New Arab American Theater Works

New Arab American Theater Works is fundraising to support our 2024 programming.

New Arab American Theater Works presents new theater by Arab and Muslim Americans for the 21st century utilizing community in the process. We fill a void in the local and national scene where Arab and Muslim American theater artists lack voice and opportunities to present our own stories.  

We are an initiative that was incorporated in 2012, but began over 20 years ago with much work produced in other venues. We work with our community to tell stories from the Arab and Muslim perspective, and pass on our rich cultural traditions through development and presentation of traditional theater, and through our ongoing community centered Middle Eastern drum project. Minnesotans participate in these projects as artists, musicians, writers, theater makers, community members, board members, audience members and in all aspects of production and presentation. It is our mission to work with our community to create and present our artistic expressions.

Zafira and the Resistance 2019

 

New Arab American Theater Works was founded as a collective of Minnesota based Arab, Arab American and Muslim theater artists with a wide variety of strengths as writers, performers, educators, and theater makers who have been presenting theater locally, nationally and internationally for over 20 years.  We have worked together, and in the broader community, in many capacities including non-profit, education, and professional theater.  We created a collective to present new theater works by Arab Americans to fill a void in the local and national scene where Arab American theater artists lack voice and opportunities to present our own stories.

Our work gives new perspective to on the terms “Arab”, “Middle Eastern” and “Muslim” terms thrown around in the news media and still continue to be equated with “terrorist” and “war” and “oppressive”.

We strive to benefit under represented SWANA (South West Asian/North African) artists.