Media actor has role in award-winning play
Ever since “The Humans” opened in Chicago in 2014, it’s earned praise and awards. After Chicago, it went to Broadway and racked up over 20 Best Play awards in 2016, including the prestigious Tony Award.
No wonder actor Ibrahim Miari of Media was excited when he learned the Walnut Street Theatre would present it in Philadelphia. He eagerly auditioned and won a role in the cast of six. Previews began this week and the play runs through March 4.
The cast includes theater veterans Greg Wood, Mary Martello and Jennie Eisenhower. Alex Keiper is a recent Barrymore Award winner, and Sharon Alexander has been in several Walnut productions.
“It’s an exceptionally creative and professional cast,” said Miari who is making his Walnut Street Theater debut with “The Humans.”
Stephen Karam’s play takes place during a Thanksgiving dinner attended by the Blake family. It’s hosted by daughter Brigid Blake and her boyfriend Richard Saad, the role played by Miari. The setting is the young couple’s Lower Manhattan apartment, and the entire play is one extended 90 minute scene.
“The play opens when the guests arrive,” said Miari. “I’m in the midst of preparation, tossing a salad together. Then we go upstairs where the table is set, and we sit and eat. When the dinner is over and the guests leave, that’s when the play ends.,”
It all sounds so simple, but a lot happens during dinner. The family members are dealing with varied issues disappointments, aging, economic anxiety, and illness
“It is the most human play I’ve ever seen about fear and disappointment and the attachments that transcend them,” wrote theater critic Jesse Green about the Broadway production.
For the actors, the challenge is to convey this range of emotions while also portraying a family eating a Thanksgiving dinner complete with real food, not just props.
There’s no break for the actors during the 90 minute drama - no time lapses, no scene changes, no intermission.
“The main challenge is to stay focused at all times, “said Miari.
Because his character is co-host, he is constantly busy.
“I set the table, putting on the tablecloth, folding the napkins as I walk,” he described. “I put the drinks on the table, and I gradually bring in the food- the salad, the turkey, the cranberry sauce.
“I slice the turkey while I’m talking, I even mash the sweet potatoes. It’s real food that we’re eating, and every day we get a new pie delivered to the stage.”
Along with these constant stage actions, Miari’s character has moments of self-disclosure.
“During the meal, my girlfriend’s parents ask about my family, my education,” he said. “And I reveal details about my background, including my struggle with depression, because I’m trying to be honest.”
Offstage, his real life story is quite compelling.
The Media actor grew up in the town of Acre, Israel as the son of a Jewish mother and Muslim father. He was bi-lingual, speaking both Arabic and Hebrew (English came later, and he is now fluent)
His early theater experiences were related to his dual background. In 2005, while still living in Israel, he was in a production titled “Blood Relatives” presented by the San Francisco-based Traveling Jewish Theater. The show toured for six months.
In the cast of five, four actors played multiple roles, but Miari had just one role. “It was inspired by my real life experiences,” he said. “I was basically playing my own character.”
After completing his undergraduate education in Israel, he earned a Master’s degree in theater education from Boston University. His thesis project was a solo theater piece he created titled “In Between” - an appropriate title for a play dealing with his half-Jewish, halfMuslim identity.
“I always wanted to give voice to that identity: what it’s like to be someone who grew up very comfortable in both cultures and religions,” he said. . “So the play is about sharing my experiences.”
By then he had settled in the U.S., where he’s been performing “In Between” for eight years, mostly in universities but also at international festivals in Israel, Germany and Austria.
But his anchor is Media, where he and his wife live with their two daughters. “We’ve been here for six years and we love it,” he said.
The versatile actor has another role: he teaches Hebrew at the University of Pennsylvania. As for theater, he’s had roles on area stages, including the Philadelphia Fringe Company and Central Square Theater. But right now his focus is on “The Humans” which marks his debut with the Walnut Street Theater.
“I’m happy to be part of this wonderful play,” he said. “It’s very smart, funny, profoundit’s all about human experience. And I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone at the Walnut. It’s a very welcoming community.”