{"id":1748,"date":"2010-07-21T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2010-07-21T14:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/?page_id=1748"},"modified":"2026-01-20T16:07:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T16:07:41","slug":"matthew-spangler","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/client\/plays\/matthew-spangler\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew Spangler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plays by Matthew Spangler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO
OPERATION AJAX
THE STORY OF ZAHRA
STRIKING BACK
THE KITE RUNNER
PARADISE HILLS
TORTILLA CURTAIN
ALBATROSS
OPERATION AJAX
THE FORGOTTEN EMPRESS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Synopses:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beekeeper of Aleppo (co-written with Nesrin Alrefaai) — (5M, 2W) based on the novel by Christy Lefteri. The powerful story of two refugees who flee Syria’s civil war and travel to the United Kingdom in search of asylum. Click here<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operation Ajax (co-written with Farshad Farahat) — (3M, 2W) dives deep into 1950s global politics to dramatize the CIA \/ MI6 led coup against Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Story of Zahra — (2M, 2W) based on the novel Hanan al-Shaykh. During the civil war in Beirut, Lebanon, a young woman has an affair with a sniper operating on her street. One of Al-Shaykh’s most famous and controversial novels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Striking Back — (10W, 2M) based on the book by Mary Manning and Sinead O’Brien. The true story of the Dunnes Stores anti-apartheid strike in Ireland (1984-87), led by Mary Manning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kite Runner \u2013 (10M 2W, or 9M 2W) based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini. Amir and Hassan are best friends growing up in Afghanistan in the 1970s until the Soviet invasion pulls them apart. Amir and his father immigrate to the United States, while Hassan stays behind. Twenty years later, Amir is called back to Afghanistan to rescue Hassan\u2019s son from the now war-torn country, but first, he must face demons from his past. The Kite Runner is a heartbreaking story of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption set against the backdrop of global politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a> for information on the Broadway production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paradise Hills \u2013 (3M 3W) based on short stories by John Cheever. This comedy, set in the picture perfect American suburbs of the 1960s, includes Cheever\u2019s best-known story, \u201cThe Swimmer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tortilla Curtain \u2013 (5M 2W) based on the novel by T.C. Boyle. C\u00e1ndido and Am\u00e9rica, two undocumented immigrants from Mexico, are camping along a streambed in Topanga Canyon, California. In this epic tale about the price of the American dream, their lives intersect in comic and increasingly tragic ways with those of the settled community around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operation Ajax – (5M or W) based on the non-fiction work All the Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer. The play looks at the 1953 CIA-led coup that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, and consolidated power in Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, The Shah of Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albatross <\/a>(co-written with Benjamin Evett) – (1M), based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Forgotten Empress<\/a> (co-written with Farah Yasmeen Shaikh) – (1F, 1 dancer, 4 musicians), Kathak dance and music performance about the life of the Mughal Empress Noor Jahan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bio:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew Spangler\u2019s\u00a0plays have been produced on Broadway, in the West End, off-Broadway, at the Dubai Opera House, Dublin Theatre Festival, Carthage Theatre Festival in Tunisia, and at many theatres around the world.\u00a0Plays include:\u00a0The Kite Runner\u00a0<\/em>from the novel by Khaled Hosseini;\u00a0Cowboys and East Indians\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Nina McConigley adapted from her short story collection;\u00a0Albatross\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Benjamin Evett based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge\u2019s \u201cThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner\u201d;\u00a0Operation Ajax\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Farshad Farahat about the CIA \/ MI6 coup in Iran;\u00a0The Story of Zahra\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Raeda Ghazaleh from the novel by Hanan al-Shaykh;\u00a0The Kingdom of Cards\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Sukanya Chakrabarti from the play by Rabindranath Tagore;\u00a0Striking Back\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Kellie Hughes based on the book by Mary Manning and Sinead O\u2019Brien;\u00a0Tortilla Curtain\u00a0<\/em>from the novel by T.C. Boyle;\u00a0The Forgotten Empress\u00a0<\/em>co-written with Farah Yasmeen Shaikh about Mughal Empress Noor Jahan; and\u00a0Shady Hills\u00a0<\/em>from the stories of John Cheever.\u00a0Matthew is Professor of Performance Studies at San Jos\u00e9 State University in California and Writer in Residence at the Hinterland Festival in Kells, Ireland.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: www.matthewspangler.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Please note that some titles are handled by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French, Dramatic Publishing, Broadway Play Publishing, and Playscripts.com. Please ask if you don\u2019t see a particular play.<\/address>\n\n\n\n

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Plays by Matthew Spangler THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPOOPERATION AJAXTHE STORY OF ZAHRASTRIKING BACKTHE KITE RUNNERPARADISE HILLSTORTILLA CURTAINALBATROSSOPERATION AJAXTHE FORGOTTEN EMPRESS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":495,"menu_order":227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1748","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1748"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18881,"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1748\/revisions\/18881"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}