Syrian Soap - Criminal Queerness Festival 2026

Eat, pray, bathe *with your ancestors in an intergalactic bathhouse in the afterlife and find out if you are your ancestor’s wildest dreams–or worst nightmare! Receive channeled advice, poetry, and a surprise visit from a traditional Syrian bathroom slipper (which may or may not be a metaphor for life under fascism). Underneath the silliness and suds, Syrian Soap is a love letter to revolution and unlocking joy and self-expression in a world on fire. And a reminder…your healing goes back 7 generations—but so do your f*ck-ups! E. Zaalan is a Syrian standup, clown, and conflict mediator. They made a promise to the martyrs of the Syrian Revolution that they would use their voice to tell the truth–so they had no choice but to become a comedian. They have studied comedy with the Idiot Workshop, Groundlings, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and iO Theater. Syrian Soap is the winner of the 2026 Hollywood Fringe Scholarship, and Zaalan’s co-created sketch and standup show won “Best of SF Fringe Festival” and “Best Box Office” at San Francisco Fringe Festival 2024.