Using the origins of the musical Eh Dah? Questions for my Father, presented at Next Door at NYTW in April 2019, writer Aya Aziz and co-creator/director Arpita Mukherjee are developing a trilogy to further expand upon Aya's story and discovery of her father's family history.  

Finding Paradise began as a one-woman show called Eh Dah: Questions for My Father at the 2016 New York Musical Festival where it won awards for Best Book and Best Individual Performance. The piece was then developed into a full musical with a cast of five actors. In 2019, Hypokrit presented a developmental production at New York Theatre Workshop’s Next Door Series. The show received a sold out run and critical praise. Following a recent performance at NAMT and the Women of Broadway concert, Aya and Arpita decided to expand the musical into the trilogy Finding Paradise. 

Each part of the trilogy expands on existing material from the 2019 developmental production. They are interconnected, but distinct in the themes and storylines they examine. Part One: Along the Boardwalk follows Aya’s cousins in Egypt, their relationships, and the different struggles they face becoming women. Part Two: American Made centers on Aya’s family that emigrated from Egypt to West Philly and back again after facing the challenges of assimilation. Part Three: On the Roof of a Train is about Aya’s uncle who died in Philly, his relationship with her father, and their differing views of a changing nation. What connects all three is Aya’s discovery of a story formed from memories, leading to questions about privilege, American identity, and the responsibility to tell stories.