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JAN 21 - FEB 9, 2025

Written and performed by Michael Shayan
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel

Upstairs Studio

Avaaz

Written and performed by Michael Shayan
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel

Upstairs Studio

Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes (no intermission)

Seat Map

Additional Credits
An Olney Theatre Center production
Presented in association with Broadway & Beyond Theatricals

Associate Production Sponsor
The Davee Foundation World’s Stage Fund

“Celebratory and free”

–The Washington Post

“Dazzling, ingenious”

–BroadwayWorld

Emmy-nominated writer and actor Michael Shayan (Discovery’s The Book of Queer, HBO’s We’re Here) portrays his larger-than-life mother in a radiant celebration of joy and resilience. Meet Roya, our fabulous hostess, as she welcomes you into her home to celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. She’s preparing a feast, but the main attraction is the tale of her great American journey as an Iranian-Jewish immigrant from Tehran to “Tehran-geles,” California. Get ready for the time of your life with this hilarious and heartfelt tribute to the playwright’s mother, exuberantly portrayed by the person who knows her best—her son. Directed by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Avaaz is at once deeply personal and universal.

Associate Production Sponsor
The Davee Foundation World’s Stage Fund

Additional Credits
An Olney Theatre Center production
Presented in association with Broadway & Beyond Theatricals

Students, young professionals, and theater lovers under age 30 can sign up for $30 Under 30 to access world‑class theater at an everyday price.

January 2025

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7:30 PM / Tuesday , Jan 21

7:30 PM / Wednesday , Jan 22

7:30 PM / Thursday , Jan 23

7:30 PM / Friday , Jan 24

2:30 PM / Saturday , Jan 25

7:30 PM / Saturday , Jan 25

2:30 PM / Sunday , Jan 26

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7:30 PM / Tuesday , Jan 28

7:30 PM / Wednesday , Jan 29

7:30 PM / Thursday , Jan 30

7:30 PM / Friday , Jan 31

Tickets Available
Limited Availability
Multiple Performances
Sold Out

Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes (no intermission)

Seat Map

Additional Credits
An Olney Theatre Center production
Presented in association with Broadway & Beyond Theatricals

Associate Production Sponsor
The Davee Foundation World’s Stage Fund

January 2025

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7:30 PM / Tuesday , Jan 21

7:30 PM / Wednesday , Jan 22

7:30 PM / Thursday , Jan 23

7:30 PM / Friday , Jan 24

2:30 PM / Saturday , Jan 25

7:30 PM / Saturday , Jan 25

2:30 PM / Sunday , Jan 26

27

7:30 PM / Tuesday , Jan 28

7:30 PM / Wednesday , Jan 29

7:30 PM / Thursday , Jan 30

7:30 PM / Friday , Jan 31

Tickets Available
Limited Availability
Multiple Performances
Sold Out

Video: Trailer

Video: First Look

Gallery: On Stage

“Shayan tells his family story through his mother’s eyes with compassion, authority, and plenty of humor.”

–OnStage Colorado

“Masterful… Both intimately specific and universally rewarding.”

–DC Theater Arts

“Authentic, nuanced…yet, it is the joy that endures.”

–The Denver Post

Artists

Michael Shayan

Playwright, Performer

Joshua “Domino” Schwartz

Costume Designer

UptownWorks

Sound Designer

Aria Velz

Associate Director

Jerid Fox

Tour Manager

Allison Ann Bailey

Production Stage Manager

Aria Velz

Associate Director

Jerid Fox

Tour Manager

Allison Ann Bailey

Production Stage Manager

Spotlight

FREE Middle Eastern Dance Workshop

Before the show on Tuesday, January 28, enrich your experience of Michael Shayan’s Avaaz by participating in our free workshop and explore the culturally rich movements of Middle Eastern dance!

Conversation with the Playwright

At its core this is a play about a mother-son relationship, and the character grapples with questions that have always felt urgent to me,” Emmy-nominee Michael Shayan shares about creating and performing Avaaz.

Party like it’s (Persian) New Year

Explore the meaning and traditions of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. Translated as “new day,” it is all about renewal and rebirth from one year to the next. Learn about the rich cultural history and symbolism of the traditional New Year feast.

Meet Michael Shayan

An Emmy nominee, Out Magazine OUT 100 honoree, Sundance Institute Fellow, and the writer and performer of Avaaz. “I’m a maximalist—I try to give my audiences the same intensity of feeling you’d get at a Beyoncé concert or from trying to get tickets to one.”

FREE Middle Eastern Dance Workshop

Conversation with the Playwright