Cast

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  Denmo Ibrahim

  Dina

  Denmo is an award-winning actor and writer based in Brooklyn and San Francisco. Regional credits include Noura (Marin Theatre Company), The Good Book (Berkeley Rep), The Who & The What (Marin Theatre Company), A Thousand Splendid Suns (Seattle Rep, The Old Globe, American Conservatory Theater, Theatre Calgary), and Much Ado About Nothing (California Shakespeare Theatre). She received a San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle (SFBATCC) Award for Best Featured Actress in The Good Book, Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Featured Actress in I Call My Brothers (Crowded Fire) and Best Original Script and Outstanding Solo Performance for BABA (Alter Theater). Denmo holds an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor-Created Physical Theater from Naropa University and a BFA in Acting from Boston University.

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  Ramiz Monsef

  Yusef

  Ramiz is a Los Angeles based actor and writer. Regionally he has appeared in Eurydice, Arabian Nights, Fete de la Nuit (Berkeley Rep), The Time of Your Life, The Unfortunates (ACT), Eurydice (Yale Rep), Chad Deity, Glory of the World (Seattle Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville), Archduke (The Mark Taper Forum), Vicuna (The Kirk Douglas), Guards at the Taj, Mysterious Circumstances (The Geffen Playhouse), and seven seasons at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he premiered the musical he co-wrote, The Unfortunates. New York credits include Eurydice (SecondStage), Betrayed (The Culture Project), and All that I Will Ever Be (New York Theatre Workshop). On TV you may have seen Ramiz on: NCIS, Training Day, SWAT, SEAL Team, Kidding, Shameless, Modern Family, Young Sheldon, and Comedy Central’s The Watchlist. He also is in the film Synchronic. As a writer, Ramiz is a member of the 2019 Geffen Writers Room, and is currently workshopping his newestshow, The Ants, at the Ojai Playwrights Conference.

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  Kal Naga, AKA Khaled Abol Naga

  Samir

  Kal Naga is a multi-award-winning actor, film producer and director from Egypt, with a body of work extending to the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Africa, and Asia. Based in California since 2017, Kal’s theater credits comprise numerous plays and musicals, including the role of Rafa’a in Noura at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, director of Drowning in Cairo in New Threads at Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco, White Rabbit, Red Rabbit at the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival in Cairo (D-CAF), director and creator of Oliver! In Arabic at the Royal Cultural Center in Jordan, and the BuSSy Monologues 2010 centering taboo but true stories of young women and men from Egypt. Film credits include more than 26 international feature films, including Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (Australia), Out of the Ordinary; Eyes of a Thief (Palestine); From A to B (UAE); Décor; Villa 69; Microphone; Heliopolis; One-Zero; Agamista; None but That!; Game of Love; Civic Duty (USA); Harb Atalia; Sleepless Nights; and A Citizen, an Informant and a Thief. TV credits include “Messiah” (Netflix), “Vikings” (History), “The Last Post” (BBC), and “Tyrant” (FX). In 2014, Kal set a historical record for winning all Best Actor Awards in Egypt for his roles in Eyes of a Thief and Villa 69, including the Silver Pyramid for Best Actor Award (Cairo International Film Festival); Horus Best Actor Award (Egyptian National Film Festival); and Best Actor Awards from Film Society Festival for Egyptian Cinema and Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema Festival. Others include Best Actor Award (Alexandria International Film Festival) and Best Actor Award (Paris Biennale of Arab Cinema). An advocate for freedom and justice in his home country of Egypt, Kal served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Egypt from 2007 to 2015 and played a pivotal role in supporting the Egyptian Revolution of Jan 25, 2011. Instagram and Twitter: @kalnaga www.kalnaga.com.

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  Torange Yeghiazarian

  Hala

  Torange Yeghiazarian is the Founding Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions, the first American theatre company focused on the Middle East where she launched such visionary programs as ReOrient Festival and Forum, New Threads staged reading series, Fairytale Players youth outreach program, and What do the Women Say? showcasing the work of Middle Eastern women artists, and timely initiatives such as Islam 101 to create dynamic new work celebrating Islamic art and philosophy, and Project Alo? international collaboration. In her capacity as artistic director, Torange co-authored the seminal papers, “Middle Eastern Theatre Artists’ Bill of Rights” and “Dear Producers,” and helped launch the Middle East North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA), the first national organization advocating for the MENA theater community. A playwright, director, and translator, Torange translated a number of contemporary plays from Iran including A Moment of Silence by Mohammad Yaghoubi (winner of Best Play at Toronto Fringe) and The Language of Wild Berries by Naghmeh Samini. Her translation and stage adaptation of Nizami’s “Leyla & Majnun” is published on Gleeditions.com. She has been published in The Drama Review, American Theatre Magazine, Amerasia Journal, and contributed to Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures and Cambridge World Encyclopedia of Stage Actors. Torange received a Gerbode-Hewlett Playwright Commission Award for Isfahan Blues, a co-production with African American Shakespeare Company, and a commission from the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California to write and direct The Fifth String: Ziryab’s Passage to Cordoba. Her short play, Call Me Mehdi, is included in Salaam. Peace: An Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Drama, TCG, 2009. Torange has been recognized by Theatre Bay Area and is one of Theatre Communication Group’s Legacy Leaders of Color. Born in Iran and of Armenian heritage, Torange holds a Master’s degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University.

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Creative Team

• Denmo Ibrahim

  Creator & Writer

  Denmo is a first-generation Egyptian-American actor, playwright, and entrepreneur. A Sundance Theatre Lab Finalist, the San Francisco Chronicle called her “a tower of strength in the Bay Area theatre scene.” Regional credits include Berkeley Repertory, American Conservatory of Theatre, The Old Globe, Seattle Rep, Marin Theatre Company, and California Shakespeare Theatre. Her devised work has toured international festivals in Egypt, France, and Germany. In the U.S., her work has been supported by New York Theatre Workshop, Under St. Marks, Playwrights’ Center, Noor Theatre, University of Oregon, Golden Thread Productions, EXIT Theater, Alter Theatre, and Zawaya. Her new children’s book Zaynab’s Night of Destiny commissioned by Commonwealth Theatre Center will be released as an audio immersive experience in August 2021. Denmo is the Artistic Director of Storykrapht and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, Dramatists Guild, and New Play Exchange. She is a founding artistic director of Mugwumpin, a resident artist of Golden Thread, a member of the steering committee of MENATMA (Middle Eastern Theater Makers Alliance), and the founder & CEO of Earthbody Day Spa and Omcali Sacred Skincare. Denmo holds an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor Created Physical Theater from Naropa University and a BFA in Acting from Boston University. Her next writing project is a ten-part historical drama with Audible. www.denmoibrahim.com
  

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  Marti Wigder Grimminck

  Digital & Interactive Designer

  Marti’s approach to digital design and interactive technology stems from her roots in producing Broadway shows and live entertainment. She has produced international tours for Dame Edna, Barry Humphries: Back To My Roots and Burn The Floor, and originated large-scale events for Dreamworld, RMIT University at Telstra Stadium, Sydney Film Festival, IFP Gotham Awards, and Do Something, among others. Marti is the Founder/CEO of International Connector, a creative agency known for its digital engagement experiences working with companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Mars, Virgin, Viasat. She designs audience-focused impact programs that promote youth empowerment, increase access to tech, and elevate women’s voices. Marti is the Executive Director of Storykrapht and holds an interdisciplinary MA from NYU Gallatin through Tisch School of the Arts, ITP, and Stern School of Business. She also holds a BFA in Directing/Acting from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. She is a keynote speaker featured globally, a jazz singer and the host of the podcast disruptHers and a Senior Fellow for the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center.

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  Kate Bergstrom

  Director

  Kate Bergstrom is an NYC-based, CA-born Artistic Director, culture shaper, and multidisciplinary artist in theatre and video art/immersive narrative work. They are a passionate supporter of new work development of all kinds as a director, dramaturg, creative producer, and audio creator. Their work has been seen regionally at Trinity Repertory Company, Marin Theatre Company, Playwrights Center, Cleveland Play House, Curious Theatre Company,  Los Angeles Theatre Center with We The Women, Opera San Diego, Music Academy of the West, Redcat, LACMA, and more. In NYC, she has directed new work at Ars Nova, The Bushwick Starr, La Mama and Culture Hub, Rattlestick Theater, New Dramatists, Jack Dixon Place, Access Theatre, and more. They are a proud New Georges Affiliated Artist, Ojai Playwrights Conference Affiliated Artist, and member of the intermedia performance group, h0t club. Kate is also a critic at Rhode Island School of Design and currently a guest lecturer at UC Los Angeles and UC Santa Barbara. As Founding Artistic Director of On The Verge Festival, they develop, produce, and support new work and help develop strategic anti-racist action plans for a number of companies. Central Coast BroadwayWorld.com named them the 2016 Person to Watch + 2017 Best Director. Kate holds an MFA from Brown/Trinity Rep.
  

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• Johanna Frank

  New Play Dramaturg

  Johanna Frank is a scholar of drama and literature. She teaches, studies, and writes about modern drama and contemporary performance, particularly through the lenses of feminist, queer, and critical race studies. She received grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, American Society for Theatre Research, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan. She is recipient of the Educational Leadership Award and the Alumni Association Excellence in Mentoring Award from the University of Windsor. Johanna is Associate Professor at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada.
  

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  Ahmed Ashour

  Cultural Dramaturg

  Ahmed Ashour is a Bahrain-born, Egypt-grown theatre-maker, writer, and thinker. Brilliant Mind marks Ahmed’s first collaboration with Storykrapht as well as his (virtual) return to Marin Theatre Company after assistant directing last year’s production of Heather Raffo’s Noura. Ahmed is a recipient of the prestigious and highly-selective Crown Prince of Bahrain International Scholarship. His work focuses on creating space for members of the global majority community, especially Arab- and/or Muslim-identifying people, to navigate and intervene in the disciplinary/surveillance state. Select credits include Yussef El Guindi’s Back of the Throat, Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks (Sock & Buskin), Elwood’s (2018 America Too Festival, Trinity Repertory Company), A Guide to Winning (La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Art), and Pippin (Ensemble! Theatre). Ahmed also works in multidisciplinary art, most recently collaborating with several international artists on Shrimp Atonement (zFestival unAcademy). He received his BA in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies from Brown University, and currently is a freelancer in Bahrain and internationally.

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  Gilbert Chamaa

  Story Contributor

  Gilbert Chamaa was born in Beirut, Lebanon to Joseph Chamaa, a revered violinist, and Jeannette Chamaa. His lifelong conversations with his father about religion, art, music, and philosophy were the foundations for his view of the world. Gilbert found an outlet in literature and majored in English at University of California at Berkeley with a focus on Shakespeare. Due to his multicultural background, Gilbert is fluent in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish, which brings a fresh and insightful understanding to his literary expression.

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  Zeina Salame

  Story Contributor

  Zeina Salame is a director, actor, educator, applied theatre practitioner, and a scholar. A few recent creative collaborations include work with Artists Repertory Theatre's Mercury Company, the Guthrie Theater's Level Nine with New Arab American Theater Works, and the National Institute for Directing and Ensemble Creation with Pangea World Theater and Art2Action. Zeina is also a co-founder and artistic team member of Florida-based theatre company, The 5 & Dime. Zeina holds a PhD in Theatre Arts from the University of Oregon. Her dissertation, "Carried In One Woman—Reflections on Arab American Female Solo Performance'' centers on themes of "home" and the creative value of embodied generational knowledge, heritage, and intersectionality in performance aesthetics. Some of her recent writing on theatre has been published on Howlround Theatre Commons, Etudes, Al Jadid, and in the Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures.
  

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  Nihan Yesil

  Composer & Sound Designer

  Nihan Yesil is an award-winning composer, sound designer, and a multimedia artist for film and stage. She started studying classical music at an early age. After her M.M. in Composition (UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance), she received her M.F.A. in Sound Design (UMKC Theatre). Her music has been performed in a number of venues, festivals, and artist residencies across the U.S. and Europe. Some of her latest work includes Noura (Marin Theatre Company), Kansas City:1924 (foley editor, Kansas City Actors Theatre, available on Spotify), and Turkish blockbuster Bizim İçin Şampiyon (available on Netflix). Nihan is also the co-founder Bonnob Productions, an endeavor that came to fruition during the pandemic as an offering for children. Bonnob produces audio stories that have an elaborate sound world in multiple languages. Nihan is very happy to be back at Marin Theatre Company for another exciting production.

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  Maya Nazzal

  Costume Designer

  Maya is a Palestinian-American actor, producer, and stylist based in Los Angeles. Her work spans feature films, music videos, and regional theater productions. She was head of wardrobe for Plastico, an upcoming Venezuelan feature film. Favorite credits include performing in Marin Theatre Company’s production of Noura, assistant stylist to reggae singer Ziggy Marley, and associate producing the upcoming CNN documentary-series Jerusalem. She earned her BA in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University and trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

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  Matthew Boyd

  Cinematographer

  Matthew Boyd is an award winning cinematographer based in Oakland and Los Angeles credited with over 12 feature films, more than 30 short films 64 IMDb credits as well as TV and music video work. Boyd earned his BFA in Cinematography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Boyd's recent work includes the dramatic thriller Mine 9, dir. Edward Mensore (Netflix) starring Terry Serpico and Mark Ashworth; Spaceman, dir. Brett Rapkin (Orion Pictures) starring Sterling K. Brown, Josh Duhamel, Ernie Hudson; The Mentor dir. Moez Solis, an Oakland-based indie; and Beautiful Something, dir. Joseph Graham, starring Colman Domingo which premiered at Frameline 39. Critically acclaimed films include Mine 9, winner of Best Feature Film: Drama at Cinequest; The Festival Grand Prize at the Arizona International Film Festival; and Best Feature Film: Thriller, Best Ensemble Cast and Best Director at the Bare Bones International Film Festival. Beautiful Something, The After War, The First Session, Strapped, and Pass the Salt, Please starring Seymour Cassel and Fionnula Flanagan.

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• Corwin Evans

  Editor

  Bio to come.

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  Christopher Morrison

  Narrative Designer

  Christopher Morrison is a multi-talented writer/director/actor who has worked on over 150 films, theatrical productions, virtual reality (VR), video-games, and immersive entertainments on three continents. His feature film The Bellwether was released in 2019. He has been commissioned for multiple feature-length screenplays, television pilots, and plays. He is a narrative designer and head writer for video games including Ary and the Secret of the Seasons. His VR branching narrative, The Werewolf Experience, is currently in production. Cirque du Soleil called him “a huge asset to the creative process.” His production company, Reality+, is based in the U.S. and Europe. www.Realityplus.org
  

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  Nakissa Etemad

  MTC Producer

  Nakissa is an Iranian American dramaturg, producer, and French translator specializing in new BIPOC plays and musicals for over 25 years. In addition to her role as Marin Theatre Company’s Associate Artistic Director, she is a Resident Artist of Golden Thread Productions, Regional VP Metro Bay Area for Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), and a member of MENA Theater Makers Alliance and the Anti-Racism Task Force of LMDA. Recent dramaturgy includes work with Yussef El Guindi on Hotter Than Egypt (2020 Colorado New Play Summit), Heather Raffo’s Noura (Marin Theatre Company/Golden Thread), Marcus Gardley’s Play on! commission of King Lear (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and recent world premiere productions with Marcus Gardley, Lauren Yee, Marisela Treviño Orta, Margo Hall, and Torange Yeghiazarian. She is a frequent collaborator on Golden Thread’s ReOrient Festivals of Short Plays and Bay Area Playwrights Festivals, including plays by Betty Shamieh, Naomi Wallace, Niku Sharei, Katori Hall, and Dustin Chinn. Festival Director for the 5^th Annual New America Playwrights Fest, featuring new plays by Lynn Nottage, Naomi Iizuka and Polly Pen (San Jose Rep). Former dramaturg and literary manager of The Wilma Theater, San Jose Rep, and San Diego Repertory Theatre and Exec. VP Freelance of LMDA. Recipient of the 2015 Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy for The Lark’s four-city premieres of Gardley’s the road weeps, the well runs dry. M.F.A. in Dramaturgy, UC San Diego.

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• Christina Hogan

  Stage Manager

  Christina (she/her/hers) is excited to return to Marin Theatre Company. Previously she has worked as the Assistant Director for The Catastrophist and Stage Manager at MTC on Mother of the Maid, Skeleton Crew and The Wolves. Other Stage Management credits include Gloria, Top Girls, Edward Albee’s Seascape, and Men on Boats at American Conservatory Theatre; In Old Age, The Baltimore Waltz, runboyrun, And I and Silence, and Any Given Day at Magic Theatre; Ripped and Selkie at Z Space; It Can’t Happen Here at Berkeley Repertory Theatre; and A Raisin in the Sun at California Shakespeare Theater. Hogan has a BA in theater arts from Saint Mary’s College of California. 
  

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  Rachel Head

  Associate Producer

  Bio to come.

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• Additional Artists and Staff

  Animation: Camille Cherchi

  Color Correction & Editing: Elizaveta Gorshkova

  Dialogue Editor: John Jenkins

  Digital & Interactive Assistant: Minjun Kim

  Film COVID Supervisor: Williams Stafford

  Film Production Advisor: Enoch Chan

  Film Production Assistant Swing: Marc Lenahan

  Film Script Supervisor: Mayou Roffe

  Film Sound Engineer: Miguel Pena

  Full Stack Interactive Programmer: Faouzi Ghodbane

  Full Stack Javascript Programmer: Amine Karoui 

  Full Stack Javascript Programmer: Fatma Karoui 

  Graphic Design: Sean O’Leary, Andy Hodge

  Interactive Mobile Programmer: Jaiden Grimminck 

  Research Assistants: Penelope Gould, Hanna Margulies and Ariella Wolfe

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* Denotes member of Actors Equity Association
+ Member, United Scenic Artists
^ Member, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers