Press Release: Film Screening of The Citizen

“Compelling ... Emphasized the triumph of the human spirit. Nabawy gives a heartfelt performance.”
—The Independent Critic

“There are some films that leave you breathless at first sight and others that cover so many layers, have so much insight that it's simply impossible to stop thinking about them. The Citizen is the kind of movie that fills your day thoughts and colors your dreams for a long time … A film tribute to a great country, to our slightly dusty ‘American dream’ and an homage by one of its adoptive Arab sons to the land he loves.”      —The Huffington Post

FREE SCREENING of THE CITIZEN,
Starring Egyptian Film Star – and CAMP DAVID’s Anwar Sadat –
KHALED NABAWY
MONDAY, MAY 23 at 6:30 p.m., to be Followed by a Q&A
Moderated by KPBS’s Cinema Junkie, BETH ACCOMANDO

SAN DIEGO (May 10, 2016)—In conjunction with the West Coast premiere of Camp David, The Old Globe will hold a free screening of the film The Citizen Egyptian film star and political activist Khaled Nabawy, who stars as Anwar Sadat in the Globe’s production of Camp David. The film, which explores the search for the American Dream within the American reality, will screenon Monday, May 23, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. in the Globe’s Hattox Hall. KPBS Arts & Culture Reporter and Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando will introduce the film and moderate a short Q&A discussion with Nabawy immediately after. Tickets are free but reservations are required. Tickets may be reserved online at www.TheOldGlobe.org or by calling the Ticket Office at (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623).

Yearning to leave behind his life of misfortune in the Middle East, Ibrahim Jarrah wins the U.S. Green Card Lottery for a chance to become an American citizen. He lands in New York City the day before 9/11, and the events of the September terrorist attacks forever shape the struggles he faces on his journey to capture the American Dream. Inspired by true events, filmmaker Sam Kadi’s feature debut is a gripping tale of courage, love, and perseverance, the qualities of a true citizen.

Khaled Nabawy (Ibrahim Jarrah in The Citizen, Anwar Sadat in Camp David), an Egyptian actor, director, and activist, graduated with honors in acting from the Academy of Arts in Cairo. Nabawy burst onto the Egyptian cinema scene in legendary director Youssef Chahine’s film Al-mohager (The Emigrant), earning him the All African Film Award for Best Actor and garnering the attention of audiences and the respect of film critics. He went on to collaborate on two of Chahine’s subsequent films. Nabawy has won multiple awards for his work in Egypt including Best Supporting Actor at the Cairo International Film Festival in 1998 and Best Young Actor at the 100 Years of Cinema Film Festival in 1996. After great success in Egypt, starring in more than 20 films and 10 television series along with three theatrical plays, Nabawy earned his first Hollywood role in Ridley Scott’s 2005 blockbuster film Kingdom of Heaven, making him the first Arab leading actor to join Hollywood cinema since the great Omar Sharif. In 2010 he worked alongside Sean Penn and Naomi Watts in the critically acclaimed and award-winning film Fair Game, followed by the movie The Citizen, about 9/11. He made his theatrical debut in the U.S. last March in Camp David at Arena Stage in Washington, DC.

West Coast Premiere Of Pulitzer Prize Winner
LAWRENCE WRIGHT’S Thrilling New Play, CAMP DAVID;
Arena Stage Artistic Director MOLLY SMITH To Direct

NED EISENBERG, HALLIE FOOTE, NABAWY and RICHARD THOMAS

Performances MAY 13 - JUNE 19

The Old Globe presents the Arena Stage production of Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright’s thrilling new play Camp David, directed by Arena Stage’s artistic director, Molly Smith. The West Coast premiere of Camp David will play May 13 – June 19, 2016 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Previews run May 13 – 19. Opening night is Friday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $29, and are on sale now.

From The Twenty-seventh Man to Golda’s Balcony to Allegiance,The Old Globe boasts a rich legacy of exploring significant moments in recent history on its stages. Now a new play, Camp David, offers a you-are-there view of a great historical achievement whose legacy continues to resonate nearly 40 years later. In the tumultuous 1970s, Middle East peace seemed as remote a prospect as it does today. Yet during 13 extraordinary days in 1978, two world leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, under the watchful and sometimes exasperated eyes of U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, hammered out an agreement that inspired the entire world. Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright (The Looming Tower,HBO’s Going Clear) brings us a riveting and moving story filled with humor, insight, and surprises, as three very different men, each devoutly committed to his people and also to his faith, find that peace is possible and that hope is always the better choice.

Camp David had its world premiere at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage in 2014 and was seen in a special reading by its original cast in June 2016 as part of Carter Center Weekend in Vail, Colorado.

The cast includes Broadway veteran Ned Eisenberg (Awake and Sing!, Golden Boy) as Menachem Begin, Tony and Emmy Award nominee Hallie Foote (Dividing the Estate on Broadway and at the Globe) as Rosalynn Carter, award-winning Egyptian actor and activist Khaled Nabawy (Kingdom of Heaven, Fair Game) as Anwar Sadat, and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (Othello at the Globe, “The Waltons”) as Jimmy Carter. Rounding out the cast are San Diego actors Bryan Banville and Jon Maxwell (Marines).

The creative team includes Walt Spangler (Scenic Design), Paul Tazewell (Costume Design), Pat Collins (Lighting Design), David Van Tieghem (Original Music and Sound Design), Jeff Sugg (Projection Design), David Huber (Vocal Coach), Geoff Josselson, CSA (Casting), Susan R. White (Production Stage Manager), Peter Van Dyke (Stage Manager), and Gerald Rafshoon (Producer).

“Camp David tells a story that’s forty years old and at the same time is as fresh as this morning’s headlines,” said Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The issues that Carter, Begin, and Sadat wrestled with in 1978 still roil the Middle East today. Lawrence Wright’s exciting and moving play reminds us, in vividly theatrical terms, that peace is not some miracle but is instead the fruit of hard, risk-taking work by bold and visionary leaders. I am honored to have Wright at the Globe and to hold a public conversation with him. And I cannot wait to have the estimable Molly Smith’s extraordinary cast on our stage. In particular I’m delighted to introduce California audiences to a great international star in Khaled Nabawy, and I’m very, very happy to welcome my friend, the brilliant Richard Thomas, back to our stage. This is a special show, and I know San Diego will find it a powerful and entertaining evening in the theatre.”

Lawrence Wright (Playwright) is a longtime writer for The New Yorker and the author of nine books, including Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, which was recently adapted into an acclaimed HBO documentary. His most recent book, Thirteen Days in September, emerged from the play Camp David and was named by The New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2014; listed as number 5 on Amazon.com’s Editors’ Picks for the Best Books of 2014; and made NPR’s list of 2014’s Great Reads, Entertainment Weekly’s 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2014, and Publishers Weekly 10 Best Books of 2014. His book The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 won the Pulitzer Prize and was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 best nonfiction books ever written. He was the co-writer of the screenplay for the 1998 movie The Siege starring Denzel Washington and Annette Bening, and he also wrote Noriega: God’s Favorite starring Bob Hoskins for television. He has written and performed two one-man shows: My Trip to Al-Qaeda, which he performed Off Broadway and at The Kennedy Center in 2007, and which was made into a movie for HBO; and The Human Scale, which Wright performed in New York and Tel Aviv. His play Camp David received its world premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, in 2014, and in the year prior Fallaci was staged by Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Wright lives in Austin, Texas, where he plays the keyboards in a blues band, WhoDo.

Molly Smith (Director) has served as Artistic Director of Arena Stage since 1998. Her directing credits there include Oliver!, The Originalist, Fiddler on the Roof, Camp David, Mother Courage and Her Children, Oklahoma!, A Moon for the Misbegotten, My Fair Lady, The Great White Hope, The Music Man, Orpheus Descending, Legacy of Light, The Women of Brewster Place, Cabaret, An American Daughter, South Pacific, Agamemnon and His Daughters, Coyote Builds North America, All My Sons,and How I Learned to Drive. Her directorial work has also been seen at the Shaw Festival in Canada, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, Centaur Theatre in Montreal, and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska, which she founded and ran from 1979 to 1998. Smith has been a leader in new play development for over 30 years. She is a great believer in first, second, and third productions of new works and has championed projects like How I Learned to Drive; Passion Play, a cycle;and Next to Normal. She has worked alongside playwrights Sarah Ruhl, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Lawrence Wright, Karen Zacarías, John Murrell, Eric Coble, Charles Randolph-Wright, and many others. She led the reinvention of Arena Stage, focusing on the architecture and creation of the Mead Center for American Theater and positioning Arena Stage as a national center for American artists. During her time with the company, Arena Stage has workshopped more than 100 productions, produced 36 world premieres, staged numerous second and third productions, and been an important part of nurturing seven projects that went on to have a life on Broadway. In 2014, Smith made her Broadway debut directing The Velocity of Autumn following its critically acclaimed run at Arena Stage. She was awarded honorary doctorates from American University and Towson University.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center located in Washington, DC, dedicated to American voices. Arena Stage celebrates all that is passionate, profound, deep, and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and groundbreaking work from some of America’s best artists. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays through the American Voices New Play Institute. arenastage.org.

Camp David is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsors Peter Cooper and Norman Blachford, Elaine and Dave Darwin, Pam Farr and Buford Alexander, and Hal and Pam Fuson, as well as Artist Sponsor Dan and Phyllis Epstein.

Camp David is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award and received support from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works program for the Arena Stage production.

TICKETS to Camp David start at $29; on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances begin on May 13 and continue through June 19. Performance times: Previews: Friday, May 13 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m., Sunday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00pm, Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m., and Thursday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m. Opening Night is Friday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. There will be a Wednesday matinee performance on June 8 at 2:00 p.m. and no matinee performance on Saturday, June 11. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more.

Additional events taking place during the run of Camp David include:

INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Tuesday May 17, at 5:30 p.m.  The seminar series features a panel selected from the current show. Reception at 5:00 p.m. FREE

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesday, May 24, Tuesday, May 31, and Wednesday, June 8  Discuss the play with members of the cast and crew following the performance. FREE

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Through a special arrangement with the San Diego Zoo, Old Globe evening ticket-holders have the opportunity to pre-purchase valet parking in the Zoo's new employee parking structure. With a drop-off point just a short walk to the Globe, theatregoers may purchase fast, easy, convenient valet parking for just $20 per vehicle per evening. Pre-paid only, available only by phone through the Old Globe Box Office. Call Today: (619) 234-5623. For more information: http://www.theoldglobe.org/tickets/parkingvalet.aspx.

There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. The Balboa Park valet is also available during performances, located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.TheOldGlobe.org/Directions.

PLEASE NOTE: To look up online or GPS directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. There is only a 10-minute zone at that physical address. For GPS users, please click here for the map coordinates, and here for written directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.

2016-2017 SEASON CALENDAR: Camp David (5/13-6/19), tokyo fish story (5/28-6/26), Macbeth (6/19-7/24), Sense and Sensibility (7/6-8/14), Meteor Shower (7/30-9/4), Love’s Labor’s Lost (8/14-9/18), October Sky (9/10-10/23), The Lion (9/29-10/30), Globe for All Measure for Measure (11/1-13), Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (11/5-12/26), M.F.A. The Two Gentlemen of Verona (11/12-20), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (2/4-3/12/2017), The Blameless (2/25-3/26), Red Velvet (3/25-4/30), Skeleton Crew (4/8-5/7), The Old Man and The Old Moon (5/13-6/18), The Imaginary Invalid (5/27-6/25).

PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of The Old Globe’s productions are available at www.TheOldGlobe.org/pressroom.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Michael G. Murphy, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre’s education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

Photo captions --  film stills from The Citizen ©2013 why me film, llc.; Courtesy of Monterey Media

Khaled Nabawy (3 images); Rizwan Manji and Khaled Nabawy; Khaled Nabawy and Cary Elwes

For more information and to watch the trailer: http://www.montereymedia.com/thecitizen/

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