JERK-OFF!

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY NADIA P. MANZOOR

DIRECTED BY SARNA LAPINE

PRODUCED BY Noor Theatre and Ma-Yi Theater Company

JERK OFF! is a raw, darkly funny autobiographical solo play by Nadia P. Manzoor, blending visceral storytelling, movement, and ritual to interrogate how shame, desire, and control are inherited across immigrant families and intimate relationships. Set in the aftermath of her mother’s death, a rupture that quietly fractures her British-Pakistani family, the piece follows a woman navigating grief, sexuality, faith, and a romantic relationship that mirrors the very systems of power she’s trained to identify as a domestic violence professional. A daring, urgent sequel to the critically acclaimed solo show Burq Off!, JERK OFF! speaks directly to this cultural moment, where conversations around consent, patriarchy, and women’s autonomy are no longer theoretical but embodied and unresolved.

Nadia P. Manzoor is a Pakistani-British writer and performer based in Brooklyn. Her debut solo show Burq Off! toured internationally for three years to sold-out audiences in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Seoul, and was featured in the award-winning documentary The Pakistani Four. Her comedy series Shugs and Fats won a Gotham Award and premiered at the Tribeca and Tacoma Film Festivals, and was later developed into a pilot with Amazon Studios. Her short film script Cut Leaf was selected as a finalist for Tribeca’s Through Her Lens program. She was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” In 2025, Nadia debuted her stand-up comedy special Disobedient, a fearless and sharply funny dismantling of the myths of marriage, motherhood, and female “good behavior,” with plans to tour in 2026. Her work interrogates identity, faith, power, and desire with biting humor and emotional depth, and she has been interviewed by Christiane Amanpour, Terry Gross, Deepak Chopra and others.

RESERVE TICKETS

Hi, I’m Sarna Lapine.

As a director of theater— spanning musicals, plays, opera, and concerts— I’ve had the privilege of working across the globe, while proudly calling New York City home. My academic foundation is in English literature and anthropology, disciplines that initially steered me toward the study of humanity. It was the theater, however, that ultimately became my medium for that exploration.

I believe theater is the great equalizer. It demands that we gather elbow to elbow in shared darkness, asked to engage in a collective experience of reflection, conversation, and catharsis. My role as a director is to guide and facilitate meaningful collaboration among writers, designers, producers, actors, and audiences alike. Together, we generate new ideas, dialogue, and purpose within a shared creative process.

At its best, theater transcends the individual. My work centers on helping artists connect with a larger vision— contributing to something greater than themselves, and elevating the work to its highest potential.