ExPats Theatre
a small theatre grappling with big ideas
Pressure
by Arad Dabiri
Translated and Directed by Karin Rosnizeck
March 14-April 5, 2026
at the Atlas Performing Arts Center
He’s inside, they’re outside: after one shady deal too many, Hassan and Shirin’s brother is waiting in his cell for his sentence. For Shirin, successful and with a university degree, it is the long-overdue consequence of a lifestyle without any desire to “integrate.” For Hassan and his friends Omar, Murat, and Freddie, it is the arbitrary violence of a system that never gave them a chance. Trying to convert the pressures into political energy, they organize a demonstration against racial profiling when thugs show up and things take an unexpected turn. With fast-paced dialogue, playwright Arad Dabiri raises troubling questions about national identity, family guilt, personal responsibility, and individual freedom.
From left to right:
(top) Sacha Hodges, Max Jackson,
(bottom) Alie Karambash, Elijah Williams, Ege Yalcinbas
Arad Dabiri is an Austrian/Iranian writer who studied comparative literature at the University of Vienna. His first novel Drama was published in 2023 and was awarded the Debut Prize. That book also was nominated for the Franz Tumler Literature Prize. His play Druck (Pressure) was published in 2023 and Dabiri was awarded the Author’s Prize at the Heidelberg Stuckemarkt and named Young Author of the Year. His most recent novel is Gloria.
Expats Theatre Founder Karin Rosnizeck is a theatre artist who has performed in and directed numerous shows around D.C. Before coming to the US, she worked for more than a decade in transatlantic relations and cross-cultural dialogue. She holds an M.A. in American/English and French Literature from the University of Stuttgart in Germany. She was an Artist in Residence at the Kennedy Center Reach in 2023.
Support Us!
ExPats Theatre is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Your contributions are deductible to the full extent of the law. Contributions can be made via Zelle, Venmo, or check, or you can click below to donate using PayPal or major credit cards:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KYV6KEKATFTD6
If you want to join our mailing list, you can email us at ExPatsTheatre@aol.com.
Zelle
Check