Fanna fi Hayati: Love, Sex Work, and the Sacred, is a full-length play that follows the relationship between Dani and Farzin—a trans woman turned sex worker and an Iranian-Sufi academic. As the two of them attempt to architect an allowing and affirming relationship, their connection is tested as Dani transitions from an unsuccessful creative career into professional sex work. What follows is each of their individual challenges to be self-honoring, to honor the other, and the challenges each face therein in spite of their intentions. The play breaks through the 4th wall by requiring the audience to vote between two potential endings, one in which the two reconcile and the other where they do not. Poems by famous Sufi poets such as Rumi and Hafiz, as well as other original poetry, drive the plot forward in a celebration of the sacredness of sex work and the intersection of sexuality and spirituality.
Fanna fi Hayati: Love, Sex Work, and the Sacred
Cast:
Dani- trans feminine partner, an aspiring writer/artist who met Farzin while he was studying in the U.S.
Farzin- Name is Farsi/Persian for “learned one”; left Iran for university and met his now-partner Dani while in the U.S.
Client 1- cisgendered male BDSM sex work client
Client 2 cis-gendered male client for escort work
Ren- butch lesbian elder; Farzin’s university colleague
