“In ‘1001,’ the politics of romance, the collision of cultures and the persistence of emotional deception link the ancient Persian markets and palaces of Scheherazade with Manhattan in the age of electronic courtship,” says Bruce Brockman, Department of Theatre chairperson.

In this “kaleidoscopic reinvention” of the classic Persian fable, Scheherazade and her murderous husband are transformed into Dahna, a Palestinian graduate student, and Alan, her Jewish boyfriend. “1001” premiered at Denver Center Theater in 2007.

The Theatre Department, which is launching a new playwriting emphasis within its bachelor’s degree program this semester, has invited Grote to campus for two residencies this autumn. “Our new playwriting and dramaturgy emphasis gives students in-depth experience in writing and studying the structure of plays,” according to Brockman. “To have a smart, edgy young playwright on campus interacting formally and informally with our students and attending an early read-through and then the dress rehearsal and opening of his play is exactly the sort of quality experience we want to offer all of our students.”

Grote was born in New Jersey in 1971 and has lived in Brooklyn since 1997. He received his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2003. His plays have been widely produced in New York and beyond, and he has been commissioned by a number of theaters. Current and upcoming projects include theater commissions and film projects, including writing “What We Got,” a film by UWM’s Brad Lichtenstein.