The World Premiere of I HEART MAROC by Azadui Safo (Morocco)

In the World Premiere of her solo show I Heart Maroc Azo Safo introduces us to the lives of rural Moroccans who she worked with as a twenty-four-year-old Peace Corps volunteer during the height of the Bush Administration’s war on Iraq. On the quest to find her life’s purpose with the wide-eyed, innocent hope of changing the world, she is thrust into a culture she has to figure out using her Armenian-American immigrant sensibilities. Beginning with learning the Berber language that she is told she is too kesoula to learn, she must navigate anti-American sentiment and win over ALL the villagers while nurturing a budding romance with her Moroccan true love, Mohammed. Will she get through her two-year service in one piece, or will she obey her Armenian immigrant mother’s wishes and move back to Glendale to marry an Armenian dentist?

Azo Safo (Azadui Safo Morocco 2006-08) is an Armenian-American actor, writer, and director who first started acting at the tender age of six and quickly realized her love for creating funny characters. Azo has worked both in film and theater. Her solo show, I HEART MAROC, was featured at the Soaring Solo Salon showcase in January 2021, and will make its World Premiere at the 2021 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Her show is an intimate look into her life and experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco.

Azo also served as Artistic Director of Play Club West for two years, where she worked to promote and support BIPOC and LGBTQIA artists. As an immigrant, Azo is also passionate about promoting cultural exchange and incorporates cultural themes in her plays. Her plays also explore themes of companionship, loneliness, overcoming obstacles, and finding one’s purpose in life. As a playwright and actor, she has been featured in the Support Women Artists Now (SWAN) festival, which champions female-identifying artists. In 2018, Azo co-wrote and directed the thriller/horror film, PICTURE PERFECT, for the 48 Hour Film Festival.

Azo writes:

Azadui (Azo) Safo

As an Armenian immigrant, I faced many challenges: language, culture, supermarkets with too many varieties of cheese, etc. But, my main struggle was internal. I wanted to make my parents proud of me by living the “American dream”. But, I also wanted to follow my lifelong passion that wasn’t the conventional path and at times, it was scary and lonely. Needless to say, I quit acting in my 20s to pursue International Relations and politics.

I served in the Peace Corps (Morocco 2006-08) as a Health Educator for a couple of years and I obtained my Masters in US Foreign Policy. But, one day, I received a Facebook message from my friend, Emily Clark, who was the founder and Artistic Director of Play Club West at the time. She encouraged me to join the group. And, after much thought, I joined and I never looked back.