Rehana Lew Mirza on Hatef**k and More

The Interval: Rehana Lew Mirza is a playwright, bookwriter, and filmmaker whose work often focuses on highlighting the South Asian experience. For many years, she and her sister co-ran their own theatre company, Desipina; she and her husband subsequently co-ran the Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Her latest play Hatef**k, which was featured on the 2017 Kilroys List, is currently having its world premiere at WP Theater, co-produced by Colt Coeur. The play depicts the passionate, thorny relationship between a literature professor and a novelist accused of utilizing anti-Muslim stereotypes. She has also been working on the musical Bhangin’ It, a commission for La Jolla Playhouse, which just had a presentation in NYC. I recently spoke with Rehana about her experience working on Hatef**k, what it’s like to develop a new play and musical simultaneously, the community-building potential of theatre, and more.