THE MENA SHOW
THE MENA SHOW
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, The MENA Show is a pop-rock coming-of-age musical that follows 21-year-old Nancy as she writes a show for Middle Eastern North African visibility at Cleveland State University – to which her family unexpectedly arrives. But her quest for visibility threatens to expose her family in ways no one expected. After a disastrous dress rehearsal, a crisis of faith, and intergenerational fighting over what “MENA” culture even is, Nancy is forced to confront much more than she anticipated. The MENA Show is an honest exploration into the struggles of what it takes to protect a culture 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