We hope you are well! 

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful festive break. We have lots of opportunities to share and some FANTASTIC upcoming work and projects from lots of our wonderful Directory members, so be sure to check that out below! 

Sharing Conversations and Opportunities 

• A callout for a Musician and Set Designer:

‘Miray Sidhom, an Egyptian theatre-maker currently making the THE BREAD WE BREAK, a solo performance exploring the role of bread in Egyptian uprisings throughout history, supported by Arts Council England and set to premier late March 2022 at Contact, Manchester. We are currently looking for a Musician (Arabic tabla player) and Set Designer to join our creative team for the project.

If you are interested, please apply by sending a performance or paragraph about relevant experiences, performances, and a video of you playing Baladi music on Tabla to miray_28@hotmail.co.uk’

• In supporting the above project, Contact Manchester are looking for a Freelance audience development person:

'we’d like to support our core marketing team in promoting Miray’s show to community members. A flat fee of £500 for a freelancer to undertake the role of audience development assistant on Miray Sidhom’s The Bread We Break Project. (For reference, we’d imagine on this fee it equates to around 4 full days of work- which can be split up as appropriate). As mentioned, we are seeking someone with strong existing connections to the Middle Eastern and North African communities in Manchester/ Greater Manchester/ North West. And the deliverables for the role are as follows:

 Distribute 50 free tickets by Friday 18th March. Priority for free ticket allocation are those least likely to attend performances and/or on lowest incomes and young people (14-30 years old). Promote the show and free workshop personally to community leaders and contacts, via in person visits/ phone calls/ emails. Make contact about the show with local Manchester and North West based groups who are Middle Eastern/ Arab, or North African. Audiences who may be interested in history/ politics or feminism. Audiences interested in social action and how to creatively take part. Non-regular theatre-goers.

 Collecting contact details of group leaders (name, contact number, email address, address and name of group (with groups’ express permission) for booking and Contact’s data archive.

Starting date: We would hope the chosen person could start with us as soon as possible, but of course would work with the person’s availability where possible. 

We envisage we’d hold an initial Zoom chat with the selected person, to establish their audience development plan with them, and we’d then expect them to record their progress (e.g. on Excel/ email/ Google Docs) so we can see where they’ve contacted and if tickets were either given for free or sold.

 Deadline to express interest in the role: We’d be keen to hear from people by Friday 4th Feb (latest), and we’d ask they email Roxy, Creative Producer: roxannemoores@contactmcr.com with a brief note about their connection to the Middle Eastern and North African communities in Manchester/ North West, and any supporting information about prior community outreach/ audience development experience.' 

• A casting callout from Julie Harkin casting:

‘Casting callout for The role of OLD WOMAN in the feature film HEART OF STONE (NETFLIX).

Old Woman is a North African woman over the age of 60. She comes to Stone’s rescue in the desert. Cute and sweet looking, with a characterful face. Appears to be the most trust-worthy but is hiding a secret. Small supporting role, appears in 3 scenes.

We are looking for actors of North African heritage who can speak Arabic and English.

Contact caroline@julieharkincasting.com if you fit the brief.'

• A callout from The Space for LGBTQIA+ creatives who would like to make theatre which explores death and bereavement:

‘The Space are applying to Hospice UK’s Dying Matters campaign in order to support their aims of encouraging open discussion around the subject of dying. We would specifically like to examine this topic from the LGBTQIA+ perspective and would like to consult with creatives as to how best to shape our proposed project.

The initial idea for this project is to commission three LGBTQIA+ writers to work with ‘experts’ in the field of end of life care (i.e. palliative care lecturers, nurses and grief counsellors) to create three new plays which would be produced as part of an event at the Space in November 2022.

If you are interested in this project as a writer, actor, director, etc. we will be holding an informal consultation over zoom on Friday the 28th of January at 4pm.

https://zoom.us/j/7068289781?pwd=SW14eDdaUWdHcnZ4eHBwWTBVVDFyUT09

Meeting ID: 706 828 9781

Passcode: RT152020

If you are unable to make this meeting, please feel free to email adam@space.org.uk and to register your interest or share any thoughts or questions you may have.’

• A callout from directory member Sherine Chalhie, who has a show on in Feb at the Soho Theatre:

‘Looking for a female Arab oud player (Barbuka a plus) for a solo show at Soho theatre on 11th&12th Feb who can create music & collab.

Arts council funded needed for 10 days between from 24th-12th Feb 2022.

Contact sherineactress@gmail.com for more info’

• For actors looking for representation:

‘ Victoria Steven Management’s books are open and looking for actors who are Egyptian, Arabic, Italian, Turkish & actors’. Actors must be on Spotlight. Please contact on rep-request@victoriasteven.co.uk '

• The release of ArabLit Quarterly's Winter 2021 issue, FOLK is now available:

‘The official launch of FOLK is on 15 September, but you can purchase your copies, both digital and print, right now from Gumroad, and print editions from Amazon UK. Retailing at £18.89 (but slightly cheaper and certainly more ethical if bought on Gumroad; digital editions cheaper) this double-length issue includes nearly 200 pages packed with features, essays and translated poetry and short fiction from across the Arabic-speaking world. I would deeply appreciate your support in buying, reading and sharing the magazine. If you enjoy it, please consider posting about it online (tagging @arablit on Twitter and @arablitorg on Instagram), and leaving a review on Goodreads. ‘

• The Woven Voices Prize is an open invitation to all migrant writers in the UK and Ireland to share outstanding new work for the stage. The aim of the prize is to celebrate and platform migrant writers, an underrepresented demographic on UK theatre stages. 

The winning writer will receive £2500, and their script will be produced by Jermyn Street Theatre for a run of at least one week in July as part of their Footprints Festival. Up to three runner-up playwrights will receive dramaturgical support and will be offered public readings of their plays at Jermyn Street Theatre.

The Woven Voices Prize will be open for entries until midnight on 28 January 2022, and all submissions should be made to submissions@wovenvoices.org
Full details and eligibility criteria are available at wovenvoices.org/prize.

• Weapon’s of Mass Hilarity’s next event is this Sunday 30th January, featuring a line up of MENA+ artists, including some of our own members!

The details are here https://www.tickettext.co.uk/R73b1DZWkn and the line up includes Laila Alj, Sophie Galustian, Darius Davies and Shirley and Shirley. Be sure to check it out!

• RCSSD are looking for a Lecturer in Movement.

For further information and to apply please visit: https://www.cssd.ac.uk/Jobs-at-Central/lecturer-movement

• Clean Break are looking for a Creative Associate to join the team as a dedicated creative practitioner.

Deadline: 31st Jan. More info:  https://www.cleanbreak.org.uk/news/recruitment-creative-associate/

• CGO is recruiting the fourth cohort for the Diploma in Creative

Producing:

‘A 16 week cloud-based course for aspiring creative producers

of theatre and the performing arts nationally, and internationally.
The course starts on 11th April 2022 and finishes on 29th July 2022,
with a 3 week break in between. It is cloud-based, run from Scotland,
for a limited number of practitioners who will work together and learn
from a range of established arts professionals including Kerry Kyriacos
Michael MBE (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Ellie Claughton (LUNG,
Breach, Barrel Organ), Alice McGrath (Red Bridge Arts), Marie McCarthy
(Omnibus Theatre).
The course is split into two blocks of teaching, seminars, masterclasses
& group/individual exercises. 
The course may be centered around theatre practice, but it is open to
creative producers working in all performing arts (including opera, live
music, dance, circus, live art, musical theatre and festivals and more).
Deadline to apply: 21st March 2022.

If you are interested in applying or finding out more, please head to:
http://www.chrisgrady.org/cgo-institute-for-creative-producing/ or email
chris@chrisgrady.org’

Directory Shoutouts!

Part of our Directory and have a show/project coming up? Let us know so we can shout about it in the next mailout! In the meantime, check out the following work featuring our wonderful Directory members:

• Massive congratulations to Directory Member ABI ZAKARIAN who has been selected as a finalist for this year’s Women's Prize for Playwriting, for her play ‘Mountain Warfare.’

Check out the details here: https://womensprizeforplaywriting.co.uk/2021-finalists/

• We’re delighted to see Directory Member OMAR ELERIAN is translating and directing a new version of ‘The Chairs’, playing at The Almeida next month.

Check it out:  https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/the-chairs/4-feb-2022-5-mar-2022

• Double congratulations to Directory Member ELIAS SUHAIL whose beautiful piece was recently published by The New Statesman, and also has a BBC Sounds dramatic monologue which will go live in March!

Have a read of the New Statesman piece here: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/a-writing-chance/2021/12/my-childhood-in-chips-and-lamb-tagine

• A big congratulations to Directory Member PEYVAND SADEGHIAN who was recently made an Associate Artist at Nouveau Riche!

We can’t wait to see what comes next: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/nouveau-riche-announces-10-associate-artists-for-residency-scheme

• We are absolutely delighted for Directory Member HANNAH KHALIL who is The Globe’s 2022 Resident Writer, and will take on a version of Henry VIII!

We can’t wait to see this: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/production-news/shakespeares-globe-announces-25th-anniversary-summer-season

• A massive congratulations to Directory Member NINA MILLNS who has been named as one of only twelve writers chosen for the Channel 4 Scriptwriting course!

We look forward to seeing what’s in store!

• A double congratulations for Directory Member DIYAN ZORA who has been named as part of the Bush Theatre’s emerging writers group!

See more here:  https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/artists/about-our-artists/ewg/. Diyan is also directing a play at the Orange Tree Theatre in March,

so be sure to check it out!

Info: https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/tom-fool/about

• Big congratulations to Directory Member SHERINE CHALIE whos one-woman show "Why so Syrian?” will be at the Soho Rising Festival at Soho Theatre in February!

Be sure to check it out here: https://sohotheatre.com/shows/why-so-syrian/

And that’s everything! For the new members, mailout is usually 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 it's 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,

MENA ARTS UK 

 If you can, please consider making a donation to support us on our journey. No amount is too small, and please help us by sharing with your networks! Click here to donate. 

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.

MENA ARTS UK