Ep. 33: Ida Esmaeili: tenderly, Immigration, and Representation
Swediah-Iranian playwright and actor Ida Esmaeili joins us today to talk about her new play, tenderly, the love story of an Iranian visual artist on an expiring student visa, and an American writer grappling with the imminent loss of his father. We talk about Ida’s experience as a middle eastern immigrant here in the United States, from her experiences in the theatre industry, to her personal experiences within the immigration system, as well as her relationship with her family overseas. Two extra exciting facts about the piece: first of all, your host, Ryan Morales, is a producer and an actor in the virtual piece, which is being presented THIS weekend. You can stream it virtually anywhere in the world. Show details and a link to tickets are below. And the second exciting fact is that all ticket sales go to benefit New Sanctuary Coalition, a multi-faith immigrant-led organization that creates support systems for and empowers those navigating the immigration system.We also dig deep into racism in the entertainment industry (especially in both BFA programs and the current canon), as well as Ida’s personal fitness journey, including her struggles with food and the high expectations of the theatre industry. Full disclosure, Ida gets really honest about her past struggles with an eating disorder. There’s a trigger warning when we start to discuss it, and as we both talk about in the episode, we believe it’s important to talk about things like this out loud, to dispel the shame for ourselves and others. tenderly plays LIVE virtually this weekend, Friday and Saturday, December 11th and 12th. Show times are at 7:00PM EST. For tickets or more information, visit: charity.gofundme.com/tenderly-nsc*For your copy of Motivation 101: Three Secrets on How to Get and Stay Motivated (Even if You're in the Middle of a Pandemic), click here.*For show notes on today's episode check out www.TheGreenRoomPodcast.info