We hope you are all keeping well! Thank you so much to all who attended our event, ‘But you don’t look Middle Eastern? A discussion on MENA+ identity’  last Friday.  It was wonderful to see so many faces, and a massive thank you to our amazing panel for leading such a thought-provoking discussion that we all certainly took a lot from. 

Sharing Conversations and opportunities

• As part of our Arab British Centre lunchtime hangout takeovers, our next event will be this Friday 19th February at 1pm. I will be having a conversation with one of our fabulous members, writer Abi Zakarian. Abi is an award-winning British-Armenian writer whose plays include Perfect Myth Allegory, produced by Jermyn Street Theatre; I am Karyan Ophidian, produced by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; and Fabric, produced by Tremers for Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016, winning a Fringe First Award. Book your free place here: https://www.menaarts.uk/events

• In case you missed our first ABC lunchtime hangout with our very own Arian Nik in conversation with director and writer Sally El Hosaini, you can check it out on youtube now:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPpiC0pkrpI

• Our brilliant Co-Vice Chair Sepy Baghaei has given a fantastic interview on Arts Professional exploring MENA+ identity, taking control of our own narrative and changing the way the industry sees us. Have a read here: https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/article/one-story-not-enough

• For mid-career theatre makers; In Good Company had launched a new commission, offering £5000 and other support to undertake the initial stages of a new performative project, reimagining what audience engagement looks like right now. Deadline 22nd Feb. More info and application: https://ingoodco.org.uk/news/opportunity/thank-you-next-commission/

• The Story Museum would like to commission an experienced writer for ‘Stories from the Woodshed’, a weekly online series that shares high quality storytelling content for family and age 7+ audiences. The brief is to adapt 10 traditional oral stories into 5 minute storytelling scripts for the target audience. Deadline 24th Feb. Info: https://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/writer-for-online-family-storytelling-series/

• On Belonging is a new artist commission to explore what belonging means to us in 2021, seeking new perspectives on identity and place that have been underrepresented in our programme. For artists who live and work in the north of England, this commission has evolved from their work with the national Diverse Actions programme (in partnership with Live Art UK 2018/19). Deadline 28th Feb. Details: https://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/on-belonging-commission-call-out/

• A callout from Royal Exchange Theatre for a freelance artist /storyteller:

"As part of our Local Exchange residency in Cheetham Hill, our Community Ambassadors are commissioning the creation of an audio show around the streets of Cheetham Hill. The show will be created from landmarks, local stories and the eclectic voices of this diverse and vibrant community.  We are looking for an Manchester-based artist that can give fictional shape to the stories we collect through interviews with the community. This role will be to facilitate workshops with the community. They will create text inspired by these interviews, then shape a story and a physical journey through Cheetham Hill using audio technology. These stories will be performed by the local community. You will rehearse and direct community performers who will be the actors in the audio stories."

Deadline 23rd Feb. Details: https://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/freelance-artist-storyteller-1/

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• A competition callout for UK playwrights from the Experienced Theatre Practitioners Early Playwriting Trust:

“The ETPEP Award 2021 is a playwriting prize for new UK playwrights who work or have worked in the theatre industry, run by the Finborough Theatre in association with the Experienced Theatre Practitioners Early Playwriting Trust (ETPEP). The Award’s purpose is to find and nurture a playwright who has worked in theatre for two years or more (but not in a literary department setting or as a paid script reader), who is looking to further their ambitions and skill in the art and craft of playwriting. We are looking for a play of substance which contributes in some way to our understanding of the human condition or experience, from a writer with potential to enhance our political and social awareness.

The winner will receive a prize of £6,000, a development relationship with the Finborough Theatre including one-to-one dramaturgy with Finborough Theatre Artistic Director and playwright Neil McPherson; a rehearsal workshop with actors and a director to develop the play; and a staged reading performance of the winning play either at the Finborough Theatre, London, pandemic permitting, or online; and publication by Salamander Street, independent publisher of theatre, performance and live art.’"

Deadline 30th April. More info: https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/etpep-award-2021/

• Fierce Festival are offering aspiring programmers/curators a year-long paid traineeship for someone whom economic disadvantage has been a barrier in the arts. Deadline 1st March. Details: https://wearefierce.org/fierce-would-like-to-meet-an-assistant-curator-performing-arts/

• LeftCoast are looking for an energetic and communicative individual who is passionate about working collaboratively with other people to take on the role as Creative Community Activist. Deadline 5th March. More info: https://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/creative-community-activist-1/ 

• One of our talented members David Mumeni is currently appearing in the second series of ‘Dead Pixels’, every Tuesday at 10pm on E4. He is joined by MENA+ actor Sargon Yelda, and is particularly something to be celebrated as it one of the few times MENA+ actors dominate lead roles on TV where their identity isn’t the focus. Be sure to check it out on E4, and past series are on All4!

And that’s everything! For the new members, mailout is sent on a fortnightly basis. Please keep sharing and sending me any of your wonderful work or opportunities you want included in the next mailout to this email. Now more than ever lets keep circulating our brilliant stories; whether its past work, articles, videos, or something you think the membership may find interesting, please do drop me an email! Please continue to sign up to our directory, and share our community with your friends in the industry!

Have a great week,

Jessie x

Our position on endorsement.

Our main areas of work is to help connect the creative industries with UK MENA+ talent, so we will always share castings, job opportunities, or marketing information. We will track these projects in the hope that they are a great example of how MENA+ talent is used. But by sharing this information, it should not be seen as an endorsement of the project.

We will call out work that is appropriating a MENA+ narrative and does not have MENA+ talent at the heart of the creative process; and we will always champion, front and centre, work that is made for and by MENA+ talent.

Our position on world events.

Our focus is on bringing artists from the MENA+ region together, celebrating what connects us, spotlighting our achievements, and lobbying for change when it comes to representation in the British live and recorded arts industry. As such, while we fully support each individual’s right to their own political or artistic beliefs, we will not take a position on political events coming out of the MENA+ region.