anthony mason talks with ayad akhtar. >> with his drama "disgraced" now on broadway, ayad akhtar has york stage within a year. >> this is a dream come true. >> the "washington post" called the 44-year-old play write a dazzling new voice in american theater. "disgraced" which premiered in chicago three years ago put akhtar in the spotlight when it won the pulitzer prize. you're on broadway now? >> we never did the show for more than 100 people in chicago or london now 900 people a night. it's insane. >> all of akhtar's plays confront perhaps the most polarizing issue of the day. >> you don't need to patronize me. >> the muslim experience in america. for a lot of people to see or hear the word muslim is not too dissimilar to hear the word cancer. that's something that you're up against as a play write? >> as a novelist, as wherever. yeah, i am. but what am i going to do about it? >> keep telling really great stories hopefully enough people catch on you're like, it's not about that. it's about something else. like being human. >> the main character in "disgraced," amir, is a pakistani a

i'm pleased to have ayad akhtar at this table for the first time. welcome. >> thank you. >> rose: it's a pleasure. >> the pleasure is mine. >> rose: you could not be more timely, don't you agree? >> you know it's interesting-- . >> rose: you started in 2000 -- >> the play yeah a lot of the work that has come out, i had three plays in new york this year all dealing with questions of muslim american, or muslim western identity in a novel which came out three years ago, similar subject matter. all of that work i wrote or was inspired to write six seven years ago. and have been working have gotten through first drafts basically by five years ago. and so it's interesting that you know what is coming out now, a lot of times people say it feels like it's ripped from the headlines. i don't know that that is the case. it's in dialogue, i think the world is evolving out there. >> rose: you're absolutely right. it's both, really but especially now it seems to me that i've seen all of these kinds of conversations. you know, that the people without do the most o

. ♪ >> ayad akhtar is here. his play "disgraced" won the 2013 poulter prize.t is about a muslim american lawyer who must come to term with his identity. i am pleased to have ayad akhtar here for the first time. welcome. you could not be more timely. don't you agree? you started -- >> a lot of the work that has come out, i had three plays in new york, all of them dealing with muslim american identity. all of that work, i was inspired to write six or seven years ago. i had gotten through first drafts by five years ago. what is coming out now, a lot of times, people think it is from the headline. i don't know that that is the case. it is in dialogue -- the dialogue in the world that is evolving. >> it is both. especially now, it seems to me that i have seen all of these kinds of conversations. the people who do the most obscene violence in the name of islam are kidnapping religion. i have seen people who are heads of state and muslims who stay to me i am not a moderate muslim. i'm a muslim. anybody who ask like isis -- acts likes isis, they are not muslim. now yo

i'm an akhtar. i'm trying to do my best. >> the play aims to raise money and awareness at this late stage. this play was performed back in 2008. back then there was hope for the characters. that hope is now all but extinguished. the play has an urgency it hasn't had before. in australia there's a frenzy of campaigning. >> we stand for mercy. >> families have gone on television to plea. >> they are good kids. everyone makes a mistake. they did something stupid. they don't deserve to die. >> chan and sumatran have reformed in prison. he has become an artist. >> australia prime minister called for clemency. similar calls from the british and dutch were ignored and australia government has not said publicly relations will be damaged if the executions go ahead. the president is resolute. >> he has to ask if australia takes strong measures because of executions. if a product won't be exported we should face the consequences. it is difficult. ♪ ♪ reach out and touch somebody ...♪ >> reporter: thursday ther