Alaudin Ullah’s Dishwater Dreams to make West Coast premiere

Filmmaker and comedian Alaudin Ullah has had a series of emotional, funny and irreverent experiences to tell a gripping story about the desi American dream.

Ullah grew up on the streets of East Harlem in New York as the son of one of the first Bengali Muslim men to come to the city.

Through his stories and documentaries such as In Search of Bengali Harlem, which won many awards including the DocNYC, Ullah has spoken about the intricacies of father-son relationship growing up as a first-generation immigrant.

Known for his role in the 2001 film American Desi, Ullah has also explored the coming-together of different immigrant communities in his earlier plays such as Halal Brothers.

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His new play, Dishwater Dreams premiered at the New Works Now! Festival in New York’s and was awarded the prestigious Emerging Writers Group Fellowships.

The one-man show, which features music by tabla percussionist Avirodh Sharma, tells the story of his father who arrived in New York City from a village in Bangladesh during the 1930’s.

His stories try to break away the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with South Asians and Muslims in America. Growing up in Harlem, Ullah hardly identified with the life his father lived.

Building upon the often-debated conundrum of what really an American Dream denotes for a brown-skinned family in America, Ullah, craftily tells how the perception of the dream varies with generations. So, for Ullah’s Bangladesh-born parents, it means opportunity and a stable job.

But to comedian Alaudin, America is the home of the New York Yankees and George Carlin. In this autobiographical solo show, Ullah along with musician Avirodh Sharma takes audiences on a journey of vivid remembrances and discoveries from 1930s Bangladesh to 1970s Spanish Harlem to present-day Hollywood.

Through comedy and music, this remarkable play recounts the immigrant experience, how this country gets made, and the dreams of those who make it.

His new act, Dishwasher Dreams is the companion piece of his award-winning documentary film In Search of Bengali Harlem, which will be streaming on PBS this fall.

Plans for a theatrical release of the film and distribution on other streaming platforms are slated for later this year. Directed by Chay Yew, the act will be presented by The Old Globe, one of the country’s leading professional nonprofit regional theatres.

The autobiographical act by Ullah has been appreciated for its honesty and the apt presentation of emotional experiences growing up in an immigrant family.

Ullah who has been known as one of the first South Asian comedians featured Nationally on HBO, MTV, BET, PBS, and Comedy Central took to writing to tell stories from his past and the collective immigrant experiences.

The show will play in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park (1363 Old Globe Way). Performances for the five-week limited engagement run September 16 – October 15, 2023