Noor’s Commissioning Initiative
Noor Theatre’s Commissioning Initiative was created in order to help build the canon of work by artists of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent. Our commissioned pieces illustrate the breadth and richness of our many diasporic communities, challenge the harmful stereotypes of Middle Easterners rampant in popular media, and advance important conversations within our communities. The MENA diaspora is not monolithic, and our pieces reflect the unique voices and perspectives of our artists. The Commissioning Initiative furthers representation for artists of MENA descent through two programs: Play Commissions and Cross-Medium Commissions.
PLAY COMMISSIONS
Play Commissions are awarded to playwrights, who embark on a full-length new play development process with Noor. Noor’s commissioned playwrights include Ryan Haddad, Ismail Khalidi, and SEVAN.
Commissioned plays receive development opportunities such as workshops and/or readings in order to support each playwright’s goals. For example, Ryan Haddad’s commission culminated in a weeklong workshop process and reading in 2019. The previous year, Noor presented a workshop production of Ismail Khalidi’s play Dead Are My People at New York Theatre Workshop’s 4th Street Theatre. And after two years of development, SEVAN’s play FIRST DOWN got its World Premiere at 59E59 Theatre in 2022. That same year, and in partnership with Pangea World Theatre, the Arab American National Museum, and the National Performance Network, we co-commissioned MAGIC BULLET: a collaborative multidisciplinary performance project by Caitlin Nasema Cassidy, Ismail Khalidi, and Noelle Ghoussaini.
In 2023, we commissioned three New York based artists: Bazeed, Nikki Massoud, and Rona Siddiqui, to develop their work over the next 6 months. You can Learn more about them and their work here. We have also commissioned a new adaptation of Zeyn Joukhadar’s novel The Thirty Names of Night. Zeyn will be working on developing the piece over the course of the year. Details and info here.
CROSS-MEDIUM COMMISSIONS
Cross-Medium Commissions are awarded annually to a cohort of writers, who, over the course of a year, develop a script in a medium of their choice (such as film, television, VR, etc.) designed to reach a mass audience.
These artists, known as Noor’s Artists Advancing Cultural Change Cohort, conceptualize pieces that reflect their own experiences, address issues relevant to their respective communities, and pursue goals for social change.
The program increases representation for artists of MENA descent in popular culture and empowers other artists to take a seat at the ever-widening table.
Cohort members in the past have included Lameece Issaq, Sahar Jahani, Jacob Kader, Sylvia Khoury, Arian Moayed, Mike Mosallam, Heather Raffo, Haleh Roshan, Betty Shamieh, and Hadi Tabbal. Learn more
Our commissioning initiative is been made possible by: The Mosaic Fund, Pop Culture Collaborative, 59E59 Theaters, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.