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.

Playwright Yussef El Guindi reflects on Golden Thread’s pivotal second decade; writing in the post-9/11 landscape; and how Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian  theatre carved space for nuance, resistance, and community in the US.