Episodes

  • Rant and Rave: Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian Classics and Theatre History

    Rant and Rave: Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian Classics and Theatre History
    Aug 13 2024
    In the last episode of the fourth season of Kunafa and Shay—which was a historical and classical Middle Wastern and North African (MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre season—Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson reflect on the season, give some additional insight, and provide a broader overview of their framework for historical and classical theatre.
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    50 mins
  • Resistant Ventriloquism and Postcolonial Courtesy

    Resistant Ventriloquism and Postcolonial Courtesy
    Aug 6 2024
    Dr. Samer Al-Saber joins hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson for a conversation around resistant ventriloquism and postcolonial courtesy. Dr. Al-Saber also shares stories from his upcoming book about the Palestinian theatre movement in the 1970s and 1980s.
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    51 mins
  • Iraqi Theatre History

    Iraqi Theatre History
    Jul 30 2024
    Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson learn from Dr. Amir Al-Azraki about Iraqi theatrical traditions, the birth of modern Iraqi theatre springing from church drama in Mosul in the late nineteenth century, Iraqi plays in translation, and Afro-Iraqi theatre. 

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    47 mins
  • Palestinian Storytelling

    Palestinian Storytelling
    Jul 23 2024
    Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson are joined by Fidaa Ataya, a Palestinian storyteller who talks with us about the tradition of the hakawati and how she and her work are looking at different forms of storytelling from ancient traditions to new ways of storytelling in Palestine.
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    47 mins
  • Nubian Theatre

    Nubian Theatre
    Jul 9 2024
    Nubia has a long history of theatre, both before and after the displacement of the 1960s. In this episode, hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson highlight Nubian theatre, including the only Nubian opera, Opera El Aml by Mohy El Din Sherif. With special guest Mazen Alaa from Nubian Geographic, this episode focus on Nubian theatre in Abu Simbel and the effect that the displacement had and continues to have on theatre in Nubia and the Nubian diaspora today.
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    57 mins
  • Ibn Daniyal and Puppetry

    Ibn Daniyal and Puppetry
    Jul 2 2024
    Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson look at MENA and SWANA puppetry traditions with guest artivist Dr. Sarah Fahmy. They talk about her production of the first recorded full play in English of Ibn Daniyal, The Shadow Spirit; the Aragoz Puppet; and, coming more into current puppetry practice by MENA folks, Fahmy's own ecofeminist puppetry practice.
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    47 mins
  • Ottoman Theatre

    Ottoman Theatre
    Jun 25 2024
    Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson discuss Ottoman theatre, emphasizing its significance in global theatre history. They highlight the Ottoman Empire as a pivotal point of cultural exchange comparable to the Greek and Roman empires. They focus on three major forms of traditional theatre—Ortaoyunu, Karagöz, and Meddah—and dive into these forms of “plays performed in the open,” shadow theatre, and storytelling.
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    42 mins
  • People of the Cave

    People of the Cave
    Jun 18 2024
    Hosts Marina Johnson and Nabra Nelson talk about Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim and his “unstageable” classic play People of the Cave. They provide historical context of the play, al-Hakim’s career, and the Christian and Islamic stories that served as al-Hakim’s inspiration.
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    57 mins