Co-produced by Golden Thread Productions and Art2Action, Inc

Co-sponsored by Diaspora Arts Connection, New Arab American Theater Works, Noor Theatre, Silk Road Rising, and Theatre Communications Group's THRIVE! Program

The Convening is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Ford Foundation.

​

 

CONVENING SCHEDULE
In-person events will take place at Potrero Stage and The Annex upstairs at 1695 18th Street, San Francisco, CA. Digital sessions will be livestreamed on Howlround.

​

Friday, October 27, 2023

​

• 11am-1pm PT: MENATMA Board Meeting 
  (@ The Annex, by invitation only)
   

• 1-3pm PT: Lunch Break (on your own)
   

• 3-5pm PT: Producers' Circle
  Participants: Andrea Assaf, Sahar Assaf, Raymond Bobgan, Debórah Eliezer, Kathryn Haddad, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, Kate Moore Heaney
  Moderated by Jamil Khoury
  (@ The Annex, by invitation only)
  The MENATMA Producers' Circle brings together theatre producers and artistic directors committed to supporting work by and about our SWANA communities. We aim to create a collaborative network that shares resources, platforms, and best practices, and to amplify SWANA voices throughout the American theatre.
   

• 5-8pm PT: Free Time
   

• 8-10pm PT: Performance: ReOrient Festival of Short Plays
  Featuring short plays by Katrin Arefy, Judith Bovajian Strang-Waldau, Yussef El Guindi, Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Arti Ishak, and Hamed Sinno
  (@ Potrero Stage)
   

Saturday, October 28, 2023​

​

• 9-9:30am PT: Registration 
  (@ Potrero Stage)
   

• 9:30-9:50am PT: BIPOC Affinity Meditation Sit
  Facilitated by Amal Bisharat, RYT 500hr
  (@ The Annex)
  Open to all self-identified BIPOC. Come as you are! Bring your own cushion or mat. 
   

• 10-11:15am PT: Town Hall: Building Community Among SWANA Theater Artists 
  Moderated by Deborah Eliezer, Kathryn Haddad, and Jamil Khoury
  (@ The Annex)
  ​​​​How do we support and uphold each other as artists and community members from the SWANA region? What do we need to do to ensure that we are including, supporting, and making space for each other in our community as theater artists? 
   

• 11:30am-12pm PT: Convening Opening: MENA Theater Advocacy Today
  Welcome by Golden Thread Executive Artistic Director Sahar Assaf
  Opening Remarks by Andrea Assaf and Torange Yeghiazarian on behalf of the MENATMA Founding Board
  (@ Potrero Stage and livestreamed on Howlround)
   

• 12-1:30pm PT: Lunch Break (on your own)
   

• 1:30-2:45pm PT: Panel: Sustainability and Self-Preservation: Palestinian Artists Speak Out
  Featuring Hanna Eady, Maya Nazzal, Manaar Azreik, and Mama Ganuush
  Moderated by Andrea Assaf and Sahar Assaf ​
  (@ Potrero Stage and livestreamed on Howlround)
   

• 3-4:30pm PT: Panel: MENA Artists Leading in National Theaters
  Featuring Raymond Bobgan, Inji Kamel, and Pirronne Yousefzadeh
  Moderated by Evren Odcikin
  (@ Potrero Stage and livestreamed on Howlround)
  MENA artists are finally stepping into executive leadership positions at national theater organizations of size. What are the opportunities and challenges they face? Does a MENA leader necessarily mean it's easier for MENA work to get produced? 
   

• 4:30-4:45pm PT: Coffee Break (provided)
   

• 4:45-6pm PT: Panel: MENA Theater in Schools and Universities
  Featuring Heather Rastovac Akbarzadeh, PhD; Hala Baki, PhD; Michael Malek Najjar, PhD; and Peyman Shams
  Moderated by Amal Bisharat
  (@ Potrero Stage and livestreamed on Howlround)
  How do MENA theater makers and educators from K-12 to university settings navigate questions of cultural competency, representation, and omission? This panel considers all the ways in which students might engage with MENA theater, such as in production, as dramatic text, or in theater history lessons.
   

• 6-7:30pm PT: Dinner Break (on your own)
   

• 8-10pm PT: Performance: ReOrient Festival of Short Plays
  Featuring short plays by Katrin Arefy, Judith Bovajian Strang-Waldau, Yussef El Guindi, Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Arti Ishak, and Hamed Sinno
  (@ Potrero Stage)

​

Sunday, October 29, 2023
​

• 9-9:30am PT: Registration 
  (@ Potrero Stage)
   

• 9:30-9:50am PT: BIPOC Affinity Meditation Sit
  Facilitated by Amal Bisharat, RYT 500hr 
  (@ The Annex)
  Open to all self-identified BIPOC. Come as you are! Bring your own cushion or mat. 
   

• Concurrent Sessions:
   

  • 10-11:30am PT: Panel: MENA Political Theatre at Home and in the Diaspora
    Featuring Andrea Assaf, Heather Raffo, Hamed Sinno, and Junaid Sarieddeen
    Moderated by Catherine Coray
    (@ Potrero and livestreamed on Howlround)​
    This panel with MENA international artists explores the dynamics and artistic expressions of political theatre in the MENA region and in the diaspora. Artists will share their creative processes and the ways in which they navigate the intersection of politics, identity, and theatre. 
     

  • 10-11:30am PT: Session: How Do We Fit In? An Embodied Session on MENA Identity
    Co-facilitated by Amal Bisharat, Debórah Eliezer, and Kholoud Nasser
    (@ The Annex)
    A MENA/SWANA-identified affinity workspace cultivating horizontal dialogue, navigating fluid and intersectional identities and celebrating the joy of belonging. This session will center embodied experiences in which to explore the challenges and resources navigating our identities in the bigger American social context. 
     

• 11:30am-12pm PT: Coffee Break (provided)​
   

• 12-1pm PT: Presentation: Performing Change by Wafaa Bilal
  Introduced by Sahar Assaf
  (@ Potrero Stage)
  Iraqi-American artists Wafaa Bilal will discuss specific bodies of work including Domestic Tension (aka Shoot an Iraqi), 168:01, and his most recent project In a Grain of Wheat.
   

• 1-2:15pm PT: Networking Lunch (Provided)
  A platform for MENA creatives to share their work and build connections. Registration required.
   

• 2:15-3:45pm PT: Intercommunity Dialogue: Coalition Building With Other Networks
  Featuring Jacqueline Flores, Leslie Ishii, Jonathan McCrory, Opalanietet Pierce, DeLanna Studi, K. Zaheerah Sultan, Meredith Suttles, and Torange Yeghiazarian
  Moderated by Kate Moore Heaney with an introduction by Emilya Cachapero
  (@ Potrero Stage, livestreamed on Howlround)
  The creation of MENATMA has been greatly influenced and supported by other theatre networks of color. How can we continue to build on our connections with these networks and work together towards shared goals for our communities?
   

• Concurrent Sessions:
   

  • ​3-5pm PT: Performance: ReOrient Festival of Short Plays
    Featuring short plays by Katrin Arefy, Judith Bovajian Strang-Waldau, Yussef El Guindi, Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Arti Ishak, and Hamed Sinno
    (@ Potrero Stage)
     

  • 4-5pm PT: Kunafa and Shay Live: Possibilities for Affinity Spaces with MENA/SWANA and LGBTQIA+ Artists
    Featuring Andrea Assaf, Feras Hilal, Evren Odcikin, and Sara Razavi
    Co-hosted by Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson
    (@ The Annex, livestreamed on Howlround)
    This live recording of the Kunafa & Shay Theatre Podcast in partnership with Mizna+RAWIfest discusses the benefits and complications of queer MENA and SWANA affinity spaces.
    
     

• 5:15-6pm PT: Conversation with ReOrient Artists: Navigating Boundaries in Role-Playing and Cultural Specificity
  Moderated by Nakissa Etemad
  (@ Potrero Stage)
  This conversation between ReOrient artists and audiences explores the intricate dynamics of crossing boundaries between playing roles from different parts of the Middle East.

​

 

​

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

​
Sahar Assaf, Executive Artistic Director, Golden Thread Productions

Hala Baki, Director/Dramaturg/Scholar/Educator, California Polytechnic State University

Amal Bisharat, Golden Thread Resident Artist

Debórah Eliezer, Golden Thread Resident Artist, Artistic Director, Aviva Arts

Kathryn Haddad, Artistic Executive Director, New Arab American Theater Works

Denmo Ibrahim, Writer, Actor

Marina Johnson, Director, Dramaturg

Jamil Khoury, Founding Co-Executive Artistic Director, Silk Road Rising

Kate Moore Heaney, Artistic Producer, Noor Theatre and Artistic Associate, Literary, Long Wharf Theatre

Nabra Nelson, Playwright

Heather Rastovac Akbarzadeh, Scholar-Artist and Dramaturg