Key Points
- Pulitzer-nominated drama Selling Kabul premieres in Australia.
- It tells the story of an Afghan interpreter awaiting a visa to flee Kabul after the withdrawal of US forces.
- Actor Khisraw Jones-Shukoor calls on Australian theatre companies to reach out to multicultural communities.
Khisraw is starring in Selling Kabul, a suspenseful drama whose Australian premiere has been brought to the stage by Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre.
Written by American writer Sylvia Khoury, the 2022 Pulitzer-nominated story follows Taroon, an Afghan interpreter who is forced to hide on the eve of his child’s birth while waiting for his American visa to come through.
“[The play] is a story about a young man who has interpreted for the Americans and is currently hiding in his sister's house,” Khisraw told SBS Dari.
“The Taliban are after him and the show opens on the night that his wife is giving birth [to his son], and he’s been locked up in his sister's house for four months.”
“And so, this show is a journey about four characters in this play, and really what they do to protect the ones that they love.”
Khisraw Jones-Shukoor. Credit: SBS Dari
Khisraw said he feels “relieved and proud” to be playing Taroon’s role and is “eternally grateful” for the opportunity.
“It’s not every day that I see a story … that's set in Afghanistan with Afghan characters,” Khisraw said, “and being able to step in the shoes of Taroon and his world, it also gives me … that connection to that country and now more than ever I really want to go, but of course for certain reasons, I think I'm just going to wait a few years.”
“And it's also propelled me to think about what kind of stories do I want to tell as an Australian with an Afghan background, how can I support my fellow Afghans here? How can I represent them in Australia?”
‘Living at the mercy of bureaucracy’
Khisraw described Taroon, the protagonist, as a “dreamer”, “progressive” and “patriot” who wants to build a better country.
“He joins the Americans to help fight the Taliban to free his country. he has fought and translated for the Americans in Helmand province … which was years and years of some of the most intense fighting in Afghanistan,” he said.
Khisraw says playing Taroon's role has made him feel more connected to his Afghan roots. Credit: Supplied/Red Stitch
“For me, there’s a sense of betrayal there, if I was to work for, say the US, and I worked for two years in Helmand, in one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan at that time and I was at the mercy of bureaucracy and paperwork and waiting.”
I would see that as a slap in the face. I helped you in this war and now I'm about to be targeted by some very harsh people.Khisraw Jones-Shukoor
“And it breaks my heart to know that there are people out there still in that process.”
‘Something worth doing’
Khisraw’s mother’s side of the family was sponsored to come to Australia by her brother who was studying in Victoria in the 1980s.
She then sponsored Khisraw’s father side of the family.
“That was their journey, and I’m really glad that happened because I wouldn’t want to be around war, and I guess no one would and I just feel very lucky,” he said.
The 33-year-old was originally encouraged by his Year 12 teacher to take up theatre.
After seeing the impact plays could have on the audience, he decided to pursue a career in acting.
“I remember after one show I looked at the audience leaving, half of them were crying, some of them were thinking and the others were in some sort of changed state to when they when they first came in,” he said.
“And I thought to myself, if I have this impact on people, the people I'm collaborating with can have an impact like this, then this this is something worth doing and so I studied and since 2015-16 I started chasing this career.”
After graduating from 16th Street Actors’ Studio in 2015, Khisraw has acted in multiple shows for different theatre companies, including Red Stitch, Melbourne Theatre Company, and Australian Shakespeare Company.
‘A life-changing experience’
Having performed in theatres for about eight years, Khisraw said he doesn’t often see Afghans coming to shows.
He urged theatre companies to do more to reach out to multicultural communities in Australia.
“It’s a life-changing experience,” he said.
Listen to Khisraw's interview here:
How starring in a play connects Khisraw to his Afghan roots
16:25
“[That’s] something that needs to be work worked on and is being worked on, and I think that at the moment it's great that Red Stitch is doing this play and we are reaching out.”
“And if any Afghans hear this, please come, come to the show and come speak to me, if you're interested in this at all. I would love to talk to you about it.”
The show runs Wednesday to Saturday until 21 May at the Red Stitch Theatre in Melbourne.
