Salam Shalom

Lee Almoral Productions, LLC
( 02/26/2010 - 04/17/2010 )

Playwright Saleem has re-written and substantially revised his award-winning play (last produced in Los Angeles in 2005) to reflect the current political realities on the ground in the Middle East. When a visiting Arabic Ph.D candidate is housed with an Israeli graduate student at UCLA, their obviously disparate backgrounds and cultures initially prove to be to be obstacles that cannot be overcome. Eventually, however, as their own personal walls come down and they get to see each other for who they truly are, they begin to fall in love. This is not to say it is a "happily-ever-after" fairytale, for it is not. Not with societal, political and emotional barriers to cross. As ethnic animosities gives way to passion, Salam Shalom demonstrates not only the importance of communication in relationships, but also of respect, love, and determination among people.