Host MK Smith speaks with Syrian actress Raghad Al Makhlouf about her experiences both professionally and personally after the revolution and events of 2011 in Syria. Raghad Al Makhlouf is a theater and TV actress who has participated in over 18 plays and appeared in over 300 hours of television drama series in Syria. She acted in three short films, and one feature film. She received bachelor’s degree in acting from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syria.

Between 2005 and 2011, Raghad was a teaching assistant at the Acting Department at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts. She believes in the power of theater as a healing and therapy medium for oppressed populations. She was a member of an interactive theater group in Syria that toured towns and villages and engaged local residents trying to address local problems and challenges through theater.  She also led and designed acting workshops that provided psychosocial support for young Syrian refugees in Lebanon to help them overcome trauma.

In 2021, Raghad earned Master of Fine Arts in classical acting from the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy of Classical Acting at The George Washington University.

When she is not performing, Raghad enjoys to eat, sing, dance, and explore the unknown.