Playwright Tom Coash, who has served as a visiting faculty member in WKU’s Department of Theatre and Dance, recently returned from a trip to the Middle East where “Veils,” his one-act play commissioned by WKU, was among the productions presented.

“Veils” was part of “Cairo Stories,” a trilogy of one-act plays, presented in 2007 by WKU’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Earlier this year, Coash was named the winner of the 2012 Middle-Eastern Playwriting Competition for “Veils” and “Khalass.” As part of the award, the one-act plays set in present-day Cairo, Egypt, were produced in May at the American University in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. During a 10-day visit to the UAE, Coash participated in workshops, rehearsals and class visits.

Coash then traveled to Egypt for a theatre festival and a playwriting workshop at the American University in Cairo where his play “Khamaseen” had its world premiere. The play, which has been published online by Heartland Plays, had its U.S. premiere in February 2011 at WKU during Coash’s third visit as a visiting artist.

Coash has received a development grant from the InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia to turn “Veils” into a full-length production. The play was part of a development workshop in January at the University of Oklahoma and is the featured play in the Summer 2012 iStar Theatre Lab in New York City.