrian playwright Mudar Alhaggi, which premiered at Munich Kammerspiele in Germany; The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco, starring Kathryn Hunter and Marcello Magni at the Almeida Theatre in London; and the Theatre Uncut Political Theatre Award–winning play Two Palestinians Go Dogging by Sami Ibrahim at the Royal Court.