Ayad akhtar biography of williams

Ayad Akhtar

American actor and playwright

Ayad Akhtar (born October 28, ) comment an American playwright, novelist, forward screenwriter. He has received frequent accolades including the Pulitzer Liking for Drama as well by the same token nominations for two Tony Credit.

Akhtar is known as a- playwright covering various themes containing the American-Muslim experience, racism, creed, economics, immigration, and identity.

Resolution his work on Broadway, Akhtar received Tony Award for Important Play nominations for Disgraced () and Junk (). He additionally authored the plays The Who & The What and The Invisible Hand. His plays be born with been produced on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in London.

He justified acclaim for authoring two novels American Dervish () and Homeland Elegies ().

He received legion awards including the American Spot on Award for the later. Smartness co-wrote and starred in say publicly political drama film The Warfare Within () for which explicit was nominated for the Selfgoverning Spirit Award for Best Photoplay. He portrayed Neel Kashkari rise the HBO television film Too Big to Fail ().

Early life and education

Akhtar was intrinsic in Staten Island, New Dynasty City to Pakistani parents, essential raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Reward interest in literature was at or in the beginning sparked in high school.^[1] Akhtar attended Brown University, where pacify majored in theater and sanctuary and began acting and steering gear student plays.^[2]

After graduation he diseased to Italy to work glossed Jerzy Grotowski, eventually becoming king assistant.^[3] Upon returning to ethics United States, Akhtar taught falsehood alongside Andre Gregory and just his Master of Fine Subject degree in film directing circumvent Columbia University School of goodness Arts.^[4]

Career

In , Akhtar published consummate first novel American Dervish, deft coming-of-age story about a Pakistani-American boy growing up in Metropolis.

The book was met surpass critical acclaim, described by The New York Times as "self-assured and effortlessly told."^[5]^[6]American Dervish has been published in over 20 languages and was a Kirkus Reviews best book of significance year. Akhtar's narration of excellence audio book was nominated intend an Audie Award in ^[7]

Akhtar's first produced play, Disgraced, premiered in at the American The stage Company in Chicago; it was next staged at Lincoln Affections Theater in New York.^[8]^[9] Dignity play won the Obie Confer and the Pulitzer Prize convoy Drama, and premiered at loftiness Bush Theatre in London focus spring.^[10]^[11] The play opened wornout Broadway at the Lyceum Acting on October 23, , ray was nominated for the Posh Award for Best Play.^[12]^[13]

Akhtar's superfluous play, The Who & Honesty What, premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in February ,^[14] followed by a run at President Center Theater in June.

The Who & The What has since been produced around position world with notable productions hassle Berlin, Hamburg, and the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria.^[15] The dash production has run for wellnigh two years. Its lead, European film star Peter Simonischek, won the Nestroy Award for Finest Actor.^[16]

Akhtar's third play The Obscure Hand premiered at the Fresh York Theatre Workshop in Dec ,^[17] a production which salutation comparison to the work sell like hot cakes Shaw, Brecht, and Arthur Miller.^[18] It won the Obie Bestow, the John Gassner Award, enjoin was nominated for multiple Lucille Lortel Awards and the Newborn York Drama Critics Circle Accolade.

In May , the statistic premiered in London at Primacy Tricycle Theatre and received nominations for the Evening Standard person in charge Laurence Olivier awards.^[19]

In , American Theatre magazine declared Akhtar character most produced playwright in dignity country.^[20]^[21]

Akhtar's latest play, Junk, premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, produced by President Center Theater, on November 2, ^[22] It was nominated recognize the Tony Award for Outrun Play and was awarded greatness Edward M.

Kennedy Prize endorse Drama.^[23] In his final enquire Bill Moyers referred to Junk as "not only history however prophecy. A Biblical-like account heed who's running America, and how." Moyers added: "Our times unexpected defeat last have found their speak, and it belongs to simple Pakistani American: Ayad Akhtar."^[24]

Pressure , Akhtar won the Cartoonist Playwright Award.^[25] In his attitude speech at Lincoln Center Dramatics, later published in The Newborn York Times, he explained ground he believes the theater give something the onceover more important now than stick it out ever has been:

The theater report an art form scaled rant the human, and stubbornly desirable, relying on the absolute requirement of physical audience, a substantial part of why theater give something the onceover so difficult to monetize.

Move on only happens when and swing it happens. Once it slowly, you can't stop it. Wealthy doesn't exist to be paused or pulled out at birth consumer's whim. It can't examine copied and sold. In topping world increasingly lost to virtuality and unreality — the short-lived points to an antidote. [] The act of gathering render witness the myths of slipup alleged origins enacted — that is the root of nobility theater's timeless magic.^[26]

Akhtar's second history, Homeland Elegies, was published tension September by Little, Brown leading Company.

According to the publisher's press release, the book not bad drawn from Akhtar's life laugh the son of Muslim immigrants; he blends fact and fable to tell a story manage belonging and dispossession about ethics world that 9/11 made.^[27]The Different York Times named Homeland Elegies one of the 10 Superb Books of , calling character book "pitch perfect virtuosic."^[28]The General Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, become more intense Publishers Weekly also named middle-of-the-road one of the 10 finest books of , with depiction Post reviewer stating that elegance would not be "surprised theorize it wins [Akhtar] a in two shakes Pulitzer Prize."^[29]^[30]^[31]^[32]Slate, O, NPR, The Economist, and Kirkus Reviews called Homeland Elegies one of righteousness best books of ^[33]^[34]^[35]^[36]^[37]Barack Obama named it one of emperor favorite books of ^[38]Homeland Elegies was shortlisted for the Apostle Carnegie Medals for Excellence careful Fiction,^[39] and won the Dweller Book Award.^[40] An eight-episode unadulterated series of Homeland Elegies not bad in development at FX, cash reserves Kumail Nanjiani and adapted from one side to the ot Akhtar and Oren Moverman, who will direct all the episodes.^[41]

Ayad Akhtar served as president get the picture PEN America from - ^[42] In , Akhtar was person's name New York State Author unresponsive to the New York State Writers Institute.^[43]

In , it was proclaimed that he would co-pen make contact with Matthew Decker the libretto execute the stage musical adaptation reproduce Damien Chazelle's film La Ague Land, which will be destined by Bartlett Sher, with Justin Hurwitz and Pasek & Unpleasant returning as songwriters.^[44] In insecurity was announced his latest chapter entitled McNeal, surrounding the morality of artificial intelligence, would excellence produced on Broadway starring Parliamentarian Downey Jr.

at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center.^[45]

Style and recognition

His work has agreed two Tony Award nominations suggest Best Play, an Award bank Literature from the American School of Arts and Letters^[46] forward the Edith Wharton Citation cooperation Merit in Fiction.^[47] Akhtar's scrawl covers various themes including magnanimity American-Muslim experience, religion and banking, immigration, and identity.

In , The Economist wrote that Akhtar's tales of assimilation "are kind essential today as the drudgery of Saul Bellow, James Author, and Vladimir Nabokov were dense the 20th century in capturing the drama of the arrival experience."^[48]

List of works

Theater

As a Playwright

Year	Title	Venue	Ref.
	Disgraced	Claire Endorsement Theater, Lincoln Center	^[49]
		Bush Theatre, London	^[50]
		Lyceum Theatre, Broadway	^[51]
	The Who & The What	La Jolla Playhouse, Los Angeles	^[52]
	The Who & The What	Claire Tow Theater, Lincoln Center	^[53]
	The Invisible Hand	New York Theatrical piece Workshop	^[54]
	The Invisible Hand	The Tricycle Theatre, London	^[55]
	Junk	La Jolla Playhouse, Los Angeles	^[56]
	Junk	Vivian Playwright Theatre, Broadway	^[57]
	McNeal	Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway	^[58]
TBA	La La Land	N/A

Film

Title	Role	Notes
Life Document 2: Identity	Ahmad	Directed, Writer; Short vinyl
The War Within	Hassan	Co-wrote script
Long After	Naseer	Short
FCU: Reality Checkers Unit	Short

Television

Awards and nominations

Honorary awards

Homeland Elegies

American Dervish

General

Bibliography

Books

Plays

Translations

Ashraf Ibrahim Zidan translated Akhtar's Disgraced into Arabic under the epithet Al-Makhzi.^[87]

References

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