TMR 42 • THEATRE Roundtable Discussion

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This month, TMR presents a lively and potentially contentious conversation on contemporary Arab and Arab American theatre from the viewpoint of its theatremakers in the post-Covid era. This discussion will be moderated by playwright Hassan Abdulrazzak (Iraq), and featuring artistic director/producer Georgina Van Welie (UK/Kuwait), Egyptian American playwright Yussef El Guindi (USA) and Syrian playwright Mudar Alhaggi.

Join us online on Thursday, June 20th at 1pm EST/ 7pm CET/ 6pm UK.

Discover their work in our THEATRE issue:

• Hassan Abdulrazzak’s centerpiece: Dare Not Speak—a One-Act Play
• Yussef El Guindi’s play: As We Near the End (or What Adorno Said)
• Georgina Van Welie’s essay: Arab Shakespeare?
• Mudar Alhaggi’s play: The Return of Danton—a Play by Mudar Alhaggi & Collective Ma’louba

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About the speakers:

Hassan Abdulrazzak is an award-winning writer of Iraqi origin, born in Prague and living in London. His plays include The Special Relationship; And Here I Am; Love, Bombs and Apples; The Prophet; and Baghdad Wedding (all published by Bloomsbury). Abdulrazzak has translated numerous Arabic plays and contributed to several anthologies including Iraq +100 (Comma Press). The script of his short film A Night of Gharam won the Unsolicited Scripts Short Film Grant 2022.

Born in Egypt, raised in London and now based in Seattle, Yussef El Guindi’s work frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures and politics that face Arab/ Middle Eastern Americans and Muslim Americans. His many productions include Hotter Than Egypt at Marin Theatre Company and ACT in Seattle; People of the Book at ACT; The Talented Ones at ART in Portland; and Threesome at Portland Center Stage, ACT, and at 59E59 (NY). Broadway Play Publishing Inc. published a collection of short pieces entitled In A Clear Concise Arabic Tongue. He is the recipient of several honors, including the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, American Blues Theater’s Blue Ink Playwriting Award, L.A. Weekly’s Excellence in Playwriting Award, and the Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award.

Georgina Van Welie graduated from Cambridge University then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she directed three shows for their Fringe Festival before going on to found her own company Inigo Productions. Co-founder of Sabab Theatre from 2002 – 2013 she produced bilingual Arabic/English theatre productions in collaboration with prestigious performing-arts organisations that include: The Kennedy Center, BAM New York, Arts Emerson (USA); The Royal Shakespeare Company, Riverside Studios, Gate Theatre, Shubbak Festival (UK); Le Comedie Francaise, Bouffes du Nord (France), The Holland Festival, Warsaw Festival, Attiki Festival Greece; The Tokyo International Arts Festival, Seoul Performing Arts Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, Sydney Festival; Dar al Athar Al Islamiyyah Kuwait, Al Ain Festival, Sharjah Biennale, Cairo International Theatre Festival, Le Tournesol Theatre Beirut. She is currently working on a new Shakespeare Trilogy. Georgina has also worked as story liner, script editor and co-writer on a number of award-winning TV shows and films with Channel 4, Pearson Television (UK) and most recently with Linked Productions Whose Country (dir. Siam Mohammed).

Mudar Alhaggi is a playwright, dramaturg, and cultural activist. He received a B.A in Dramatic Studies from The Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in 2005 and shortly afterwards co-established the Street Workshop for playwriting. From 2005-2011, he designed interactive activities for children, and trained trainers in interactive theatre methods. He participated in several writing workshops and residency programs in Europe and the Arab region.

He was artist in residency in “Delfina foundation , London 2010” and in “Schlachthaus Theater Bern, 2014.” In 2013, Mudar moved from Damascus to Beirut, where did many artistic projects, he launched “KEIT KEIT KEIT” a series of writing and documentation workshops for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Then later in Europe ( Graz, Zurich, Dresden, Berlin), he also was a dramaturge of ( above zero) performance, produced by Koon theatre group, and presented in Beirut, Tunisa, and Amsterdam. Also in 2014 Mudar directed (one thousand and one tents) performance, produced by Ettijahat, and presented in sunflower theatre in Beirut. In May-june Mudar was artist in residency in “Schlachthaus Theater Bern” where he wrote a daily blog for -Auawirleben theatre festival, and started a collaporation with K.N.P.V teater group, in producing (41 stunden) where was a drmaturg/ performer, the show was premiered in 2016 in Kellertheatre wintertur. In 2014- 2015 Founder and artistic director (with Erik Altorfer) of Futures Stages, a playwriting workshop for Syrian and Syrian-Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The project was supported by Ettijahat and prohelvitia.

His texts incude The Don Juan, Wisal, Bronze, When Farah Cries, 41 Hours, Your Love is Fire, Barsach, Orura, Just a Formality, The Dead are Busy, The Return of Danton.

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