New Play Explores Love & Hip Hop Amid The Afghan War

Summary

All Of It Podcast Summary: "New Play Explores Love & Hip Hop Amid The Afghan War"

Release Date: July 9, 2025 | Host: Alison Stewart | Source: WNYC

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart, the spotlight shines on the groundbreaking new play "Duke and Roya". This production delves deep into the intersecting worlds of love, hip hop, and the tumultuous backdrop of the Afghan War, offering a nuanced exploration of race, class, and gender dynamics. Running at the Lucille Lortel Theater until August 24th, "Duke and Roya" has captivated audiences with its heartfelt narrative and powerful performances.

Overview of "Duke and Roya"

"Duke and Roya" narrates the poignant love story between Duke, a braggadocious American hip hop star, and Roya, a no-nonsense Afghan interpreter stationed at a US military base in Afghanistan. The play juxtaposes Duke's larger-than-life persona with Roya's grounded and resilient character, set against the harrowing realities of a war zone. As their relationship blossoms, the narrative unravels complex themes such as cultural identity, personal authenticity, and the sacrifices made for love.

Behind the Scenes: Insights from the Cast and Crew

Director Warren Adams on Crafting the Story

Director Warren Adams shares his inspiration behind "Duke and Roya," emphasizing the centrality of the love story amidst the war-torn setting. At [03:06], Adams states:

"At its core, 'Duke and Roya' is a love story... it's really about two people, and we get to discover them through their relationship and the world they're trying to navigate."

Adams highlights the collaborative process with the lead actors, Jay Ellis and Stephanie Knurr, and the importance of maintaining a balance between the play's serious themes and moments of levity. The director praises the creative team, including designers Mina Alexander and Taylor Williams, for their adept use of lighting and sound to seamlessly transition between different scenes without cluttering the stage.

Jay Ellis as Duke: Embracing Vulnerability

Actor Jay Ellis, renowned for his roles in Insecure and Running Point, portrays Duke with a blend of arrogance and underlying vulnerability. Reflecting on his character, Ellis explains at [05:12]:

"There's this braggadocious kind of energy in Duke, but he's actually very aware beneath that mask... Through his interactions with Roya, we peel away the layers to reveal who he really is."

Ellis discusses the challenge of embodying a rapper both on and off stage, mentioning his initial fears of forgetting lyrics but ultimately finding joy in the musical aspects of the role. He adds:

"It's a challenge, but it's a lot of fun... Being able to perform musically is something I very much want to do."

Stephanie Knurr as Roya: Breaking Cultural Barriers

Stephanie Knurr, known for her role in Lioness, brings depth to Roya, a character who defies traditional gender roles by masquerading as a boy to pursue education—a practice known as Baeposh. At [05:17], Knurr shares:

"Roya is part of a cultural practice where a daughter is chosen to live as a boy to gain education. Portraying her was an honor, and learning Dari added another layer to the role."

Knurr speaks to the emotional and technical aspects of her performance, appreciating the mentorship from her fellow actors and the opportunity to explore complex gender dynamics on stage.

Exploring Themes: Masks and Authenticity

A recurring motif in "Duke and Roya" is the concept of masks—both literal and metaphorical—that the characters wear to navigate their respective worlds. At [18:03], Ellis draws a parallel to W.E.B. Du Bois' idea of the "double consciousness," emphasizing how both Duke and Roya shed their facades to reveal their true selves:

"Both characters come in with their masks, and as they connect, those masks peel away, revealing their authentic selves."

This theme resonates deeply, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own personas and the barriers they erect in their daily lives.

Balancing Love and Conflict

Director Adams discusses the delicate balance between the intimate love story and the surrounding conflict at [13:37]:

"I focused on the love story because everything else is what people would expect... The driving force is the love story, and everything else is just the backdrop."

This approach ensures that while the play addresses heavy topics like war and cultural clashes, the heart of the narrative remains the evolving relationship between Duke and Roya.

Audience Reception and Impact

Both actors and the director express immense satisfaction with the audience's response. At [21:24], Jay Ellis remarks:

"The audience is fully engaged for two hours, experiencing a range of emotions—from laughter to heartbreak—while also reflecting on societal issues."

Stephanie Knurr adds at [24:29]:

"We've had people from various demographics relate to our characters and even seek out books and historical facts mentioned in the play."

The play has successfully sparked conversations about empathy, cultural understanding, and the multifaceted nature of human relationships.

Notable Quotes

• Warren Adams [03:06]: "At its core, 'Duke and Roya' is a love story... it's really about two people, and we get to discover them through their relationship and the world they're trying to navigate."

• Jay Ellis [05:12]: "There's this braggadocious kind of energy in Duke, but he's actually very aware beneath that mask... Through his interactions with Roya, we peel away the layers to reveal who he really is."

• Stephanie Knurr [05:17]: "Roya is part of a cultural practice where a daughter is chosen to live as a boy to gain education. Portraying her was an honor, and learning Dari added another layer to the role."

• Jay Ellis [18:03]: "Both characters come in with their masks, and as they connect, those masks peel away, revealing their authentic selves."

• Stephanie Knurr [24:42]: "If one person leaves the theater and Google something that we've mentioned or even what happened in Afghanistan... it's the point of art."

Conclusion

"Duke and Roya" emerges as a poignant exploration of love amidst chaos, skillfully intertwining personal narratives with broader socio-political themes. Through stellar performances by Jay Ellis and Stephanie Knurr, guided by Warren Adams' insightful direction, the play not only entertains but also educates and inspires its audience. By fostering empathy and sparking meaningful dialogue, "Duke and Roya" exemplifies the transformative power of storytelling in reflecting and shaping societal perspectives.

For those eager to experience this compelling narrative firsthand, "Duke and Roya" is currently running at the Lucille Lortel Theater with matinees available on Thursdays. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this thought-provoking and emotionally resonant production.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. I'm really grateful that you're here on today's show. The new documentary Hung up on a Dream tells the story of the band the Zombies. Lead singer Colin Blundstone and Robert Schwarzman, the film's director, join us to discuss. We'll continue our beach read conversation with author Jennifer Weiner. Her latest novel is titled the Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits and we'll learn how New York City's skateboard culture helped birth a a billion dollar brand supreme. That's our plan. So let's get this started with Duke and Roya. War torn Afghanistan serves as the backdrop of a new play following a braggadocious American hip hop star who falls in love with a no nonsense Afghan interpreter with while visiting a US Military base to generate press for his new album. Their names are Duke and Roya, which is also the name of the show. A majority of the play takes place in a war zone and wrestles with complex issues such as race, class and gender. Duke is a black man raised by two lawyers whose fall wrapped Persona has made him a commercial success, but the question is, is he really happy? Roya was forced to pretend to be a boy as a child because it was the only way she could pursue an education and she wants to something with what she learned. You add in a couple of parents who have different versions of their children. A New York Theater Guide review states despite its heady topics, the play is surprisingly funny and director Warren Adams gently brings the play's moments of levity to the stage. With its strong performances and nuanced script, Duke and Roya challenges audience to consider the ways we connect and the risks worth taking for love. Duke and Roya is running at the Lucille Lortel theater through Sunday, August 24th. And by the way, they have matinees on Thursdays. Gotta tell people that. Joining me now are the show star actor Jay Ellis who plays Duke. Some of you might remember him from Insecure, from Running Point. Jay, welcome.

[Jay Ellis]

Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

Also joining us is actor Stephanie Knurr who plays Noria. You might recognize her from Lioness. Nice to meet you.

[Stephanie Knurr]

As well, nice to have.

[Alison Stewart]

And also we are very happy to have director Warren Adams. Hey, Warren.

[Warren Adams]

Hi, Alison. Thanks for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

So, Warren, many plays have grappled with the politics of the US Military's involvement in Afghanistan. Why did you gravitate toward this story?

[Warren Adams]

You know, at its core, Duke and Roya is a love story, and that's what attracted to me initially. And Charles Randolph Wright and I have a long relationship, and it's something. Yes, the playwright. Sorry. And, you know, I wanted to explore this world, particularly once I met Jay Ellis. I very much felt like I found my Duke. And not long after that, I met Stephanie Noor. And I was like, that's a royal. And. And going on this journey with them has been an excitingly collaborative way. Way to explore this world. As you mentioned, though, it is set in the backdrop of, you know, Kabul during the time that, you know, the United States was. Was very much at Bagram. And so what you get is a. Is a menu of things that are very unexpected, but at the core of all of this, it's really about two people, and we get to discover them, you know, through their. Through their relationship and also the world that they're trying to navigate.

[Alison Stewart]

Jay, how is this pitched to you?

[Jay Ellis]

A chance for me to get on stage and play a rapper? No, but this was very much. You know, I originally met Warren a little over a year ago. I was here in the city. I had a book that was coming out, and I was doing an event for my book, and we have a mutual agent who introduced us, brought him to the. They brought him. Excuse me. To the. To the event. And we started talking, and he asked if I could grab coffee the next morning. And we did. And he asked me would I ever do a play. And I was like, yeah, I just haven't read anything that, like, you know, I feel like would take me out of, you know, me and my family out of LA for a while. And he asked if he could send me something, and he sent me Duke and Roya, which was a pre. A different title at the time. And I read it within, I don't know, probably 10 hours or something like that. I think I read it on a flight back home later that night and just fell in love with it. And I think it's, you know, it's everything Warren said. But to me, there's this humanity between these two people that they find in each other, and they find themselves in exploring each other and exploring each other's cultures and challenging each other's thoughts. And I don't know, it's just in a time where it feels like we're all yelling and everyone really just wants to be heard. It kind of felt like something that. A piece that I just wanted to be a part of.

[Alison Stewart]

Stephanie, what felt exciting about portraying Roya?

[Stephanie Knurr]

Oh, gosh, a lot of things. You mentioned that Roya is. She is part of a cultural tiny little minutia of an aspect that. Where it's called baeposh. And if a family only has a family of daughters, then one of them gets to be chosen to basically be presented in life as a boy in order to get an education. And this is a real thing that is still very current. And so that was really interesting to sort of delve into the oscillation between the two genders. I got to learn Dari, which was a whole new language for it, and be the first time on stage. And that was always like, a thing was New York theater, you know, never seemed attainable. And so the chance to do it and that Warren and Charles trusted me with this role was just a big honor, and I couldn't turn it down. The challenge was. Was just too good to miss. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Jay, what was the most challenging part for you to wrap your head around? Duke.

[Jay Ellis]

Oh, man. I think there's this thing that we talked about very early on about this transition that he has as a person and how that kind of manifests in his art as well. And so I think it was that. I think it was really figuring out who he is in the beginning and why he is ashamed to be all the things that are behind the mask. And. And, you know, through these experiences and conversations and moments with Roya, you start to see the layers of the onion, if you will, peel away, and you start to see, like, what. Who he really is. But then that vulnerability, that wall shoots back up again at a certain point, and, you know, throughout the play, when we get towards the end of the play, rather, like, there's this chance that maybe he has an opportunity to actually just come clean and just be himself and be the person that he really is. And I think, for me, that was a really interesting thing. I think so many artists go through this experience of, like, I'm making my art, and then it's like, oh, my art can be monetized. Oh, well, I'm gonna make more of it, because that's what you want. And then all of a sudden, you know, you're in this thing, and it feels like you can't break away from that. And that's kind of what Duke's experience is a little bit. So getting to do that and getting to explore that, not only through, you know, the stage work with Steph and with Noma and with Dariush, but also through his lyrics and through his work as a rapper, I think was such a. Mentally, it was a challenge in a fun way to figure out how to get there.

[Alison Stewart]

Warren the show features four main characters. Duke, Roya and their parents.

[Warren Adams]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm going to ask you to explain the parents briefly. So they're amazing stage actors.

[Warren Adams]

First of all, they are incredible stage actors, all four of them. Duke's mother is Desiree. She is a senior vice president at the World bank. And they have a relationship that is not completely, you know, common or ubiquitous within the black community. She had him quite young, and so they have a very. Their relationship is more than just mother and son. It's combative, but there's a lot of love. And, you know, nomadumizweni When Charles said to me, who do you see as Desiree? I said, nomadimisweni. And he happened to know her. And what she also gives us is a sense of, like, the two worlds that Duke is battling, because he's known as this MC rapper Duke, but she knows him as his son. And so from the very beginning of the play to the end, like my favorite, I have a different line that I favor every week when I watch the play. This week, it's, I am a successful failure. And I think it resonates with a lot of people because I think in our own lives, we are grappling on a daily basis. The other is Dariush Kishani, who plays Said, who is Roya's father and, you know, is a completely complex, flawed, wonderful man. And audiences tend to fall in love with him because of all of those things. In that I think we have a character that is not presenting as perfect, yet he has done things and put his daughter in positions that is very unlikely given where they are. And at the same time, he also battles culturally what he is used to. And so I think this leads to a. Of complexities, which I think is what has drawn people to the play, is that these are very flawed characters who are interested in finding their truth. And I think ultimately we can all relate to that.

[Alison Stewart]

Jay and Stephanie, what did you learn from these two stage actors? You said this was her. Your first time on the New York stage. What did you learn from them?

[Stephanie Knurr]

Oh, my gosh, everything. I was like, guys, bear with me for the first four weeks. I'm gonna be asking questions every day. And they were very gracious. True professional. Just really wonder. Truly wonderful people. Very generous with their time and their. Their wisdom and their experiences. Everything from, like, technical things of how to hold your body, how to not block yourself upstage, like, just the little. The little big technical details, and then also just how to pace yourself. You know, when you do two shows a day, it's really. It's kind of. You have to have the mindset of an athlete. You have to take care of your vessel. You have to make sure that your mentality work. Coming in is right. Warm up your V. Like all the instrumental things that in film and tv, we get a little bit of help, you know, with. With that and tweaking the voices on stage. You're just. It's you. And so, yeah, they've also. Just leading by example. Just watching them and how they've treated their. Their craft is. I learn a lot from. From how they've led by example.

[Alison Stewart]

Jay, what did you learn?

[Jay Ellis]

Oh, man.

[Alison Stewart]

Put into practice.

[Jay Ellis]

Yeah. I think Noma. Noma's favorite thing is, like, always say a line to the back row of the balcony. She's like, always just lift and say a line to the back of the band in terms of just projection. Right. And it's something that we forget about. Like, when you. You know, when you're on a. When you're on a film set, you know, the camera. Yeah, it's all right here. The camera zooms in, and I got a microphone so I can whisper. And they're gonna. It's gonna make people lean into the screen, hopefully. And you obviously can't do that in theater. And so I think, like, that's one of my favorite things that I think about with Noma all the time. Dariush and I have a very similar body warmup routine. We actually both sit in the B balcony of the theater before every show, about an hour, hour and a half before every show, and we both warm up, and I'm in the front row, and he's in the back row. But we literally go through a very similar, like, workout routine, which is fun, I think the consistency of that, which I think is something that is just innate in who I am as a person, but also just in the work that I have done has been so physical at times that I've just had to do that. And so I think to see Dariush doing that for this also, and the consistency at which he does it, I think is one of those things that I also just really hold onto and, like, love Allison.

[Warren Adams]

If I can Just jump in. I just want to say that for, you know, for my two wonderful leads here, for what they lack in the New York stage, they make up in craft. And what I mean by is they came in extremely prepared and, you know, like little basic things, like upstage, downstage. Yeah, those are things that can be taught to anyone. But, like, actual craft is something that I think, in my opinion, is lacking a lot in the industry these days. And so I had zero concerns about that because I was very much aware of their craft prior to this. We also did a development reading earlier this year, and so, yes, they are extremely prepared and their craft is second to none.

[Alison Stewart]

A new play stars Jay Ellis as an American hip hop star falling in love with an Afghan interpreter played by Stephanie Noor. Is titled Duke and Roya. It's running at the Lucille Lortel Theater. Joining me in studio, RJ and Stephanie, as well as director Warren Adams. So it's a love story between Duke and Roya. There's still violence, there's still danger that we have to consider. How did you want to strike a balance between the different tones that you have to tell in the story, the love story, and then the actual danger of the story?

[Warren Adams]

That's a great question. I really focused on the love story because I think everything else is what people would expect. And so the layering of that into how we built it was very important. I worked very closely with my designers. I didn't want a set that was going to be flying in things and busy. And so lighting became extremely important. Mina Alexander is another master of her craft. And then sound designer Taylor Williams. And so the idea of being able to go from, like, upstage to downstage in two seconds without shifting a lot of things around became very important. And the cast was also phenomenal during rehearsal because we didn't have those instruments, but they were very much working on a daily basis of how we are going to go from place to place. And then I think, you know, the things that you mentioned, which is a little bit some of the harder subject matter, like, you know, the violence of it and so forth, those. Those are layered in, but not in a way that it becomes about that, in that it's still a navigation of this love story. And I think that's what really helps us, is that the driving force is that story. And then everything else is just the backdrop.

[Alison Stewart]

So Duke, he's a little arrogant, maybe a little bit. He's charming, though.

[Warren Adams]

What rapper is an Alice?

[Alison Stewart]

What. What felt interesting to you about the way Duke carries himself in the very beginning of the show, yeah, there is.

[Jay Ellis]

This braggadocious kind of, this energy, this big, kind of larger than life energy. And I think there's this, there's a slight lack of awareness as well, which is really a front. I think he's actually very aware, but he puts on the mask of not being aware because he's been able to get away with that for a long time. And because for him, it probably seems as though that Persona is more appealing to his rap presence and to his career. And so I think there was a lot of fun with that. I also thought there was this really fun thing is like, you know, when Duke first meets Roya, I'll try not to give too much away, but when he first meets Roya, Duke is expecting a very certain reaction that he does not get. And in not getting that reaction, that, that, that shifts the thing for him. And like now all of a sudden he's like, oh, I gotta try a different tactic and oh, I gotta try another tactic and I gotta try another tactic. And then what you realize is the tactic that ultimately works is no tactic and just being a person. And so, so that, that, that those opening couple of scenes to me are, are really, really, really fun. It's a lot of ping ponging back and forth and, and getting to see Duke be matched and outmatched, actually.

[Stephanie Knurr]

That's right.

[Alison Stewart]

What does Roya see in Duke?

[Jay Ellis]

That's right, chill.

[Alison Stewart]

What does Roya see in Duke?

[Stephanie Knurr]

I think that Roya really sees an artist actually, and she sees somebody who is actually very honest. It's funny because he plays this dichotomy of like having a front, but she can chip away at it. And her challenging him, there's a chemistry there because he enjoys that she's feisty, that she has opinions. And so I think that her feeling seen for the first time in that way or allowed or even asked questions about who is she and where do you know details about her life? I think a woman who would be working as an interpreter on a base would not always garner that type of attention and interest into who she is as a person. So being seen and having these questions asked is. Opens the door up for her. And the other day I was just thinking about how interesting there's another layer because we have a lot of themes in the play and they all work and they all kind of coincide with each other. And there's this one beautiful thing that just came up and I was like, wow, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was like, this is also a story about an artist and a muse and what that means to be inspired by, you know, somebody who is challenging to you. And I think the same thing goes for Roya. And she says so much that his honesty is something that is surprising because he is just himself. And this bravado that he has, it's enticing, it's attractive.

[Alison Stewart]

Hearing you talk about his mask. You've mentioned mask twice. I started thinking of Du Bois and the masks that we wear. I don't just.

[Jay Ellis]

Yeah, literally 100%. I mean, I think it is. I think what's interesting is that there is a mask, almost quite literal, actually, a mask that Royal wears in Bashaposh and, and. And there's a mask that. That Duke wears as this artist. And what's really interesting is both of them come in with those masks and then all of a sudden, like, to Stephanie's point, they start chipping away at each other and then they're just kind of stripped down to themselves. And in that they find themselves while finding. Well, while exploring each other, they find themselves and their masks are fully, you know, gone and peeled away. And I don't know, I just think it's a really. It's one of those things that it's. It's very much told in the nuance of Duke and Roya, but there's also a lot of, like, humanity to it. And we all experience a version of that. Going to work, going to university, in relationships, in spaces we're not used to. Like we all do things to protect ourselves in some way. And then you start to realize that, like the better version of yourself, the higher version of yourself, if you will, is the one who's locked in, present and just honest.

[Alison Stewart]

Warren, sort of the big action, the early action is that Duke wants to go off of the air base. Nora's not sure. She's not. Excuse me. Yeah. Moira's not sure that that's the right thing to do. Tell me a little bit about that tension. The tension of Duke wants to leave. Roya says it's not so safe.

[Warren Adams]

You know, I love that section for many reasons, but the main reason being, I think it also speaks to he's position of privilege in that he's able to navigate the world just how he wants. It's a matter of a phone call and he can go anywhere. And Roya's world is so much smaller. That was attractive to me as somebody that grew up in apartheid South Africa of understanding like these were the borders of where you were allowed to go separate Beaches, separate hotels, separate restaurants. And so things that were ubiquitous to my white counterparts were just not for me. And so I grew up with that mindset, exploring the play. That was really interesting because it's not that Roya doesn't want to, because she is an adventurous person. She says that I do not follow most traditions. Like that is such a key element. But I think what it does highlight is, you know, showing these two people from completely different worlds and what their experience has been and how they go about their worlds. And it is a big moment because later on, it comes up again when Duke has to address it. But I think it speaks to us as Americans when we go into spaces and say, hey, we are bringing you democracy. And I always go, well, what does that mean? And what does that come with? And so, again, Charles Randolph Wright found a way to create a sequence of beats that is not on the nose, that just kind of feels like, oh, this is lovely and fun and so forth. But when you sit back and think about it, you go, oh, wait a minute, there are layers here. And I think that's kind of the theme throughout the play where, you know, audiences have said, oh, I enjoyed that. But then afterwards, I realized, oh, my goodness, X, Y and Z. And I think that's. Those are the magic ingredients for a really fantastic play.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, the audience enjoys it.

[Jay Ellis]

Yes, they do.

[Stephanie Knurr]

The audience, they're very vocal. They're very vocal.

[Warren Adams]

I timed one of the laughs the other night. It lasted about 55 seconds. Like, we had to wait. And so that's why I say Duke and Roya, you know, the backdrop of Kabul. But there's, as Jay was saying, it's all about humanity. We get to experience the humanity of these people, and then we see ourselves in them.

[Jay Ellis]

I think that's one of the really fun things about this play, too, is you end up for two hours with an intermission, but you end up for two hours fully locked in. Like, you kind of forget the world that's happening outside the theater, and you're fully entertained, right? You're gonna laugh, you're gonna yell at us, you're gonna talk to us, you're gonna be mad at us and frustrated and afraid for us, and heart sighs and ums and heartwarming and heartbreaking and all these emotions. And then you look up and it's two hours, and you walk away with something like, not only were you entertained for two hours, but we also held a mirror up to society for a little bit and kind of showed you the world in which we live in and how we sometimes don't think about others experiences. And I think, you know, it's such a honor to be able to stand up on that stage and do that every single night.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you feel about rapping on stage?

[Jay Ellis]

I'm still terrified, to be quite honest. I'm 99% positive every single day that I am going to forget a song. Literally every single day. I still listen to every single song that I recorded two months ago. I still listen to them every single day as I catch the train into the city because I'm terrified that I'm gonna forget one of them. But it's fun. I will say it's a lot of fun. Like, you know, I. I have never gotten a chance to perform with music, play music, sing any of that in my film and television work. It's something that I very much want to do. I play the piano, Steph plays the piano. And I think to be able to do something that is musical or musical adjacent is a lot of fun. It's a challenge.

[Stephanie Knurr]

I'm so good in it.

[Warren Adams]

I just want to say there was.

[Stephanie Knurr]

One song and now there's five.

[Jay Ellis]

Warren Hoodwinked Lauren told me one song.

[Warren Adams]

Well, here's the thing. When I told, you know, the team that I was getting Jay Ellis, they were like, oh, does he rap? I said, he does now, right? But I also did my research on especially both of these actors. And you start to get a sense of people's, you know, their craft and their ability and what they're capable of. And in my mind, I was like, j. Ellis raps. And so he does, and he does very well. So, you know, like, you manifest it and then, you know, you bring it to life.

[Stephanie Knurr]

It is so good. I'm literally. I'm not just saying this. I'll try to try to rap his songs while I'm walking around or in my house. They're so good. I love the song.

[Warren Adams]

She also has a scene with him in the middle where he's rapping. And I sometimes catch her going to the beat.

[Jay Ellis]

I've started giving her a Easter egg. There's a little Easter egg that happens in that scene now every single night.

[Stephanie Knurr]

I know you're gonna have to go.

[Alison Stewart]

See to find out.

[Stephanie Knurr]

That's right.

[Alison Stewart]

Before I let you go, Stephanie, I'll let you answer this question. What do you hope audiences will talk about after they see the show go out? They have drinks, they want to talk about the show a little bit. What do you hope they talk about?

[Stephanie Knurr]

Ooh, there's a lot I actually hope that they inquire the discussions. I've heard actually after the, after the play, there'll be people outside and they want to discuss. We've had people that are from certain demographics that we portray. Also in our play, people literally order a book that we mention. We mentioned Baldwin in the play and they hadn't heard about it and they were ordering the book in front of me. And I thought we've won. If one person leaves the theater and Google something that we've mentioned or even what happened in Afghanistan or what's relevant right now, which is happening to the interpreters. And it's not just in America. Germans did it, the French did it where they left behind their interpreters things about like historical facts that we mentioned in the play and poetry. I think if we've propelled people to inquire about these things, then we've won. And that's the point of art. And it just passes on the baton. And we've had people multiple times come, like come two, three times and bring other people who have come. And I think Charles, our writer Charles Randolph Wright mentions this that, you know, there was a comment about people not having realized that it wasn't just about the soldiers war, it's also about the other people on the other side. And that's huge. That's huge. If you have the capacity to like empathically open someone's curiosity or their capacity to empathize, then you've won. And I think our play does do that.

[Alison Stewart]

The name of the play is Duke and Roya. It's running now at the Lucille ortel Theater through August 24th. My guests have been Jay Ellis, Stephanie Knorr and director Warren Adams. Thanks for coming to the studio.

[Jay Ellis]

Thank you.

[Stephanie Knurr]

Thank you, Alison. Thank you for having us.

[Warren Adams]

Thank you, Alison. Also, can I just say, for NPR fans, we have a discount code. If you go to thelortel.org you can go. And your discount code is NPR 79.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, alrighty then.

[Warren Adams]

Thank you.

[Stephanie Knurr]

Thank you.

[Warren Adams]

All caps. All caps. Thank you.

[Progressive Insurance]

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