Regional premiere of Vermont-based play Aug. 20 in Weston

Weston Theater Company takes audiences on a moving journey about love, migration and finding home in A Distinct Society, playing from Aug. 20 through 31 at Walker Farm, 705 Main St. in Weston.

Set in the unique Haskell Free Library, a real-life building that straddles the U.S.-Canada border between Vermont and Québec, the play follows an Iranian father and daughter who use the library’s peculiar geography to visit each other across international lines. As their story unfolds, the quiet lives of the library’s patrons and staff are stirred, revealing the many ways in which family, love, art and politics can both divide and unite us.

The play was written by Kareem Fahmy, a New York City-based director, playwright and screenwriter from Sherbrooke, Québec, who also directs Weston’s regional premiere. Along with A Distinct Society, his plays American Fast (winner of the Woodward/Newman Award) and Dodi & Diana have been produced nationwide.

Said Fahmy, “Bringing A Distinct Society to Weston Theater Company is a thrill and an honor that’s been years in the making. I was born and raised just on the other side of the Vermont border in southern Québec, and I wrote this story to celebrate the beautiful and historic relationship between the U.S and Canada, symbolized by the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. To share the play, and its heartfelt tale of connection, with Vermont audiences feels so vital right now when there is so much strife and division in the world. I can’t wait to welcome Vermonters to the Haskell on Weston Theater’s Walker Farm stage.”

The show introduces Barzin Akhavan to the Weston stage as Peyman, the father. Fatemeh Mehraban takes on the role of his daughter Shirin, a medical student in the United States. Jason Bowen plays Bruce Laird, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent, and Daniel Clark plays Declan Sheehan, a lonely Canadian teenager. Polly Lee joins the cast as Manon, a French-Canadian librarian.

Discounts are available for Vermont residents. Tickets may be purchased online available here or by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288.