ReOrient 2009 – The First Ten Years Nov. 19 – Dec. 13 @the Thick House (1695 18th Street,) San Francisco Golden Thread Productions celebrates the tenth anniversary of its one-of-a-kind festival of short plays exploring the Middle East featuring a world premiere by MacArthur Genius award-winner, Naomi Wallace, as well as a retrospective of plays from the festival’s past ten years including works by Yussef El Guindi, Motti Lerner, Betty Shamieh, Torange Yeghiazarian and Caveh Zahedi. For four weeks, the festival will showcase the vast variety of voices and styles emerging from and inspired by the Middle East and bring together diverse communities to engage with the region. This one of a kind festival turns San Francisco into a Mecca for innovative, spirited, and thought-provoking theatre from around the world. The Festival runs in two series, Thurs. & Sat. @8pm; Fri.@8pm & Sun. @9pm. Festival Passes $35-$75. For more information on ReOrient’s festival and forum or to purchase tickets, visit www.goldenthread.org or call 415.626.4061. The ReOrient Festival was conceived in 1999 to meet the urgent and ongoing need for Middle Eastern voices in American theatre and to create a home where Middle Eastern artists are nurtured and supported. The festival aims to showcase the vast variety of voices and styles emerging from and inspired by the Middle East and to bring together diverse communities to engage with the region. At the same time, the ReOrient Festival helps to demystify the region by encouraging writing about the Middle East by playwrights from all cultural, ethnic, and national backgrounds. Today, celebrating the festival’s tenth anniversary, ReOrient continues to be guided by these principles, serving as a forum for addressing current events and personal experiences.