(A Dramatic Comedy About Religion, Culture and Correctness.)
This darkly comic drama was inspired by the cancellation of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's commencement speech at Brandeis in 2014, the Charlie Hebdo attacks and my own personal travels through the Middle East. When an April Fool’s prank goes wrong, the Muslim students at a small liberal arts college file a complaint. Two professors deal with the problem by booking a poet from Somalia to give the college’s commencement speech. Fresh off the plane, the poet doesn’t understand the college’s political correctness, nor does the poet fit the professors’ preconceived stereotype of a Muslim woman. With the possible cancellation of the speech looming, all three are forced to confront the issues of diversity and the suppression of free speech on college campuses. Forgiving John Lennon was originally produced as a one act but is now a two act, full-length ready to be developed.
“Surprisingly funny”
- The Detroit Free Press
“The great triumph of the piece is the grounding of abstract, philosophical talk in a literally life or death situation.
– The Telluride Colorado Watch
"An extremely intelligent and dark play, one that stares into a divide not as neatly bridged as we might like to believe."
- The Detroit Rogue Critic
“Downs' new play tests all the current shibboleths about political correctness and multiculturalism”
– Detroit New Monitor
“A very insightful script that will likely have tongues wagging on all sides of the political spectrum.”
– Michigan Encore Magazine
