MIDDLE EASTERN IN THE MIDWEST
MIDDLE EASTERN IN THE MIDWEST
Collaborator Faiza Alex Manaa
An Original Full Length Musical
Libretto and Additional Music by Faiza Alex Manaa
Music by Vaheed Talebian
SYNOPSIS: Set amidst the 2017 Muslim Ban, Middle Eastern in the Midwest is a Middle Eastern-American coming of age musical that follows 21-year-old Nancy as she writes a show for MENA visibility at Cleveland State University. When her family unexpectedly shows up, Nancy is left scrambling to rethink what being MENA-American means. Amidst intergenerational fighting over what MENA culture is, and an unceremonious battle against censorship, Nancy is forced to confront much more than she anticipated. Middle Eastern in the Midwest is an honest exploration into the struggles of what it takes to keep a culture alive in a foreign land: both the rewards, and the sacrifice.
READINGS: Staged reading at NYU Tisch GMTWP directed by Thalia Ranjbar, 2024.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS: 2024 Eugene O’Neill NMTC Semi-Finalist, 2024 AMTP Finalist
“Nancy ‘Agram” Performed at Joe’s Pub
Singers: Olivia AbiAssi, Salma Qarnain, Mia Mooko
Piano/MD: Vadim Feichtner
Guitar: Carlos Bauzys
Bass: Jarrett Murray
Percussion: Danny Ursetti
Directed by Brandon Anderson
Filmed live at Joe's Pub in collaboration with NYU Tisch GMTWP
“Virtuosic WORK… Shining a light on fresh stories that need to be heard.”
-Mindi Dickstein, “Little Women, The Musical” Lyricist