The Brothers Play

A new play with poems.

New York Theatre Workshop/Dartmouth Residency, 2025
Ojai Playwrights Conference Semi-Finalist, 2025
Pacific Playwrights Festival @ SCR, World Premiere Reading, 2024

By Arya Shahi
Directed by Knud Adams

They grew up in Tucson, Arizona. But that was a long time ago. Nowadays, big brother is a poet in NYC and little brother is a venture capitalist in LA. Dad moved back to Iran – he insists life is better there. Mom is free from her marriage – she’s drinking a little too much. So when little brother buys a ranch in Tucson, big brother flies home to lend a hand. It’s not long before they realize the other brother has changed. Diverging values, career trajectories, and childhood memories soon fray a once steadfast fraternal love. The reunion that begins as celebration ends in something closer to reckoning.

“You can’t pigeon-hole Arya Shahi into one creative nook. Just when you think he’s an actor, he writes a poem or a play. When you call him a writer, his next credit is as a producer. Then, he morphs into a director…” - “Defying Labels with Brotherly Love” @ SCR