About

Through Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi, Arabic-speaking communities of Cleveland share vital, life-affirming stories celebrating family, dignity, and freedom of expression. These stories affirm a rich heritage and seek to move Cleveland to shed preconceptions and stereotypes, and grow empathy and understanding.

Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi is open to all people who share a heritage from Arabic-speaking cultures with an interest in theatre regardless of experience. Current Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi artists are from over 10 different countries; Muslims, Christians, Druze, and other faiths; and include recent immigrants to 3^rd generation citizens of the U.S.

“This project is a blessing from the sky. Our Arabic community is the second largest [in Cleveland] after the Hispanic community. And I was so happy to hear that [Cleveland Public Theatre] was willing to recognize our community.”

—Pierre Bejjani, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee, Managing Director/Executive Editor of Ohio’s Arabic language newspaper Profile News Ohio

—Pierre Bejjani, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee, Managing Director/Executive Editor of Ohio’s Arabic language newspaper Profile News Ohio

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee is a group of committed individuals, a majority of whom identify as members of Arabic‐speaking communities, who advise Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan and CPT Staff related to matters within the Arabic‐speaking communities and cultures. Advisory Committee members act as ambassadors for the theatre, assisting with building partnerships, as well as guiding the vision and values of Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi productions are developed through CPT’s unique play creation method. Led by Raymond Bobgan , this process engages participants in storytelling workshops expressing their personal perspectives, family stories, and traditional narratives from their heritages, and through this collaboration, an original play is made. Plays are bi-lingual, presented in Arabic and English.

“People get connected by listening to the same language. I hear Arabic – I feel bound, there is a connection. And what connects all Arab countries is the language.”

—Alia Almashni, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee, Spanish & Arabic Language & Culture Professor, Housing Court Specialist at Cleveland Municipal Court

—Alia Almashni, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee, Spanish & Arabic Language & Culture Professor, Housing Court Specialist at Cleveland Municipal Court

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Primacy of the Art of Theatre: We believe art has the power to change lives and theatre has the power to change communities. We strive for culturally informed artistic excellence in all we do and focus on the quality of the art and the process of making it.

Primacy of the Creators/Ensemble: The content of the show is originated by the artists of Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi. We believe all people are artists and this program welcomes people at all levels of training.

Inter-connectedness: We embrace cultural exchange and the idea that multiple viewpoints can be shared and respected within a singular framework. We respect artists first in their creation and then seek to create context for that art to be best experienced and understood by audiences.

Focus and Inclusivity: Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi engages people who identify as coming from an “Arabic-speaking culture.” By focusing on a common language, we seek to include people from many different heritages who may have a variety of levels of connection to those heritages.

“Not a lot of Americans know Americans who are Muslim, who are of a different ethnicity or religion than them. It feels like everyone lives in their own bubble, or their own tiny community. This is a great way to introduce these communities to each other, to connect the gap, and to build something bigger and more beautiful.”

—Leen Midani, Former Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee, Senior Recruitment Specialist at Alexander Mann Solutions

—Leen Midani, Former Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee, Senior Recruitment Specialist at Alexander Mann Solutions

LAUNCH & COMMITMENT

In collaboration with the Advisory Committee, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi’s inaugural event took place in July 2018, featuring testimonials from founding members, poems, music, food, dancing, and a reading of a short original play by Abbas Alhilali performed in Arabic and English.

In December 2018, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi presented a work-in-progress production entitled Dream of Home featuring ensemble members performing their personal stories of home, heritage, and culture for the broader community. Building on the momentum of this workshop production, we produced the world premiere in April 2019 with additional production elements, including subtitles throughout, and a full set created by ensemble member Hussein Ghareeb, a professional scenic designer, for a sold-out, standing-room-only audience.

For our 2019/2020 season,Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi presented an original, full-length production, And then We Met..., to premiering at CPT in February 2020 and then touring to Dearborn, Michigan to perform at the Arab American National Museum.

Shorter works have been featuring at CPT's Summer Stage, BorderLight Cleveland International Theatre Fring Festival, and Cleveland Cultural Gardens' Centennial Peace Plaza.

Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi will be a prominent feature of our 2020/2021 season.

"[Cleveland Public Theatre] has provided a platform to tell stories of different communities through theatre and the arts, and I am so proud to be part of this historic mission towards inclusion.”

—Omar Kurdi, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Founding Member, Cleveland Public Theatre Board Member, CEO of Friends for Life Rehabilitation Services

—Omar Kurdi, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Founding Member, Cleveland Public Theatre Board Member, CEO of Friends for Life Rehabilitation Services

CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE

Cleveland Public Theatre’s mission is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performances and life‐changing education programs. CPT develops new, adventurous work, and nurtures Northeastern Ohio artists—particularly those whose work is inventive, intelligent, and socially conscious. CPT’s acclaimed education programs engage communities in devising new works that speak to contemporary issues, and empower participants to work for positive change in our community.

MASRAH CLEVELAND AL-ARABI ADVISORY COMMITTEE and ENSEMBLE

Jamila Alhaib, Rebal Alhalabi, Abbas Alhilali, Prof. Alia Almashni, Sarah Arafat, Pierre Bejjani, Ebaa Boudiab, Issam Boudiab, Jamal Julia Boudiab, Hon. Joe Cimperman, Irene Farah, Dr. Michel Farah, Hussein Ghareeb, Prof. Ahmad Hamo, Amro Handousa, Ahmed Kadous, Nisrine Khazaal, Dr. Wael Khoury, Alma Khoury KorKor, Abdelghani Kitab, Omar Kurdi, Rebecca Mayhew, Hesham Morsy, Dr. Widad Mousa, Dr. Abed el-Rahman Tayyara, Ruth Tracy, Manar Yared, Haneen Yehya, Nazek El Halabi Yehya, Ahlem Zaaeed, Isam Zaiem

“Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi is a cultural pillar. It creates a dialogue among the community to discuss their experiences through an artistic and comprehensive performance that resonates with the heart and mind. Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi is a unique beacon and a successful role model for other Arab American communities in other cities and states to learn from and duplicate.”

—Alma Khoury KorKor, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi Advisory Committee