Country-spanning library inspires Writers Theatre's 'A Distinct Society'

In 2018, a Reuters article about the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a small-town library straddling the U.S.-Canada border, caught the attention of writer/novelist John McManus.

Reporter Yeganeh Torbati's article described how - in response to former President Donald Trump's executive orders banning travel to the U.S. by people from majority-Muslim countries - the Haskell library had become a gathering spot for families - many of them Iranian - separated by Trump's policies.

McManus showed the article to his husband, director/playwright Kareem Fahmy.

“You are going to write a play about this,” McManus said.

Fahmy did. A co-production of his play “A Distinct Society” premiered in January in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Palo Alto, California. It's now in previews at Writers Theatre, where the director-turned-playwright helms its Midwest premiere.

Shunning titles, Fahmy thinks of himself first and foremost as a storyteller, one intimately familiar with the uniquely situated Haskell library, which is located in Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec. A Canadian of Egyptian descent, he grew up in nearby Sherbrooke, in southern Quebec.

Egypt was not subject to the travel ban and his family wasn't affected by the Trump administration's restrictions, but the issue resonated with Fahmy. Growing up in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province, he experienced the ongoing nationalism debate, comparing it to the “America first” position of the previous administration and its efforts to close borders to protect the nation from “outside threats.”

“To a lot of people (those events) are ancient history now,” he said. “I asked myself, will this story still feel relevant? Will anyone care?”

Over its development, including a 2020 virtual performance as part of Chicago's International Voices Project and an online workshop at Northlight Theatre in 2021, Fahmy says the focus shifted. While rooted in political events, “A Distinct Society,” which is set in November 2017, isn't a play about politics. It's about people - a father and his daughter, a teenage boy, a librarian, a border patrol agent - Fahmy said.

“The stories contained within the play are rooted in the human experience,” he said. “It's been wonderful to see audiences fall in love with these characters and connect to them.”

Determined that it not feel like a time capsule, Fahmy's objective was to create a timely play and make it timeless.

“It's important that we are telling human stories, not just political stories,” he said.

Working with Writers on the play's third production has been phenomenal, Fahmy said.

“What's exciting is the sense of collaboration and camaraderie,” he said. “The Chicago theater community is so tightly knit. It's been a tremendous gift to work with them.”

The all-local cast includes Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Kate Fry.

“It's comforting to me on a cosmic level that there are places in the world devoted to housing books, actual books made of paper,” said the Writers veteran, a longtime lover of libraries and a voracious reader.

“I joke with my colleagues that for me this is like porn,” she added, laughing.

Fry, who co-starred in Writers' 2022 premiere of Eleanor Burgess' “Wife of a Salesman,” welcomes the chance to collaborate on new works.

“It's a real privilege to participate in the process with someone like Kareem or Eleanor,” she said, describing the playwrights as “new and exciting voices that should be nurtured and encouraged.”

Typically, the director serves as a bridge between the playwright and the actors, she said. As both writer and director, Fahmy has been incredibly receptive to feedback.

“He's seen it done before with different directors,” she said. “He knows what works and what doesn't, but he's very open-minded.”

“The greatest compliment I could give him is that sometimes I forget the playwright is in the room,” she said.

The time is right for “A Distinct Society's” premiere, said Fry, who recalled a class she took with Northwestern University professor and literary critic Gary Saul Morson, in which he referenced Leo Tolstoy's theory that history is determined by small human interaction and not necessarily by statesmen, movements or political parties.

“This play is an example of that,” she said.

“A Distinct Society”

When: 3 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through July 23

Where: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, (847) 242-6000,

writerstheatre.org/Tickets: $35-$90COVID-19 precautions: Masks recommended