Rumi, Feminism, and Shakespeare in Kabul

In 2005, a carpet designer named Qais Akbar Omar was part of a group that staged a production of Love's Labor's Lost in Kabul, the first public performance of Shakespeare in Afghanistan in 35 years. After decades of occupation, war, and Taliban rule, the group was eager to perform a comedy, and Love's Labor's Lost resonated with the actors. Brooke talks with Omar about the production, which he wrote about in his book A Night in the Emperor's Garden, and the profound connections between Shakespeare and Afghanistan.