Lameece Issaq

FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Lameece Issaq has over fifteen years of experience working in the professional theater as an actor, writer and producer. Not only has she been involved in the Arab-American artist community, but also the New York theater scene, having worked at such esteemed institutions as the Public Theater and New York Theater Workshop and with many of New York’s finest theater artists, including Tony-Award winning directors Sam Gold and Daniel Sullivan and playwrights Naomi Wallace and David Hare. Lameece brings Noor together with well-known institutions and artists, and her own aesthetic has been shaped by her work with some of theater’s most respected luminaries. lameeceissaq.com

Maha Chehlaoui

Founder
Former Executive Director
Advisory Board Member

Maha served as Noor Theatre’s first Executive director from its founding in 2009 until the end of the 2016 season. Maha was instrumental in building the foundation of Noor Theatre. Together with Lameece Issaq and Nancy Vitale, Maha secured Noor’s nonprofit status, helped grow the donor and audience base, and established Noor as an acclaimed American theater. She was also a key collaborator in seven seasons of programming from Food and Fadwa to Highlight to helping to establish 48 Hour Forum.

Maha came to Noor with a decade ofexperience producing, directing and performing in New York's Middle Eastern community. Considered by many a founder of and driving force behind the creation of today's cohesive Arab-American performing arts community, she is a skilled leader and communicator that has led many projects to successful completion, including Nibras' Sajjil: Record, the hit play Live! With Pascale and Chantal, several New York Arab-American Comedy Festival events, and more. 

Nancy Vitale

Founder
Former Producing Artistic Director

Nancy Vitale is a co-founder of Noor Theatre and was the Producing Artistic Director from 2010-2014. Nancy worked in script development for more than a decade and during her tenure at Noor, she instituted the Highlight Reading Series, and produced events such as The Center For Architecture's Building ANew, The Myth Project and Noor's inaugural production of Food and Fadwa, also serving as dramaturg. You can keep up with her current projects at nancyvitale.com.