Youssef Alaoui is a versatile writer known for his explorations of oppression, racism and colonialism in his poetry, short fiction and screenplays. His works have garnered recognition through three Pushcart Prize nominations and have been published both nationally and internationally. Alaoui holds an MFA in Poetics from New College of California, San Francisco.
When the Phone Rang
In this searing adaptation of Youssef Alaoui’s short story, “When the Phone Rang,” Alaoui and Anton Bonnici spotlight just how much authoritarian rule posing as democracy has continued to endure unchecked and on steroids.
Centering on a prisoner named Muhammad who is held captive for, in essence, “walk[ing] home with bread while being Arabic,” the surreal twists and turns of this one-act play will be as much of a head trip to readers (and viewers) as it is to the man being senselessly tortured. And all those before and after him who have been made to suffer without any just cause.
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