ORIGINAL WORK
“The world is so blessed to have such a fountain of pure positive creative insanity in it. If you ever get a chance to see any of [Arif’s] shows, do not miss out: there is, quite genuinely, nothing like it.”
-Andrew Gombas, Actor, Writer, Friend
THE GODLESS WAR
Part of Symposium at Rose Bruford College
Directed by Kazeem Akinsanya and Neha Hemachandra
The sole survivor of a fictional nation recounts the brutal holy war that led to its demise.
RENEGADE SPEAKEASY
Part of Thirdwing’s New Playwright Series
Directed by Arya Kashyap
A recently-fired history teacher confronts the performatively progressive owner of a cocktail bar.
DREAM OF RAYS: Part I of THE TITAN CYCLE
Directed by Lillian White
The rogue commander of a pirate ship is tasked by the Queen of the Jade Bay is tasked with finding a school of legendary Manta Rays in the hopes their celestial voices may heal their dying waters.
“You’ve never seen anything like it.” -@ThatDorkyDramaCoach
AMERICAN REFUGEE
Directed by Brandon Bogle
A solo show that chronicles the resurgence of a cerebral monster that long ago devoured the minds of the country's vilest White Supremacists, and now begins to ravage a far more diversified populace. The play contemplates the long term effects of White Supremacy, and questions the stability of tribalism in a country where racial identity is perpetually evolving.
REMOVE THE SERPENT’S HEAD
Part of SHORT STACK PLAY FEST, produced by Second Generation Productions in association with Ma-Yi Theater Company
Written by Arif Silverman, Directed by Ry Szelong
A newly appointed cultural minister attempts to undo the antiquated laws of a small fishing town.
Photo by Joshua Brown
BLACKBLADE: Part II of THE TITAN CYCLE
Directed by Lillian White
A Fantasy Radio Play chronicling the apex of a decades-long witch hunt told through various characters’ perspectives.
THE STRAY
Directed by Emma Hasselbach
“A folk musical written and composed by Arif Silverman, ‘The Stray’ features three wolf cubs whose behavior could hardly be more radical for their species: They’re vegetarian. When this causes them to be expelled by their fellows, they challenge norms again by trying to bond with humans. The hourlong production illustrates that nonconformity has its own rewards.” -Laurel Graeber, The New York Times
GALAHAD AND THE DRAGONS
Directed by Lillian White
A One Person Play weaving Arthurian mythology into the spirited life of a fictional American town reckoning with the arrival of a floating island and its mysterious inhabitants.
“[Arif Silverman] is the Tony Kushner of this generation.” -Kevin Thiel, Audience Member
CONSTELLARIUM
Directed by Susanna Wolk
"The play, accompanied by music, unfolds on the planet of the title, a kind of interstellar camp for the displaced. Earth has been destroyed, and its former inhabitants have to learn how to cooperate and not repeat past errors." -Laurel Graeber, The New York Times
More info on constellariumtheplay.com
BLESS ME, APOLLO
My first feature film.
A young classics scholar is rattled by the folly of the Gods of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. A strange, aimless renegade cannot stop repeating “angels should know better than to fall in love.” These two characters contemplate the mayhem of love and the totality of loss in this seemingly familiar world of ours.
STEPS
My seventh short film as a writer/director.
A young woman and her step brother wrestle with the throes of early adulthood in New York City.
NOLIE MIN TANGIBLE
Directed by Mary Fischer
A One Person Play exploring what the characters in your dreams are doing when you aren't sleeping.
