HEARTLAND PRESS
“…{an} outstanding play…an unforgettable chronicle of love, culture, and humanity.” —Broadway World (New York)
“…{a} heartfelt masterpiece rife with comedic brilliance and the triumph of the human spirit…” — Broadway World (New Jersey)
"HEARTLAND lifts the veil between Western and Middle Eastern culture in a riveting drama...it triumphs in its directness and power..." — USA Today Network
“…a smart, funny, moving drama that is as emotionally textured as it is intellectually nuanced. “ — Austin-American Statesman
“Dean crafts with sensitivity, but not sentimentality…complex matters of international diplomacy and Western imperialism delicately into a tender, fraught father-daughter story…” — The Star-Ledger
“…flawlessly interwoven…playwright Gabriel Jason Dean’s riveting and recommended new play…plunges its audience into [a] personal and political tornado…” — Jewish Journal
“But no matter where in the world we are, the emotional geography is clear. The lesson…here is that the heart is its own country.” — Austin Chronicle
“…a tender love story that unfolds in the midst of war…a "j'accuse" aimed at agencies of the United States government…a human story that unfolds so movingly.” —Talkin’ Broadway
“…a true masterpiece…achingly beautiful in the way that the greatest art moves us to yearn, hurt and struggle….a play that belongs in the great works canon…” — Net Theatre Geek
“The deftly written new play HEARTLAND aims for your head and for your heart. It proceeds to hit both…Gabriel Jason Dean is as much a master weaver as he is a skilled storyteller.” — WHYY
“…deeply moving…this show stays with you long after the final curtain.” —Asbury Park Press
“Hope blooms even in the darkest and cruelest of times in Heartland…” —Off Off Online
"...a beautiful and profound play...Gabriel Jason Dean takes a disturbingly real historic event and weaves a tale that transcends borders and time....not-to-be-missed." — Beyond the Nest
“…heartfelt and poignant….HEARTLAND takes the audience on a journey through love, loss, blame, guilt…” — Philly Life & Culture
“…explores levels of global responsibility…a thoughtful and emotional play. You owe it to yourselves to travel to the HEARTLAND.” — Out in Jersey
“Dean holds a mirror up to the face of US involvement with Afghanistan from the time of Russia's occupation, exploring a myriad of questions about responsibility, complicity, transparency, and morality, and the unintended consequences that always follow from even the most noble efforts.” — Broadway World (Boston)
“…beautiful, timely…a must see for anyone who believes tolerance and humanity run deeper than political pamphlets.” — The Bay State Banner
“HEARTLAND proffers a rare combination — it is a prescient history lesson that also works as compelling drama…avoids the trap of facile political point-scoring; his characters are real, and he trusts them to convey history’s ache.” — The ArtsFuse
“HEARTLAND is a small miracle of a play…Dean has written the antithesis to the crude caricature that stereotypes the Muslim male Afghan in American imagination.” — CTX Live Theatre
“Dean’s play is a small, quiet reminder of the possibilities that humans can… grow tolerant if they take the time to listen and learn, despite the cultural divides…” — MetroWest Daily News
“This new play, based on true events, brings to the audience an examination of complicity and accepting responsibility…has much to offer as we strive to understand larger sociopolitical issues in a personal way.” — Theatre Mirror
“It’s as haunted as Hemingway, as relateable as Anne Frank, and as sacramental as Rumi. HEARTLAND is a play that demands a reckoning and ultimately models healing.” — Sightlines Magazine
“I must emphasize how tight this play is…highly recommend…” — Broadway World (Austin)
“…recommended to the world.” — CTX Live Theatre
“…[a] moving drama…” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“…absorbing drama…the ancient theme of the sins of the father being visited upon the son. Except that in this case, it’s visited upon the adoptive daughter.” — University City Review
Austin Chronicle Feature
The Vortex with Humaira Ghilzai Interview
The Theatre Times Interview & Feature
Boston Globe Feature
Phindie Feature
Geva Journal Playwright Interview
Geva Journal Feature
New Jersey Stage Feature
The Star Ledger Feature
New Repertory Program Note
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle USA Today Network Feature
Rochester First Director & Actor TV Interview
New Repertory Interview
Playwrights' Center Interview
Geva Journal Humaira Ghilzai Interview