Pareidolia

by Kareem Fahmy

When Mal, an Egyptian-American personal trainer, and Adam, a Jewish investment banker, match on an online dating service, they form an immediate and intense bond. From the initial blush of flirtation, they gradually spiral into mistrust, secrecy and pain. Real-world and online identities become confused until nothing is what it seems. PAREIDOLIA is a darkly comic and terrifying look at intimacy, connection, and...

When Mal, an Egyptian-American personal trainer, and Adam, a Jewish investment banker, match on an online dating service, they form an immediate and intense bond. From the initial blush of flirtation, they gradually spiral into mistrust, secrecy and pain. Real-world and online identities become confused until nothing is what it seems. PAREIDOLIA is a darkly comic and terrifying look at intimacy, connection, and disconnection in the modern age.

read more
  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

Pareidolia

Recommended by

  • Emma Goldman-Sherman: Pareidolia by Kareem Fahmy
    “

    A rom-com and a thriller that makes us ask our own questions about how we connect with the people around us. I admire this play for its craft, and I enjoy it for its emotional core.

    A rom-com and a thriller that makes us ask our own questions about how we connect with the people around us. I admire this play for its craft, and I enjoy it for its emotional core.

    ”
  • Unicorn Theatre: Pareidolia by Kareem Fahmy
    “

    This play is a FINALIST for the 2020-2021 In-Progress New Play Reading Series at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. It is our pleasure to support PAREIDOLIA.

    This play is a FINALIST for the 2020-2021 In-Progress New Play Reading Series at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. It is our pleasure to support PAREIDOLIA.

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: Pareidolia by Kareem Fahmy
    “

    A superbly written and nuanced play about connection, relationships, alienation, and dating. Hilarious, unsettling, and heartbreaking, "Pareidolia" straddles a number of genres and moods quite well. I also love the unique theatrical world Fahmy builds by splicing the online world, naturalistic scenes, and some magical sounding montage/collage towards the end and in the wedding scene. I would love to see this staged, as it seems like an exciting adventure for directors and designers as well as actors. At the heart of this play are well developed characters--both the sympathetic Mal, and the...

    A superbly written and nuanced play about connection, relationships, alienation, and dating. Hilarious, unsettling, and heartbreaking, "Pareidolia" straddles a number of genres and moods quite well. I also love the unique theatrical world Fahmy builds by splicing the online world, naturalistic scenes, and some magical sounding montage/collage towards the end and in the wedding scene. I would love to see this staged, as it seems like an exciting adventure for directors and designers as well as actors. At the heart of this play are well developed characters--both the sympathetic Mal, and the other eclectic individuals.

    read more
    ”
View all 6 recommendations

Development History

  • Reading, Fault Line Theater, 2016
  • Reading, Rising Circle Theater Collective, 2015
  • Reading, The Lark Play Development Center, 2015