Nine Parts of Desire

The Wilma Theater presents the Philadelphia premiere of Heather Raffo’s Nine Parts of Desire. In this stunning and compelling mosaic of the voices of ordinary Iraqi women, playwright Heather Raffo brings to life personal stories from nine women of different ages, backgrounds and outlooks, all united by one common theme — their strength. Among them are a free-spirited artist who paints nudes and is curator of Saddam Hussein’s art center, a political exile in London, a New Yorker of Iraqi descent who is glued to the TV news, a young girl who dances to American music and is enamored by all things Western, a beleaguered doctor, and a Bedouin woman in search of love. Beyond politics, veils, and war, this daring one-woman theatrical tour de force celebrates the vitality, endurance and diversity of the women of Iraq whose stories are not often told on TV or in the newspapers.

There is an additional 2pm matinee on Wed, February 15. There will be no matinee on Sat, February 4, and no evening performances on February 5 & 19.