Dear loyal Desipina members,

Just a few things we wanted to share before we take a break for the summer and Brown Around Town returns in the Fall to kick off Season 6 for Desipina.

First of all, we are pleased to announce that 365 Days with the Public theater was a huge success! Desipina had the honor of being invited to perform one week of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Suzan Lori-Parks, 365 plays, where she wrote a play a day for a year.

On June 12th, we brought our own unique spin on the seven, short plays, by creating a mobile presentation at the AIR art gallery, where visual tableaus turned into live performances. Then, on July 1st, we graced the stages of The Public Theatre, where we got a chance to show nearly 600 people overall, just what we do best!

Second, congrats to Omar, Melanie and Mona for winning tickets to the Red Carpet premiere of
A MIGHTY HEART....more opportunities will come up in Season 6 so please stay tuned....

And lastly, please check out our film HIDING DIVYA at the 30th Asian American International Film Festival next week on Wednesday, July 25 at 7pm.

The Asian Women Giving Circle will be co-sponsoring the film at AAIFF and is offering a $2 discount per ticket. The discount code is ASIA07 and tickets can be purchased online, by phone or in person at the Asia Society box office. Please note that the discount is one per person only.

Filmmaker Rehana Mirza tackles the taboo of mental illness in the South Asian community in her writing and directorial feature debut. HIDING DIVYA provides a rare, realistic and poignant glimpse into the lives of three generations of women - Divya Shah (played by the revered actress Madhur Jaffrey) whose bipolar illness has been denied and covered up for years; her rebellious daughter, Linny (actress and former Miss USA India, Pooja Kumar), who ran away from home as an unwed pregnant teen; and Linny's 16-year-old daughter Jia (Madelaine Massey) whose emotional turmoil is buried under a veil of secrecy.

Combining the deft humor of Mirza's award-winning shorts with the philosophical twists of her acclaimed theatre plays, the film tells a story of denial, shame, guilt and love.