In the Book Of: Ruth Retranslated

“Where you go, I will go…” Ruth 1:16

This contemporary reimagining of The Book of Ruth explores the ongoing debate on Immigration. In the play, two women—Naomi, an Army lieutenant and Anisah, her Afghan translator—lose their husbands in the war. Upon discharge, the young officer sees the danger her translator is in, and brings Anisah with her to her home in Mississippi. When they arrive, this act of kindness is met with open hostility by Naomi’s sister-in-law, Gail, who is running for mayor on an immigration platform (similar to those being enacted in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and other states) and makes the immigrant’s deportment the focus of her campaign. But things get complicated when Gail's own son stands up for what he thinks is right. By turns funny and moving, this timeless story adapted from the Old Testament challenges notions of what it means to be an American as it contemplates the redemptive power of welcoming the stranger.