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Mission
| History | Current Initiatives | |
Arab Americans in Theatre
Thursday – September 25th,
2003 @ 1:00pm EST
An online roundtable discussion,
hosted by the Non-Traditional Casting Project, Inc.
included the following
participants:
Yussef El Guindi
Arab
American playwright
Literary
Manager, Golden Thread Productions
Rana Kazkaz
Arab American actor, producer and
Co-Founder, The Kazbah Project
Torange Yeghiazarian
Iranian/Armenian/American theater artist
Artistic Director, Golden Thread
Productions
(led by)
Dina Amin
Arab
American theater director and
Professor,
University of Pennsylvania
Thursday –
September 25th, 2003 @
Dina Amin:
Welcome
all. I would like to start by asking you to introduce yourselves; I will go
last. We can perhaps follow this order: Rana, Torange, Yussef, myself.
Rana Kazkaz:
Hello,
I am Rana Kazkaz, an Arab American actor and producer.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
OK,
I'm Torange Yeghiazarian, Iranian/Armenian/American theatre artist. I'm the
Artistic Director of Golden Thread
Productions, a theatre company exploring Middle Eastern culture &
identity.
Yussef El Guindi:
And a very good theatre it is. My name
is Yussef El Guindi. I'm an Arab American playwright, originally from
Dina Amin:
I am Dina Amin an Arab American theater director and university
professor, also originally from
Yussef El Guindi:
Yes, I just heard. A major loss. It’s very sad to think his
sane and unique voice isn’t out there anymore; that we can’t depend
on it. But his writing lives on and hopefully he’s set an example for
others to follow.
Dina Amin:
If
any of you would like to add anything about Said, please briefly do so now.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes
it is a very sad day. He was a leader. We must continue the struggles that he
so beautifully fought throughout his life.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
His
daughter will be performing a piece about him in NYC; there is something very
poignant in the timing of this.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
it will be done at Alwan, the new Middle
Eastern Cultural Center in
Dina Amin:
Well,
my first question to the panel is: What are you currently doing to promote
Arab/Middle Eastern theater?
Rana Kazkaz:
I have produced several plays with my company, The
Kazbah Project that I co-founded with an African American woman, Bridgit Evans,
in 1999. Although our scope is international, many of the theatre and film
projects that we are currently developing consider the situations of Middle
Eastern people. I am working now on
producing a series of comedic one-act plays about pre-arranged marriage written
by Middle Eastern American writers. It
will be co-produced by Nibras, an Arab
American theatre company that I helped co-found. We will perform it at Alwan in Spring, 2004. And actually, one of Yussef’s plays
will be featured.
Yussef El Guindi:
Very
happy to hear that! Break a leg with the project.
Dina Amin:
Torange?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Since
1996-7, Golden Thread Productions
has been producing plays by Middle Eastern playwrights and non-Middle
Easterners writing about the
Dina Amin:
Yussef?
Yussef El Guindi:
I’m currently working on a play
that we’re going to present at an Arab Festival here in
Rana Kazkaz:
Ooooo
- that's great - I didn't know that, Yussef. I am working with Alex of Alwan to try to have Torange bring some of her
plays to
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Which
we're very happy to do.
Dina Amin:
I promote Middle Eastern theater
through my directing and teaching; I direct Arabic plays in translation in the states and teach/introduce
modern Arabic and world drama in my course
offerings and through my stage productions. My main is goal to provide
understanding, research and critical criteria in academia, for students and
scholars, by which to understand Middle Eastern drama and include it within the
canon of world literature and performance arts. On stage, I try to introduce new Arab/American and Arab women voices to
the American stage; I’ve combined both last May when I directed a stage
adaptation of an Egyptian feminist writer by Yussef. I am trying to direct another of his original
works here in Philly soon.
Moving on, what are our biggest challenges then?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Our
challenges are: Funding, audience development, and casting.
Dina Amin:
Who
is your audience?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Our
audience is a mix of Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern, 50/50. The Middle
Easterners are mainly Iranian and Palestinian.
Dina Amin:
A
theater without audience is like a non-worshipped god. But who is your ideal
audience, Torange?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Ideal
audience? This was a question in last night's Board meeting. My ideal audience
member is someone who is interested in good theatre, and aware, or at least
interested, in exploring issues, characters, stories.
Dina Amin:
Personally,
I like to think that my audience is the entire world (not a chance), but as a
professor I always feel it is my duty to "introduce" and explain
diversity.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We
do a lot of explaining, often to Middle Easterners who ask why we do what we do
and, “Who cares?”
Dina Amin:
Do
you get resistant audience members?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
The
non-Middle Eastern audiences seem to really appreciate being exposed to this
material.
Dina Amin:
I
find the explaining part, at times, tiring.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
The
Middle Easterners long for the better days when they could see their own
theatre in their own countries...my assumption. Many Middle Easterners are
interested in traditional Middle Eastern plays, comedy-musical, in original
language.
Rana Kazkaz:
My
experience so far is that the Middle Eastern community is coming out to support
Middle Eastern plays. I see a
hunger. And slowly non-Middle Eastern
people are also coming. Yes, challenges…I would like to add to that:
visibility and stereotypes.
Yussef El Guindi:
My biggest challenge is finding theatres open to doing Arab
American plays, which is why the creation of theaters like Nibras Collective in
Dina Amin:
Yussef,
who do you write for?
Yussef El Guindi:
First of all myself. But as I just
mentioned, I also have to wonder if what I’m writing will appeal to any
of the theaters out there. I often ignore that concern and plow on ahead
regardless and hope for the best. But it’s something I have to keep in
mind. “Is there an audience out there for this?”
Dina Amin:
Rana,
as an Arab American actress, do you feel that you are typecast?
Rana Kazkaz:
That's
an interesting question. I get so
excited anytime I get to play a Middle Eastern person. In fact, ideally I wish I could make a career
of playing mostly Middle Eastern people. But yes, I have turned down roles that
I felt were just plain hateful.
Dina Amin:
Do
you play non-Middle Eastern parts too?
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
I've mostly played non-Middle Eastern people.
But I do notice that there are more roles for Middle Easterners becoming
available. There is this misperception
among casting people that there aren't Middle Eastern actors out there or that
we aren't trained.
Dina Amin:
Why
is that? And how do you feel about the non-Middle Eastern actors who play
Middle Eastern roles in film and on stage?
Rana Kazkaz:
Mostly just because of not being aware. Sometimes I wonder if it's because they would
be too embarrassed to ask Middle Eastern people to constantly play the
"terrorist" or the "harem girl/belly dancer". I have no problem with Middle Eastern roles
sometimes being played by Latino or South Asian people, but yes, it is
frustrating to see that most Middle Eastern roles are played by non-Middle
Eastern people.
Yussef El Guindi:
The good news about finding Middle
Eastern actors for Middle Eastern roles (outside of the major centers:
Dina Amin:
I
think that casting is probably the most frustrating element in the making of
theater. Do you agree Torange?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Well,
it's different with Golden Thread
Productions... we offer meaty parts but little money. I think some
"serious" actors decline our offer because they don't want to be
boxed into Middle Eastern characters. I don't know how it is in
Dina Amin:
Many
agencies get in touch with me about Arab/Middle Eastern actors. The problem is
that they can't find them in a certain age group: above 50.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
I'm
running around right now trying to cast a 2-man play: a 20-year old and 70-year
old Palestinian. You'd think the 20-year old one at least should be easy to
find, but no!
Dina Amin:
Torange
doesn't feel as frustrated about the casting process, yet she can't find the
actors for the roles. Do you think that talent agents don't want to sponsor
Arab actors?
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes, I have had a hard time finding agent
representation here in
Dina Amin:
I
don't think that Middle Eastern roles should only be played by Middle Eastern
actors. What I cannot stand is
typecasting and stereotyping.
Rana Kazkaz:
As
more Middle Eastern parents begin to support their children becoming artists,
there will continue to be more of us.
Yussef El Guindi:
Yes, that support is critical. Or at
least having children brave enough to pursue their interest in the arts
regardless.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Rana's
right. A big problem is how Middle Eastern families perceive theatre. They don't value it as a serious career, and kids
don't get encouraged to pursue it seriously.
Yussef El Guindi:
I wish they would understand that participation in the arts is the
key to correcting some of the problems we have as far as misrepresentation and
stereotyping. We’ve got to be the ones to tell our own stories. Which is
not to say others can’t tell it, or participate in this, but it would be
nice to have us in the mix!
Dina Amin:
I
think it is a mix of things: minority thinking and a disregard for theater.
Rana Kazkaz:
Well, Middle Eastern people tend to be skeptical of
American art because traditionally it hasn't portrayed Middle Eastern people
very accurately. It is exactly the same
challenge that many non-white communities face.
And yes, Torange, I agree, but I do think it's changing.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
I
hope so...we're having better luck with teenagers now than three years ago, but
they all move on to become lawyers & doctors.
Dina Amin:
But
this is exactly why Arab/Middle Eastern families also don't contribute to the
arts. Which brings us, I guess, to
funding.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
Middle Eastern people need to begin to support the arts more financially and
value that type of contribution. Middle Eastern people will be more humanized
when we start to have a larger cultural presence that we have more control
over.
Dina Amin:
As
the assistant director of the Arab Theater Project, which is barely surviving
now, most Arab families whom we approached for donations declined. To them, art
is not a cause. At least it is not a cause that they want to support.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We
have to keep in mind that many Middle Easterners don't consider themselves part
of this society.
Rana Kazkaz:
It is so unfortunate, because it absolutely is
directly related to how we are perceived, and it is going to take money to
change that.
Yussef El Guindi:
Then again, I think that’s the case with most immigrant
groups who first arrive in the States. There’s always a backward glance
to the “home” country.
It’s usually their children who begin to integrate and
participate.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Our
base of support is growing slowly. We are seeing more Middle Easterners in our
audience and supporting the company but it can definitely expand.
Rana Kazkaz:
I
agree with Torange - it is changing.
Dina Amin:
It’s
a two-way stream: is it that they don’t consider themselves as part of
this society, or is it that they feel that perhaps they are not welcome? I
think that the lack of financial support is directly linked to identity issues:
Do Arabs want to be identified as “Arabs" in a climate where they
might be hated?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Dina,
I agree, many Middle Easterners just want to hide, dissolve in the big pool.
But some are willing to stick their necks out. These are the ones we should
focus on.
Dina Amin:
I
am not sure there are many of those. Arabs and Middle Easterners feel insecure
nowadays.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
Torange & Dina, I agree: many are just trying to stay safe, but there are
certainly plenty of Middle Eastern artists that stick out their necks everyday,
here and in the
Yussef El Guindi:
Yes, and I think part of our work is in
identifying those artists and encouraging them. Pushing them out there as
cultural workers who are doing a much needed job.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
I'm
still casting most Arab parts with Iranian actors with whom I have a personal
relationship.
Dina Amin:
It
ends up being this way: We are a very small group, therefore we always work
with one another.
Rana Kazkaz:
It's
wonderful, of course, audiences need to understand the similarities and
differences with the Arab and Iranian cultures.
For example, many people assume that
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Rana,
do you think because you have played Middle Eastern parts, now you don't get
offers for non-Middle Eastern parts?
Rana Kazkaz:
No, I still get non-Middle Eastern offers and that's
great. Just for myself, I put more energy into pursuing Middle Eastern roles at
present. I feel very responsible toward
the Middle Eastern community and desire to have a role in more humane and
accurate representation.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Last
year I cast the part of an Egyptian man with an Indian actor. I heard that the
few Arabs who came to see the play hated this fact about it. Some were even
offended: “What, you think we're the same as Indians?” How similar
is our situation with Latinos and African Americans?
Rana Kazkaz:
Certainly I think we have so much to learn from both
communities and the Asian and South Asian communities as well. Those
communities have begun to blaze a trail for us.
I am currently being considered to play an Indian woman and I love it.
Again, there are similarities and differences. I think that the more
communities we unite with, the better: Arab, Middle Eastern, Iranian, South
Asian, Latino, African American…
Dina Amin:
Well
the Middle Eastern community is by no means unified.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
but as artists we are starting to unite.
Dina Amin:
Of
course, talking about identity issues today reminds me of Edward Said’s amazing
courage to show the world who he was and encourage others to do so too. I think
that theater needs more spirited people as such.
Rana Kazkaz:
Absolutely, Dina. There is a fear though that if we
stick out our necks artistically and politically, that we will be
black-listed. But, ultimately, integrity
is most important. And the goal,
ultimately, is freedom, truth and humanization.
Who could legitimately find fault with that?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
A
couple of years ago, the entire cast of one play about Iranian youth were American,
except for one young Iranian woman. One young Iranian woman in the audience
commented that no Iranian woman would behave the way this particular Iranian
woman character did, that casting Americans as Iranians just doesn't work. But
she didn't know that the actor she was referring to was Iranian!
Rana Kazkaz:
It's so interesting because there as many different
characters as there are people, but because Middle Eastern people are so rarely
portrayed, there is this pressure to represent the "whole" rather
than individual people.
Yussef El Guindi,
Yes, I sometimes feel this pressure as writer. And, as you
suggest, as more plays are written around Mid-East subjects and the immigrant
experience, there won’t be this pressure to always try and encompass
everything in each role and play. (As in, hearing comments such as: “Why
didn’t you write about this subject instead or emphasize this topic in
the community?”)
Dina Amin:
When
the director of the Arab Theater Project, Holly Hill, tried to raise money for
the project, Arabs from certain countries refused to give money to support
theater of other Arab countries. It had to be a theater from only their country
that they would support.
Rana Kazkaz:
I'm so inclusionary that that kind of sentiment is
strange to me. Of course there are 22 different Arab countries with their own
cultures specific to them, but there is so much in common between them,
too. Concentrating on similarities
rather than differences, I believe, has much more value. It seems so basic but we are all just human
with similar needs and desires.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
This
year, we're staging a play by Motti Lerner (
Dina Amin:
I
directed a staged reading of one of Yussef's stage adaptations of a short story
by Salwa Bakr, at the People's Light &
Theater Company, here in Philly. The audience loved the play - but
Egyptians complained that the issue of female circumcision was mentioned. They
thought that we were exposing dirty laundry.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yussef
has a lot of talent.
Yussef El Guindi:
Much thanks for that!
Dina Amin:
On
another occasion, when I produced a play about domestic abuse by Alfred Farag,
I got the same reaction. So there are taboo subjects in that the community doesn't
want us to broach them, as though domestic abuse is only a Middle Eastern
regional problem.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes, again, I think that since we are so rarely
portrayed at all, there is this desire that Middle Eastern people have to only
see positive images - especially when there are mostly negative images already
out there.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
YES,
YES!!! This is one of the most common reactions we see when presenting plays
that are "self-critical".
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes, and there should be a place for self-criticism,
but I do understand the desire and need to balance the negative with more
positive. After all, to not be
self-critical is also dangerous.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Betty
Shamieh's Tamam was attacked as
stereotyping Middle Eastern men as violent, and we were attacked for promoting
negative images of Middle Eastern families by presenting issues regarding
domestic violence.
Yussef El Guindi:
Last year I wrote a play about a Muslim
family and the pressures they faced in the States. I was castigated by some
more conservative elements in the community - when it had a staged reading -
for raising issues I should, perhaps, have left out. I do understand where
they’re coming from. As has been pointed out, when there aren’t
that many positive images out there, you sort of hope the artists from your
community will be the ones generating the positive images that are lacking
elsewhere. But we also have a job to examine and be honest - at least as each
of us sees it.
Dina Amin:
This
split personality is really difficult. What I can present in
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
I encountered that when we were choosing plays to be produced as part of
Unexpected Journeys last year—a collection of plays written by women who
had been influenced by Muslim culture.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Dina
is right. Another example is a play about Stoning in
Dina Amin:
This
really is a problem of censorship in a way.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
It
is exactly censorship. But, as Rana says, a major part of the problem is related
to the rarity of representation. As more plays are written & produced, I'm
sure we'll see this reaction less frequently, but it won't disappear.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
I really think that is the main problem and much of the reason why I am working
to produce the comedies right now. Also,
I have to admit that currently I am concentrating on more uplifting stories to
tell in general. The media does such a
good job of uncovering the bad as it is.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We're
thinking of starting a youth theatre program next year, inshallah [“God willing” in Arabic]. This would be a
good opportunity to work with some fun old stories and lighter material.
Dina Amin:
On
the other hand, non-Middle Eastern theaters, directors, producers here in the
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes, exoticism definitely continues to be a
problem—people want the dirt. Some
want to see us as the “other” and simply dismiss us and think we
are backward.
Yussef El Guindi:
Yes, exoticism sells. But, as a writer, there’s always the
Trojan Horse theory of using the exotic as a means to subvert those
“Orientalist/stereotypical” images to tell the story you want to
tell - in the way you feel it should be told. It’s interesting to see how
other immigrant groups have done this in the past.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Theatres
are always looking for a marketing angle. Exiled playwright, banned play...it
helps market!
Rana Kazkaz:
It's
so funny, because Middle Eastern people are known for being incredibly
romantic, friendly and hospitable and yet where are those stories???
Dina Amin:
I
think that your idea, Torange, of a youth theater is actually great.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Dina,
you want to suggest some plays for the youth program? I'm all ears. :-)
Dina Amin:
I
will certainly be thinking of some ideas. This is an idea I wholly support.
Rana Kazkaz:
I am working with The
Play Company to hopefully bring some Iraqi plays to the US and one of the
plays we are trying to get is the one Saddam Hussein wrote. I am soooo curious to read it!!! That would certainly be a marketing angle.
Yussef El Guindi:
And how! (I wonder if he would object
to any text changes, if you needed to make them. Hmmm....I think there’s
a play in there somewhere.)
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Rana,
there are those fun stories too... Golden
Thread Productions has produced comedies in the past. They are fewer
though...we can also use more translations.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
translating is necessary but hard to get done well.
Dina Amin:
Yes,
translations are of enormous importance. As a teacher, I neither find good
translations nor a large selection to choose from. Somehow I feel that
translators get to outline the canon of Arabic plays out there. I’ve
therefore started to depend on myself and translate plays for my students that
I feel they ought to read.
Rana Kazkaz:
Torange
& Dina - could you talk a little bit of the Middle Eastern perception of us
working in
Dina Amin:
Well,
in my experience, most of the playwrights that I know in
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Well,
mainly, they are pleasantly surprised to hear about what we're doing.
Dina Amin:
And
supportive, right?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Yes,
but they also don't necessarily understand the issues.
Dina Amin:
Absolutely,
they don't understand "our" issues or where we are coming from
because they do not know our predicament here. Many feel that our work here is
very important, and want to contribute but don't know how.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Many
want to be invited & produced here.
Dina Amin:
So,
Rana, in response to your question, many of the Middle Eastern artists yearn
for a collaborative effort with us or with others, but, again, funding is an
enormous issue, and now visas or the impossibility of obtaining them have made
cultural exchanges even harder.
Rana Kazkaz:
Wonderful
- yes, I would LOVE to collaborate with more Middle Eastern artists there and
here. I was supposed to see a play from
Yussef El Guindi.
This lack of cultural exchange between the
Dina Amin:
Many
think that because the
Rana Kazkaz:
And
the opposite is true - we're mostly poor ;-)
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Working
here, as a small company, we can take more risks, but we also have more limited
resources. In
Dina Amin:
Not
quite “well”, but they have a salary that they can depend on.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We
can't provide that to them here.
Dina Amin:
Right.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
our own government has a ways to go with appreciating artists more as well.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Their
expectations are at the level of the Lincoln Center, and that's
not what Golden Thread Productions
is. But in general, artists were very supportive of our work and interested in
getting involved.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes,
it is hard enough to put together even a small production, let alone the 10
million you would need to have a Broadway show.
Dina Amin:
Well,
when the state is your producer, you have funding and resources, but perhaps
your freedom might be a little curbed.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Corporate
funding has similar effects.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes
but most artists I know would be grateful for sponsorship of any kind.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
I'm
thinking of increased involvement of the private sector in military projects,
"rebuilding"
Dina Amin:
A
comment that a student of mine once made when I was teaching "Modern
Middle Eastern Drama" at
Rana Kazkaz:
Many
American playwrights ARE very political.
Dina Amin:
I
tried to say exactly that, but I think what she was trying to say is that most
playwrights in the
Rana Kazkaz:
Writers
are censored here too, it's just more subtle.
Self-censorship is huge too.
I’ve had so many discussions with Middle Eastern artists about
what we can and can’t say in order to have a voice at all. Ironic.
Yussef El Guindi:
Yes, one treads carefully sometimes.
Dina Amin:
Absolutely.
As for the funding issue, Torange, how do YOU handle it then?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We're
small enough that we aren't dealing with that yet...but soon we will have to.
My personal feeling is as long as we get to do what we want, I don't care who
pays for it. But do we legitimize what they do by taking their money?
Rana Kazkaz:
On
a gushy note, when I first heard about both of you and all Middle Eastern
artists working in America, I got so excited: “What!!?!? There's more of
us!!!” :-)
Dina Amin:
This
is a great gushy note. When I met with the Nibras
group I had the same gushy feeling. I felt, wow,
they were an amazing young and talented group…and a few of them too!
Rana Kazkaz:
Torange,
are you able to support yourself running Golden
Thread Productions solely or do you need to have other jobs?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
I'm
still living off savings from my past corporate life.
Rana Kazkaz:
Yeah, it's so hard. I have to have other jobs, and
most of my savings goes into producing.
I haven’t found a way to make this profitable yet, but I am
determined to do so.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
There
is a grant possibility for 1/2 time salary for me for next year. So, I'm very
hopeful things will look up next year.
Rana Kazkaz:
That's
great, I hope you are able to get that!!!
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Rana,
thanks for being excited about us! I'm very excited about you and your work and
hope we can work together soon.
Dina Amin:
What
do you do to raise funds?
Rana Kazkaz:
Mostly
through private donations so far.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
So
far in 2003, we've survived through individual donations. Usually our funding
is a mix of foundation money, individual donations and box office.
Rana Kazkaz:
How
many people are on your staff, Torange?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
There
is me! No, me and about 10 volunteers.
Rana Kazkaz:
Wow
- yes, I’ve had that experience - so hard!!!
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Our
artistic staff is 7 people who donate their time, like Yussef.
Rana Kazkaz:
Sounds
familiar.
Yussef El Guindi:
Happy to give what time I can!
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We
pay folks per project, though. Like for the festival, everyone will get paid a
giant $250!
Rana Kazkaz:
Hey,
it's something.
Dina Amin:
Before
I bid you au revoir, I would like to ask, how can we all help to promote Middle
Eastern theater and artists?
Rana Kazkaz:
In
Dina Amin:
I
mean in the
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Make
more noise about us!
Dina Amin:
Is
there "bad" noise, or is all noise good?
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Bad
noise can be good publicity too. But I prefer good noise. Work together to
improve quality of work and exposure. I think what Alwan’s doing in
Rana Kazkaz:
Yes
- we have to keep working.
Yussef El Guindi:
And basically encourage anyone in the
Mid-East community who has the slightest interest in theater to get involved.
This is also a good way to build an audience base.
Torange Yeghiazarian:
We
need to be more vocal, less apologetic, and stand our ground. We're producing
killer theatre! I like fooling around with those terroristic terms.
Dina Amin:
I
think what you are doing is also great, and if you were closer I would have
been more involved. I also think that a group like Nibras needs more support from the community.
Rana Kazkaz:
And
thanks to people at NTCP - this kind of exposure is great!!!
Torange Yeghiazarian:
Yes,
thank you.
Dina Amin:
ABSOLUTELY.
It is organizations and people like NTCP that help and support us and keep us
visible. THANK YOU!!!!