Ethics & The Theater: 'Baggage from BaghDAD: Becoming My Father's Daughter'

Join us 30 minutes before showtime for a reception, and stay for a post-show talkback exploring the ethical issues raised by the play.

Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father's Daughter
Written and performed by Valerie David
Directed by Karen Carpenter
Sound and Projections Design by Andy Evan Cohen

Ceremonial Hall (4th Floor)

Award-winning performer and playwright Valerie David presents her gripping, internationally celebrated autobiographical solo play exploring themes of immigration, generational trauma, identity, and family.

It recounts David’s discovery of her family’s harrowing escape from Iraq during the 1941 Farhud pogrom in Baghdad—a violent anti-Jewish uprising—and the ways in which this legacy shaped her own life and evolving relationship with her father. Love and the importance of family triumph.

Directed by award-winning director Karen Carpenter, the performance blends humor and hope with poignant storytelling, creating a universal narrative about survival, adaptation, and resilience. While rooted in Jewish history, Baggage from BaghDAD resonates broadly, addressing the challenges of displacement, prejudice, and cultural assimilation in a world still struggling with intolerance.

Accolades include:
• Received The Spoken Word and Theatre Award—2022 Stockholm Fringe Festival
• Nominated for the Grand Prix Award—2022 Stockholm Fringe Festival • Winner-Best Play by the 2022 Sweden Broadway World Regional Awards
• Semi-finalist for the 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award
• Awarded the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council 2024 Grant of NYC

Running time: 60 minutes; Mature content

In conjunction with Baggage From BaghDAD, Valerie also performs her award-winning, internationally acclaimed solo show, The Pink Hulk: One Woman’s Journey to Find the Superhero Within—her inspiring journey to become a 3-time cancer survivor.

To learn more about this show, please click here. Or click here to learn more about The Pink Hulk!

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