Play Proposal

CATALYST: Would you marry the love of your life if it meant you would lose your family? Would you abandon this love in order to please your family? This is loosely based on the experiences of people close to me.

CONCEPT: A young Pakistani man, Asif, must choose whether or not to take part in an arranged marriage.

CONFLICT: Asif has an American girlfriend who he loves and wants to marry.

CHARACTER SKETCHES: Asif is a twenty-five year law student who is being pressured into an arranged marriage by his parents. Other characters include Michelle, Asif's girlfriend and Sonia, the girl who his parents want him to marry.

PHILOSOPHICAL WORLD: The sacrifice of true love.

PHYSICAL WORLD: Asif's choice of who to marry.

POINT OF ATTACK: Asif tells his parents that he wants to marry Michelle.

STORY SYNOPSIS: Asif is a young man with a bright future. He does not want to participate in an arranged marriage but does not have the will to tell his parents. Instead he wants to marry his long time girlfriend, Michelle, who his parents do not know about. Asif knows that his parents will be heartbroken and probably irate that he wants to marry an American.

PLOT SYNOPSIS: Asif has an internal debate with himself about whether to tell his parents that he does not want an arranged marriage. He finally tells his parents and they react as he expected. After much thought and soul-searching, He ultimately decides to follow his parents' wishes and marry Sonia.

PLOT OUTLINE: The play is divided into three parts. Part I concerns Asif's thought-process regarding his decision. In Part II, Asif tells his parents about his girlfriend Michelle. Finally, in Part III, Asif makes his final decision to participate in the arranged marriage.