Artistic identities can be complicated, and many theatremakers work equally within two or more disciplines simultaneously. The most interesting work is rarely created in a vacuum. These multidisciplinary artists create diverse projects in all senses of the word, broadening our idea of what theatre can and should be. Today, two such multihyphenate artists, Denmo Ibrahim and Sarah Fahmy, converse about their multiple identities, how they reconcile and manage their myriad expertise, and the role of multihyphenate artists in today’s theatre landscape.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.