Leila Buck

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Leila Buck

She/her - Lebanese American playwright, actor, facilitator, educator based on stolen Munsee Lenape land in Brooklyn, NY.

Leila Buck is a Lebanese American playwright, actor, facilitator and educator. Her plays include American Dreams (Cleveland Public Theater; virtual tour: The Working Theater, Round House, Marin Theatre Co, Hartford Stage, ASU-Gammage, and others), In the Crossing (developed at Public Theater, Culture Project, NYTW ), American Dreams and Arabian Nights (developed at NYTW, BRIC Lab) and Hkeelee: Talk to Me (Mosaic Theater at Arena Stage). She is currently developing the plays Mix & Match, a commission from En Garde Arts (TCG Fox Fellowship), and 1001 Nights (A Retelling) commissioned by California Shakespeare Theatre and co-written with Evren Odcikin, (2020 Kilroys List). Leila has performed and taught theatrical tools for intercultural engagement to youth, educators, aid workers, UN delegates and others across the U.S. and 17 countries, and teaches Creation and Representation in U.S. Theater at NYU. TCG/Fox Fellow; Inaugural Public Theater Writers Group; NYTW Usual Suspect; Lark MEA Playwrights’ Group. www.americandreamsplay.com Contact: [email protected]

Balancing Comedy and Drama as a MENA Playwright

Podcast

Balancing Comedy and Drama as a MENA Playwright

With Yussef El-Guindi & Leila Buck

1 June 2022

As politicized ethnic groups, playwriting comes with a sense of responsibility and history for many MENA and SWANA writers. Balancing drama and comedy in plays that deal with MENA politics, identity, and history can be difficult, but is also crucial for inviting audiences into our stories and addressing stereotypes and historical harm. Join two prominent playwrights and pillars of the MENA community, Yussef El-Guindi and Leila Buck, as we have an open conversation about how they approach their writing and reflect on what their work means in a greater societal context.

Whose America and Whose Dreams?

Essay

Whose America and Whose Dreams?

26 January 2021

Zeina Salame sits down for a conversation with Leila Buck and Tamilla Woodard to talk about their most recent creative collaboration, American Dreams, online audience interaction, and more.