Kunafa and Shay

By Marina J. Bergenstock, Nabra Nelson, HowlRound Theatre CommonsArts Performing Arts

Kunafa and Shay episodes

May 28 Golden Thread at Thirty: Looking Beyond 2026
In the season finale, Marina and Nabra preview Golden Thread’s 2026 season, from Palestinian performance and stand-up comedy to new Arab American plays and ReOrient. They reflect on curation, community, and the future of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian theatre. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
34 min
May 21 Inside the ReOrient Festival: Short Plays and Long-Term Impact
This episode is a deep dive into Golden Thread’s ReOrient Festival and the MENATMA convening, exploring how short plays, artistic experimentation, and community infrastructure shape the evolving landscape of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian theatre in the United States. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
58 min
May 14 Centering Women and Palestinian Solidarity at Golden Thread
Marina and Nabra explore how Golden Thread Productions amplifies women’s voices and mobilizes global artistic solidarity through What Do the Women Say? and 24 Hours for Palestine, where performance becomes archive, resistance, and collective action. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
33 min
May 07 New Threads, New Forms: MENA/SWANA Dramaturgy and Development
Evren Odcikin joins Marina and Nabra to unpack new play development as a site of cultural translation, experimentation, and refusal, exploring Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian dramaturgies and artistic processes. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
55 min
April 30 Reclaiming the Narrative: The MENA Theatre Artists’ Bill of Rights
A decade after landmark convenings, Nabra and Marina revisit the “Middle Eastern American Theatre Artists’ Bill of Rights” and “Dear Producers and Artistic Directors of the American Theatre” (an open letter to producers), asking how these calls for agency and equity continue to shape MENA/SWANA theatre today. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
43 min
April 23 MENA Theatre for Young Audiences
This episode explores how Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian folklore and performance create joy, belonging, and political imagination for young audiences in Fairytale Players. These plays also address gaps in representation and the urgent need for culturally specific youth theatre. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
55 min
April 16 Golden Thread’s Current Decade
This episode is a deep dive into Golden Thread’s evolution. Sahar Assaf reflects on leadership, hybridity, and making Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian theatre beyond stereotypes—centering community, complexity, and art as resistance in moments of crisis. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
57 min
April 09 Golden Thread’s Second Decade
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. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
43 min
April 02 Golden Thread's First Decade
This episode is a deep dive into the founding of Golden Thread Productions with founding artistic director Torange Yeghiazarian—tracing how one artist’s vision grew into a movement that reshaped Middle Eastern theatre in the US. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
59 min
March 26 Thirty Years of MENA Theatre
Marina and Nabra take a sweeping look at thirty years of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian theatre in the United States—from Golden Thread’s founding in 1996 to a growing ecosystem of bold, community-rooted companies shaping the American stage through urgency, artistry, and refusal. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by
co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and
analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African
(MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across
the region.
Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers,
spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and
analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the
United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and
Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special
guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and
discussion.
The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best
way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and
perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to
share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our
differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made
differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity,
and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
37 min

About Kunafa and Shay

From the publisher's feed

Kunafa and Shay focuses on Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)/Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre—highlighting classic and contemporary plays and theatremakers, spotlighting…