The Ally
by Itamar Moses

Off-Broadway
The Ally Book Cover
The Ally Cover

Highlights

120 mins Present Day Role(s) for Asian Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award Pulitzer Prize

Finalist: 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Nominee: 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play Nominee: 2024 Dorian Theatre Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Production

Synopsis

When Asaf is asked to sign a social justice manifesto, he expects to be able to do so without hesitation.

Instead, he becomes embroiled in an increasingly conflicted web of relationships that challenge his commitments as a liberal, a husband, an academic, an American, an atheist and a Jew.

With tensions at an all-time high, Asaf is forced to confront the age-old question: “If I am only for myself, what am I?”

Press Reviews

"Intense… Moses is willing to wade into some treacherous waters here, and often does so with a sharp sense of humor that nonetheless refuses to dismiss anyone outright."

— The Guardian

"It’s tough to dramatize an ongoing debate – perhaps the debate – without having to choose between great action and nuanced understanding. The Ally, Itamar Moses’ new play about a college professor caught in the crosshairs of a campus Israel-Palestine debate, finds a strong middle ground… the play unfolds as an ongoing conversation, pitting Asaf closer against his warring beliefs and identities with minimal distinction between scenes.…heroic in its thematic resoluteness. It doesn’t reach conclusions, but suggests that the boldest enemy an ally-to-all has lives within."

— Theatrely

"The Ally is a campus drama (flecked with comedy) about the gap between easy performative virtue and unsolvable moral dilemmas, such as structural racism in America or peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. Moses shows us how he can articulate – passionately and eloquently – each side of the argument."

— The Observer

"…a play of immense confidence, eloquence and humility. …The Ally is, in many ways, the slow peeling back of Asaf’s dependence, as both a writer and an academic, on language. …Moses digs toward the center of a person who, in his deepest, rawest place…also wants someone to stand up for him."

— New York Magazine

"Instant classic… The debates are as dense as they are fascinating – and better yet, Moses laces them with scathing humor."

— The Wrap

Characters

Character
ASAF STERNHEIM

40s, Jewish, a writer and an adjunct professor of writing

GWEN KIM

late 30s, Korean-American, University Administrator for Community Relations and External Affairs, Asaf’s wife

BARON PRINCE

21, African-American, a college senior

NAKIA CLARK

40s, African-American, a community organizer (doubles with

THE RABBI

)

RACHEL KLEIN

20, Jewish, a college junior

FARID EL MASRY

20, Palestinian-American, a college junior

REUVEN FISHER

29, a PhD student in Jewish History and Judaic Studies

Videos

The Ally – The Public Theater Trailer

Publication

Publisher Samuel French
ISBN-13 9780573711657
ISBN-10 0573711658

The Ally is a play written by Itamar Moses and published by Samuel French .

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Rating

4.1

22 ratings · 51 reviews

Review

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $110 per performance
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