The First Annual NOOR PLAY FESTIVAL at Wings Theatre – April 13-15

March 13, 2008 - New York, NY – Since September 11, 2001, relationships between North Americans and those of Middle Eastern descent have been a struggle. Noor, “light” in both Arabic and Farsi/Persian, suggests enlightenment – the goal of the first annual Noor Play Festival – to enlighten all peoples interested in coming together as one united human race.

Comprised of short plays tackling Middle East-related topics, Noor Play Festival offers theatergoers a significant way to experience, through original comedic and dramatic short plays, the tenderness and tension, harshness and heartedness of Middle Eastern and other characters’ feelings and experiences. The Festival’s mission, as the name noor (light) suggests is to enlighten savvy theatergoers about the Middle East while also providing high quality entertainment.

The Noor Play Festival will take place at the Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street in New York City from April 13-15.

“Unique criteria for plays to be selected, aside from obvious artistic and literary merits, are that at least one of the characters in the production must be from the Middle East,” says festival founder and co-producer Al Nazemian.

“However, playwrights, actors, directors, talent, technical crew — and above all, audiences — don’t have to be Middle Eastern at all!” adds festival co-producer Nora Armani. “In fact, we are aiming to attract a cross-section of New Yorkers: those interested in theater, in American-Middle Eastern relations, in both dramatic and comedic renderings of Middle Eastern life, in the rich diversity of cultures — and even culture clash.”

Play submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis and those not selected for this year will be considered for subsequent years. Talent and technical crew, volunteers, sponsors, donors and all types of support are welcome. The producers would also love to hear your ideas. Write to them at noorfestival@gmail.com

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased electronically through www.theatremania.com. Tickets can also be purchased directly from the theater box office by calling: 212-627-2961 - (Reservations) Wings Theatre Company, 154 Christopher Street, New York, NY 10014.

Noor Play Festival — List of Short Plays:

“The Sort of Happy Ending to the Sad Tale of Mr. Ali Ali” - written by Craig Abernethy

“Saddam’s Crapper” - written by Kate McLeod

“Stars” - written by Evan Guilford-Blake

“The Rubbaiyat of Omar Khayyam” - written by Scott McMorrow

“Trigger Happy” - written by Zach Fischer

“Train” - written by Bethel Caram & Neil Potter

and “Khawaga Story”


BIOS:
Nora Armani is an actor/director/producer with an international list of theatre and film credits. Her acclaimed award-winning self-penned stage creations include: On the Couch with Nora Armani (now on DVD), Sojourn At Ararat (with Gerald Papasian) (now on CD), Snowflakes in April in addition to her other TV (Casualty-BBC, Al Asdiquaa-EgyptTV), Film (The New Eve, Last Station-co-directed, Haifa-co-produced and Labyrinth-for which she has won the Best Actress award) and Stage (Beyond the Veil, The Lover, La Fete Virile) credits. Her films have been seen at the Berlin, Rotterdam and Cannes film festivals. She graduated with a B.A. in English and Sociology from AUC, and an M.Sc. from LSE (Univ. of London). Her theatre training includes: RADA, UCLA, Theatre du Soleil and Complicity Theatre. Nora is an Honorary Actor Member of the National Theatre of Armenia. She is a published poet and playwright. www.noraarmani.com

Al Nazemian is an actor/producer. He has performed in the Arab-American Comedy Festival for the last three years and on NY stages for the last eleven years, including at Lincoln Center in Shirin Neshat's production of “Logic of the Birds.” On film, Al acted in “Teknolust” with Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Davies and Karen Black, in the indie hit “Love” (produced by Jim Stark), which screened at the Tribeca and Venice film festivals, as well as in “Nola” with Emmy Rossum & Mary McDonnell. Al has also appeared on “Law & Order,” “Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien’ and “Saturday Night Live.” Behind the scenes, Al produced Bob Sickinger’s musical “Platinum Taps” & assistant directed Ray Yeate’s one-man show “The Tramway End,” directed by Jim Jermanok. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in theatre and further trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. www.alnazemian.com

Eds: Nora Armani (in English, French, Arabic, Armenian, Italian, Turkish and Russian) and Al Nazemian (in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Farsi) are available for interviews. Photos and images are also available.