Noor Theatre Sets 2015-16 Season

Noor Theatre is gearing up for what promises to be another thought provoking season. As always, the news coming out of the Middle East impassions this unique company to create a dialogue between their artists and audiences, and shed light on these varied and complex perspectives.

Fall ushers in a 6th season of Highlight, a reading series that sheds light on the talents of playwrights of Middle-Eastern descent. The season launches on Tuesday, September 29th with Taha by Amer Hlehel, which was featured at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab this past summer. This moving one-man play is directed by Jessica Blank (The Exonerated) and is based on the story of the celebrated Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali. His poetry tells of the experience of Palestinian refugees, paralleling the story of a million and a half Palestinians who remained in their homeland after 1948.

On Monday, October 12th, Highlight continues with Nahda: Five Visions of an Arab Awakening by Sevan K. Greene (Forgotten Bread), directed by Johanna McKeon (I Have Loved Strangers). Four short plays tell stories of the confusion of second generation children of refugees, the conflicted fate of British-Muslim soldiers, the West's obsession with food fetishism and consumerism, and five generations of Arab women using social media for political agency. This piece was first produced at the Bush Theatre in London.

Highlight's November reading is the hilarious and unexpected Brother Gary by Ramiz Monsef(The Unfortunates) and directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh (In The Blood). In an old monastery near Firenze, two Italian monks try to trace the mysterious death of their fellow brother - could it lead back to American transplant, Brother Gary? Old world traditions and new world exceptionalism clash in this new dark comedy.

The Highlight season will conclude with a reading on December 9th. The play has not yet been announced.

All Highlight readings will take place in New York Theatre Workshop's 3rd Floor Rehearsal Studio: 83 East 4th Street, New York, NY, 10003. Audience members are invited to stay for refreshments after each reading. Seating is limited; reservations are strongly suggested. RSVP@noortheatre.org.

In the spring, Noor brings back the 48 Hour Forum for the second year. As New York's only theatre representing voices of the Middle Eastern diaspora, Noor is often asked to respond to the barrage of news coming out of the Middle East and beyond. Often, news breaks and it is several years before we see something on stage about it. This headline-inspired festival remedies that by bringing together five playwrights, five directors, and twenty actors to create five short plays in just 48-hours based on the news of the day.

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