BAGGAGE FROM BaghDAD SOLO SHOW

Upcoming Performances
Media Kit
Fee Sheet
Tech Rider

Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter is an inspiring, true story of championing adversity and a harrowing past, where the human spirit can soar—discovering redemption, hope, and the ultimate power of family. It is a gripping, award-winning solo show that mirrors today’s growing intolerance of race and religion. Due to religious persecution during the 1941 “Farhud pogrom,” Valerie David’s paternal Middle Eastern Jewish family was forced to flee Iraq and build a new home in America.

This play highlights her family’s struggle to immigrate to a new land and transcend their harrowing past, so that love and the importance of family triumph. It’s not just a Jewish story, but a narrative that anyone can relate to: having to immigrate, being forced to evacuate during wartime, suffering bullying, and the ramifications of having to adapt to a foreign culture that’s not so welcoming. Baggage From BaghDAD finds humor and hope, even in the darkest of times. It recounts how this painful legacy shaped Valerie’s own life and her evolving relationship with her father, uncovering a story of survival, identity, and ultimately, reconciliation. Her poignant storytelling offers both historical education and emotional resonance. Through vivid characters, humor, and heart, she invites audiences to examine today’s refugee crises, rising prejudice, and the intergenerational impact of war and displacement. Her family’s personal narrative mirrors broader global issues, from the struggles of Ukrainian and Gaza refugees, the Gaza/Israel conflict, and the current resurgence of Anti-Semitism and religious discrimination worldwide.

*Directed by Karen Carpenter with Sound and Projections by Andy Evan Cohen

PERFORMANCE CLIPS FROM BAGGAGE FROM BAGHDAD

Baggage from BaghDAD Trailer

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Valerie being confronted by Airport Security at LaGuardia Airport
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Father being cast as an extra in Manchurian Candidate
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Award-winning Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter, Running time 60 minutes with Audience talkbacks/Q&A’s to follow performance

The New York Society for Ethical Culture presents Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter 
Written and performed by Valerie David
Directed by Karen Carpenter
Sound and Projections Design by Andy Evan Cohen
The Society’s long-running series that includes a post-show talkback. RSVP TICKET LINK: Baggage Link here: 

Saturday, December 6 at 5 PM and 
Sunday, December 7 at 1:30 PM 
$5 for Members; $15 for Guests
Address: 2 West 64th Street, Ceremonial Hall (4th Floor)

Join us 30 minutes before showtime for a reception, and stay for a post-show talkback exploring the ethical issues raised by the play.

Award-winning performer and playwright Valerie David presents her gripping, internationally celebrated autobiographical solo play exploring themes of immigration, generational trauma, identity, and family. It recounts David’s discovery of her family’s harrowing escape from Iraq during the 1941 Farhud pogrom in Baghdad—a violent anti-Jewish uprising—and the ways in which this legacy shaped her own life and evolving relationship with her father. Love and the importance of family triumph.

Baggage From BaghDAD in the Scranton Fringe Festival in September

Performance Dates

Friday, September 26 @ 8 pm

Saturday, September 27 @ 3:30 pm

Saturday, September 27 @ 8 pm

Venue

The Workshop, 334 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503

Runtime: Approx. 60 minutes. Mature content.

Tickets: $15
Link for Scranton Festival tickets:

Baggage From BaghDAD tickets


Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter
Written and Performed by Renowned Solo Artist Valerie David
Directed by Karen Carpenter
Sound and Projections Designer: Andy Evan Cohen
Technical Director: Eluit Ortiz
Videographer: Michael Lee Stever
House Manager: Helene Galek

The Story of One Middle Eastern Jewish Family’s True Epic Journey to America

Performance date
Saturday, June 21 @ 8:00 pm
8 PM – 9:30 PM ET—Show runs approx. 70 minutes with a 25-minute audience talkback to follow. Mature content.

 Venue
Episcopal Actors’ Guild, 1 East 29th Street, NY, NY 10016, between 5th and Madison avenues

Ticket Link:
https://buytickets.at/valeriedavid/1731938

$22.50
Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter is a gripping award-winning solo show about an inspirational journey that mirrors today’s growing intolerance of race and religion. Due to religious persecution during the 1941 “Farhud pogrom,” writer and performer Valerie David’s paternal Middle Eastern Jewish family was forced to flee Iraq, and built a new home in America. It tells the story of how a father’s survival and perseverance shaped his daughter’s future and who she is today…how a father and a daughter learn to love and accept their differences. 

Baggage From BaghDAD is the journey of a family’s struggle to immigrate to a new land and transcend their harrowing past, so that love and the importance of family may triumph. It’s not just a Jewish tale but a narrative that anyone can relate to with having to emigrate to another country, being forced to evacuate during wartime, suffering bullying, and the ramifications of having to adapt to a foreign culture that’s not so welcoming. This play finds humor and hope, even in the darkest of times—it has a universal message of hope and resilience.

BAGGAGE FROM BAGHDAD VIDEO TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndtccrXPU4A

2024 & 2025 Performance dates and venues:

Wednesday, February 12, 2025, benefiting Wornick Day School. Doors open: 6:30 pm; Show begins: 7:00 pm
North Peninsula Lent Chabad Center, 800 Foster City Boulevard, Foster City, CA 94404

Audience talkback to follow
Runtime: Approx. 70 minutes. For Mature Audiences

Performance dates
Wednesday, September 25 @ 8:00 pm
Friday, September 27 @ 8:00 pm
8 PM – 9:30 PM ET. This is a Staged Reading.

Venue
Episcopal Actors’ Guild, 1 East 29th Street, NY, NY 10016, between 5th and Madison avenues
Ticket Link:
https://buytickets.at/valeriedavid/1396013
$15
Show runs approx. 70 minutes with a 25-minute audience talkback to follow.
Mature content.
Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter is a gripping new solo show about an inspirational journey that mirrors today’s growing intolerance of race and religion. Due to religious persecution during the 1941 “Farhud pogrom,” writer and performer Valerie David’s paternal Middle Eastern Jewish family was forced to flee Iraq, and built a new home in America. This staged reading tells the story of how a father’s survival and perseverance shaped his daughter’s future and who she is today…how a father and a daughter learn to love and accept their differences. Baggage From BaghDAD is the journey of a family’s struggle to immigrate to a new land and transcend their harrowing past, so that love and the importance of family may triumph. Even in the darkest of times, this show finds humor and resilience.


BAGGAGE FROM BAGHDAD SELECT SCENES

Feature story in Times Argus https://www.timesargus.com/features/vermont_arts/baggage-from-baghdad-fleeing-the-nazis-in-1941-iraq/article_91facf44-e824-595c-9535-5d8604a0932d.html

Sampling of Featured Press

2023 Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter, my new award-winning solo show’s upcoming performances

Here is the information on performance engagements for Baggage From BaghDAD:

1) APAP (Association of Performing Arts Festivals) Presents Award-winning Solo Show, Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter Excerpts

SHOWCASE TIME(S): 
Baggage from BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter
Saturday, January 14, 2023 @ 10:20 p.m. – 10:35 p.m.
Hilton Midtown ~ Gibson Suite, 2nd Floor
1335 6th Ave, New York, NY 10019 (@West 53 Street)

Performer/playwright Valerie David’s award-winning solo show, Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter, is about one Middle Eastern Jewish family’s true inspirational journey of being forced to flee from religious persecution during the 1941 “Farhud” pogrom in Baghdad. It is the story of Valerie’s father and his family’s struggle to transcend their harrowing past and build a new home in America. As father and daughter learn to love and to accept their differences, the importance of family takes center stage as she begins to understand how his tale of survival and perseverance shaped her convictions and her future. 

Because the play is rooted in the historical civil unrest for the Jews of Iraq, Baggage From BaghDAD also mirrors the current struggle of today’s Ukrainian refugees, and rising racial and religious discrimination worldwide. Some of the universal themes of Valerie’s solo show center around immigration, refugees, social injustice, generational trauma, prejudice, mental health, discrimination, bullying, and the love and loss of family.

Baggage From BaghDAD has received several accolades including the 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award, and in 2022, it received top theater honors in its very first full production—The Spoken Word and Theatre Award—in the Stockholm Fringe Festival and was also nominated for the Grand Prix Award. Valerie, who is based in New York, was also selected as the Artist-In-Residence at the Grange Hall Cultural Center in Vermont, where she also performed Baggage From BaghDAD.

Valerie’s mission is to perform her one-woman play both domestically and internationally to create awareness of The Farhud, an essential part of history that has largely been forgotten, which had a permanent impact on Middle Eastern culture with its main themes highlighting today’s turbulent times and the global increase of prejudice and discrimination. Valerie takes you on a journey portraying over 15 different characters spanning her family’s travels, their experiences throughout Iraq, Europe, India and eventually settling in the U.S. and those whom Valerie herself encountered along the way.

Run time: 60 minutes

Touring to include:
Synagogues, churches, mosques, religious organizations, refugee centers, immigration offices, universities, colleges, high schools, governmental organizations, embassies, Jewish Community Centers, Jewish and Holocaust museums, museums, art centers, festivals, theaters, conventions and conferences.

AWARDS and PRESS

Baggage From BaghDAD has received several accolades, nominations, and awards

  • Top theater honors in its very first full production—received The Spoken Word and Theatre Award—at the 2022 Stockholm Fringe Festival
  • Nominated for the Grand Prix Award at the 2022 Stockholm Fringe Festival
  • Winner-Best Play by the 2022 Sweden Broadway World Regional Awards
  • Semi-finalist for the 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award
  • The Grange Hall Cultural Center in Vermont selected Valerie as the Artist-In-Residence, where she successfully performed Baggage From BaghDAD receiving amazing press in 2022
  • Presented in the 2022 WHAM Festival as a staged reading – celebrating Women’s Artist History Month at the Bernie Wohl Center in New York, NY
  • New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in Minnesota selected Valerie as the Artist-In-Residence in 2023 to further develop this solo show
  • Presented by the Step 1 Theatre Project as a staged reading in 2022 in New York, NY
  • Accepted into EAT’s New Works Series, Spring 2021, and was a filmed staged reading in New York, NY
  • Live & In Color in Connecticut selected Valerie as the Writer-In-Residence, where a new version of this work was presented as a fully staged reading in 2018

2) WhiteFire Theatre Solo Festival in Los Angeles on March 4, 2023–details to come

3) MOXIE Productions and the Grange Hall Cultural Center welcome Valerie David for her 2022 GHCC Artist-In-Residence performance of the Award-winning Solo Show, Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter

One Middle Eastern Jewish Family’s True Epic Journey to America, Sunday, December 11 @ 3pm at the Grange Hall Cultural Center, Waterbury Center, Vermont.

Written and Performed by Renowned Solo Artist Valerie David; Directed by Maris Heller

Performance date and venue: Sunday, December 11, 2022 @ 3:00 pm
Grange Hall Cultural Center, 317 Howard Avenue, Waterbury Center, VT 05677
Audience talkback to follow featuring award-winning filmmakers Carole Basri and Adriana Davis, who have been champions in preserving Iraqi culture.

Ticket price: $15
For info and to purchase tickets: https://sevendaystickets.com/events/baggage-from-baghdad-becoming-my-fathers-daughter-12-11-2022

Runtime: Approx. 60 minutes

Testimonials/Reviews

Camille Siegel of Chaucer’s Corner says, “Valerie blew [me] away with her one-woman show. It was not only moving, but resonated with everyone on a profound level—a show not to be missed.”

Judy Hermansson says, “Your story really touched my heart. I can’t imagine that anyone could watch your performance and not be moved. With so many refugees in today’s very uncertain world, we need to understand that trauma affects not only those experiencing it firsthand. It has a large impact on the following generations. And not only refugees, of course,  also the many others that are being discriminated against for who they are. We need to accept each other unconditionally. Your show presents that message in a strong and moving way.”

4) Gothenburg (Dates of Festival: 7 Sept – 11 Sept, 2022)

The 7th Annual Gothenburg Fringe Festival Presents the World Premiere Production of Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming my Father’s Daughter
One Middle Eastern Jewish Family’s True Epic Journey to America

Written and Performed by Renowned Solo Artist Valerie David; Directed by Maris Heller

Performance dates:
-Thursday, 8 Sept @ 8:30 pm (20:30)
30-min talkback to follow performance with award-winning Iraqi-Jewish-American filmmaker Carole Basri and filmmaker Adriana Davis
-Saturday, 10 September @ 7:00 pm (19:00)
-Sunday, 11 September @ 3:55 pm (15:55)

Venue: Göteborgs Dramatiska Teater @ Stigbergsliden 5B, 414 63 Göteborg
Runtime: Approx. 60 minutes
Ticket link: https://www.gbgfringe.com/events/baggage-from-baghdad/

5) Stockholm (Dates of Festival: 13 Sept – 17 Sept, 2022)–WINNER OF THE SPOKEN WORD & THEATRE AWARD 2022!

The 13th Annual Stockholm Fringe Festival (STOFF 2022) Presents Solo Show Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming my Father’s Daughter

Performance dates:
-Thursday, 15 September @ 9:00 pm (21:00)
-Saturday, 17 September @ 6:00 pm (18:00)
Venue: The Pygméteatern, Vegagatan 17, 113 29 Stockholm
Ticket link: https://stoff.ssboxoffice.com/events/baggage-from-baghdad/

2022: COMPANION PIECE TO THE PINK HULK!

The 7th Annual W.H.A.M. Festival of Manhattan Presents a Staged Reading of
Baggage From BaghDAD

One Middle Eastern Jewish Family’s
True Epic Journey to America
Written and Performed by Renowned Solo Artist Valerie David
Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 7:30 pm

The Bernie Wohl Center at Goddard Riverside
647 Columbus Ave @ West 91st Street, NY, NY

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for students/seniors

Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baggage-from-baghdad-wham-2022-tickets-273689792537

Runtime: Approx. 60 minutes, plus post-show talkback
(New York – March 18, 2022) – In honor of Women’s History Month, the 7th Annual W.H.A.M. Festival of Manhattan presents Baggage From BaghDAD, a new solo play about the power of family and perseverance amid a harrowing past. Written and performed by Valerie David, the play will be presented as a staged reading at The Bernie Wohl Center at Goddard Riverside, 647 Columbus Avenue in NYC on Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. A talkback with Iraqi-Jewish-American filmmaker Carole Basri. Proceeds from the evening will be donated to both SaveTheChildren to help support the families of Ukraine and also the Goddard Riverside Performing Arts Conservatory.Mirroring the struggle of today’s Ukrainian refugees and reflecting rising global racial, religious and sexual intolerance, Baggage From BaghDAD is one Middle Eastern Jewish family’s true inspirational journey as they are forced to flee religious persecution during the 1941 Iraqi “Farhud.” It is the story of playwright and performer Valerie David’s father, and his family’s struggle to transcend their harrowing past as they build a new home in America. As father and daughter learn to love and to accept their differences, the importance of family takes center stage as she begins to understand how his tale of survival and perseverance shaped her convictions and her future.

Tickets are $20. Students and seniors: $15. Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baggage-from-baghdad-wham-2022-tickets-273689792537