About the Play:

Draw the Circle is a full-length comedic drama by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen. The funny, deeply moving story of a bewildered immigrant Muslim family coming to terms with a child who defies their expectations of what it means to have a daughter when that child transitions from one gender to another. Draw the Circle concludes overwhelmingly, rendering transgender issues unignorable in today's divisive political climate.

Draw the Circle is the hilarious story of a conservative Muslim mother at her wits' end, a Muslim father who likes to tell jokes, and a queer American woman trying to make a good impression on her Indian in-laws. In a story about family and love and the things we do to be together, one immigrant family must come to terms with a child who defies their most basic expectations of what it means to have a daughter… and one woman will redefine the limits of unconditional love. Draw the Circle is unique piece of transformational theatre that depicts the author's gender transition journey, told entirely from the point of view of his Muslim-American immigrant family, cohort of friends, devoted life partner, and other assorted characters, bringing to life the often-ignored struggle that a family goes through when their child transitions from one gender to another.

Draw the Circle premiered in at PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theatre in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since then the play has been successfully staged at several professional and college theatres.

Cast: 1 South Asian actor of any gender or 3 actors as follows: 2 or more must be queer or trans identified; 2 or more must be actors of colour; 1 or more must be South Asian; 1 or more must be trans masculine

What people say:

"[Draw the Circle] chronicles, with surprising empathy, not just what it was like to slowly, painfully come to terms with transition, but what it was like for loved ones who shunned everything about it." — Washington Post

"…an insightful work that is noteworthy for the compassion with which the playwright…explores viewpoints different from his own…even the most intolerant of characters are allowed to come across as warmly sympathetic in their own ways." — TheaterMania.com

"…essential viewing…Deen's extreme vulnerability and creativity coalesce to make it a vitally important piece of theater… Draw the Circle is a singular theatrical experience." — BroadwayWorld.com

"The effect of Deen's storytelling technique and artistry is arresting…a masterful act of writing…If you believe theater can teach us something important about who we are as gendered beings – or even if you just have a hunch that America cannot be great if driven by hate – Draw the Circle is an epochal inquiry into identity…and some of the most pressing questions of our time." — DCMetroTheaterArts.com

About the Playwright:

Mashuq Mushtaq Deen is an award-winning, transgender theater artist, playwright and the inaugural recipient of NYU Tisch-New Dramatists Joint Commission. He earned his MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School/New School for Drama.