News Release

The Johns Hopkins University Theatre will present the world premiere production of Yasmine Rana's play, "Returning," at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 3, in the Merrick Barn on the Homewood campus of The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.

"Returning" concerns war-displaced young women trying to go home. A blend of passion, humor, and intimate drama, the play is based in part on work done by Rana — a playwright and drama therapist — with refugee and returning populations at youth houses in Sarajevo, Bosnia- Herzegovina, and Tbilisi, Georgia. Directed by James Glossman, the production's cast includes Johns Hopkins undergraduates Michelle Brown, Elizabeth Eldridge, Tania Hamod, Elspeth Kursh, Akshay Oberoi and Julie Sihilling.

"I'm overwhelmed by the talent, training, professionalism and commitment I've seen from the Johns Hopkins University students involved in 'Returning,'" Rana said. "I've had the opportunity to work with many actors in theaters in the U.S. and abroad, and find these students to possess an astonishingly mature intellectual and artistic comprehension of the play's characters and subject matter that in turn allows their interpretation of the text to appear so natural and effortless." Color photos of the cast are available by e-mailing amylunday@jhu.edu.

Akshay Oberoi and Julie Sihilling star in the world premiere of the play 'Returning'. Photo by John Astin

Johns Hopkins University Theatre now has a permanent home on the Homewood campus in the Merrick Barn. Decades ago, when the school's Writing Seminars Department was known as the Department of Writing, Speech and Drama, the barn housed its drama activities. The troupe is led by John Astin, a graduate of that department best known for his role as Gomez Addams in the original "Addams Family" television series. Astin returned to Johns Hopkins in 2001 to teach acting and directing. Since then, he has led a renaissance of the school's theater program, now known as the Theatre Arts and Studies Program.

The production will run two weekends through Sunday, March 12. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; Sunday performances are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 adults, $14 seniors, and $5 for students. Call The Johns Hopkins University Theatre box office at 410-516-5153 for tickets, or e-mail your ticket request to jhut@jhu.edu.