05/13/2026
Announcing ART’s 2026/27 Season: COMEDIES FOR A WORLD ON FIRE. 🔥
This winter, burn it all down with SLAY by longtime collaborator Yussef El Guindi, directed by Melory Mirashrafi. 🚬
February 2 - 28, 2027.
Season tickets on sale June 1st.
About the play:
Hossam and Rachel’s dog, Albert, has been acting strange—growling, lashing out, running away—but why?! Hossam is an arts journalist (recently fired), and Rachel is an optometrist (her eyes are on Gaza), they have a loving home! In search of answers, the couple consult a pet therapist. According to her, Albert’s altered behavior has more to do with the political climate. He’s a conservative. As tensions sizzle at home, the three are pulled into a maelstrom with deadly consequences. SLAY, a world premiere play by Yussef El Guindi, is a quick-witted dark comedy about the absurd nature of our times. And the complicated nature of pet ownership.
About the playwright:
Born in Egypt, raised in London and now based in Seattle, Yussef El Guindi’s work frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures and politics that face immigrants. His most recent productions: “Wife of Headless Man Investigates Her Own Disappearance” at Annex Theatre in Seattle; “Hotter Than Egypt” at Marin Theatre Company, ACT in Seattle, and at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; “People of the Book” at ACT, and at Urban Stages (NYC); and “The Talented Ones” at Artists Repertory Theatre. Bloomsbury/ Methuen Drama has published “The Selected Works of Yussef El Guindi”; and Broadway Play Publishing Inc. and Dramatists Play Service have published a number of his other plays. He is the recipient of several honors, including the “Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Citation of Excellence Award”, the “Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award”, Colorado’s “Henry Award”, American Blues Theater’s “Blue Ink Playwriting Award”, Seattle’s “The Stranger’s Genius Award”, “L.A. Weekly’s Excellence in Playwriting Award”, Seattle’s “Gregory Award” and the “Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award”. In 2023, he was selected by the Royal Society of Literature as an International Writer.