Theatrefolk Featured Play – Let Me In by Sholeh Wolpé

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight.  Let Me In by Sholeh Wolpé is a must-read drama for high school and middle school students. Such important messaging and an incredible springboard for important conversations.

Jazmine is a teenager who has recently immigrated from Yemen. She arrives at the movie theatre, late for her date.

The teenage inspector, who checks people’s bags for food, demands Jazmine discard a piece of chocolate she’s been carrying around in her bag for sentimental reasons. Jazmine refuses.

Why did we publish this play?
This play features a teen experience and a teen voice that we don’t have in our catalogue and that was important for us. I also love the use of humour and heartbreak in the story.

Let’s hear from the author!

1. Why did you write this play?
Because this is an important topic. Because I write from experience. Because I believe schools must not only perform plays like this, but also hold discussions, exploring, analyzing and dissecting the characters that populate such plays.

2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences.
A girl struggling to recover from tragedy, to find home in a new country and to belong faces insensitivity, racism, and cruelty.

Also: As private citizens, are we not responsible for our country’s actions?

3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play?
The repeated display of absurdity.

4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be?
Mine the comedy. Comedy is a powerful tool that can deliver a sober message effectively. Make full use of it.

5. Why is this play great for student performers?
Racism knows no age and no boundary. If we are to build a more harmonious society, we must begin now, in our schools. What better tool than the theatre to help our children understand the absurdity and injury of blind nationalism, sexism and racism.

6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online?
Have fun with it. Be imaginative. Use green screens. Use film. Use photography. There is room for a good deal of physical comedy here. Use multiple cameras and combine live and recorded videos.