New Arab American Theater Works is excited to present a groundbreaking showcase of plays by local and national SWANA (Southwest Asian/North African) and Muslim playwrights. Adam ElSayigh (New York), Ahmed Ismail Yusuf (Minnesota), Ifrah Mansour (Minnesota), Nabra Nelson (Seattle), William Nour (Minnesota), Aamera Siddiqui (Minnesota), Sana Wazwaz (Minnesota), SEVAN (New York).
New Arab American Theater Works is excited to bring together over 30 members of the local and national Arab and Muslim American writing community to showcase writing and discuss issues of pertinence to our community through a presentation of an inaugural showcase of writers who participated in our first Playwrights Incubator Program. Local and National Arab and Muslim playwrights participated in a selective program through application - one of the first such programs to exist in the U.S.
The New Arab American Theater Works Playwright Incubator Program is a playwright development program for SWANA (Southwest Asian/North African) and Muslim playwrights. This program convened early to mid career playwrights who participated in a supportive environment to develop new work. The playwrights are from across the U.S. and have been meeting since July 2022 to workshop their plays, and discuss issues of importance in our community.
The April 1-2 showcase will consist of 8 individual plays that have come out of this process, and will include audience talk backs by some of the most exciting writers of today. Each session will consist of 45 minutes of reading and 30 minutes of discussion with the playwright and a community moderator. Work will be performed by local SWANA community members. No tickets are needed. Free to attend.
Saturday, April 1
1:30 pm Conscience Cafe by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf (moderated by Safy Farah)
3:00 pm New Work by Ifrah Mansour
4:30 pm Confessions by Nabra Nelson (moderated by Layla Assamarai)
6:00 pm McArabia by SEVAN Yaad Hai? by Aamera Siddiqui (moderated by Joseph Farag)
Sunday, April 2
2:00 pm Rosette by William Nour (moderated by Khaldoun Samman)
3:30 pm Birthright Palestine by Sana Wazwaz (moderated by Taher Herzallah)
5:00 pm Jamestown/Williamsburg by Adam Elsayigh
This cohort is the first group to participate in the New Arab American Theater Works Playwright Incubator Program.
About New Arab American Theater Works: New Arab American Theater Works was founded as a collective of Minnesota based Arab, Arab American and Muslim Theater artists with a wide variety of strengths as writers, performers, educators, and theater makers who have been presenting theater locally, nationally and internationally for over 20 years. We have worked together, and in the broader community, in many capacities including non-profit, education, and professional theater. We created a collective to present new theater works by Arab Americans to fill a void in the local and national scene where Arab American theater artists lack voice and opportunities to present our own stories.
We are a proud member of the MENA Theater Makers Alliance.