Shows category: SparkFest

Ari Derambakhsh is an Iranian-American actress and singer. She recently graduated with her BFA in Acting from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. Prior to graduation, she trained and performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Most recently, Ari was part of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre company of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play ‘English.’

Ahmad Kamal is an Egyptian actor based in the Washington DC area, where his regional theatre credits include Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Olney Theatre Center, among others. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Instagram: @king_o_egypt.

Andrew Nicolas is beyond grateful to be able to act alongside some remarkably talented MENASA actors. Andrew is a recent Graduate of the BFA Acting program at TCU (Go Frogs) throughout his time at university, Andrew has been grateful to act throughout the DFW metroplex at theaters such as WaterTower Theatre, Circle Theatre, Lyric Stage, Shakespeare Dallas, Theatre Arlington to name a few!

Haneen Arafat Murphy (she/her) lives in South Orange, NJ and has spent her life as a creative and performer. She began her career as a dancer in the pre-professional program at TCU, in her native Fort Worth. Drawn to broadcast media, she moved to New York, and was among the founding program directors at Sirius Radio. Her national campaigns as a voice actor include Pringles, Delta, Walmart, and Ford. Her most recent stage work includes the debut season of American Fast (Constellation Stage).

Jamie Rezanour is a native Texan from Houston, currently living in New York City. She is of Iranian descent and is a proud MENASA artist. Regionally, she has performed at theaters such as Dallas Theater Center, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, The Guthrie, and MilwaukeeRepertory Theater. Her TV credits include The Blacklist, Bull, Blindspot, and a recurring role on Blue Bloods. Education: MFA in Acting (Southern Methodist University).

Lois “Lo” Abdelmalekis an actor, singer, director, and photographer. Most recently she was in KISS (Wilma Theatre) and the world premiere of400 Barrels of Wine(Theatre Ariel & Theatre Company of Jerusalem). Lo has an MFA in Performance and African American Theatre Certificate from The University of Louisville and has studied at the HB Studio in NYC. As an artist-activist, Lo created and directed Umuryango: Rwandan Stories which was a staged reading and photography exhibit that honored the lives of the street children she met in Rwanda.

Mariana Saba is an actor based in Northport, NY.

Christian Tannous is a Houston-based actor and director. He is currently pursuing his B.A. in Fine Arts and Art Administration at the University of Houston-Downtown. He is thrilled to be able to share the stage with the incredibly talented individuals here at SparkFest! He would also like to thank his friends and family for their unrelenting outpour of support and affirmation through this exciting chapter of life.

Victoria Nassif strives to live on the hyphen-between Lebanese, Palestinian, and American, between performer, intimacy director, and narrator, between her many hobbies and her personal commitments to family, to growth, and to hope. Her work has been seen across the globe at places like the New Victory Theater, The Kennedy Center, American Players Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Constellation Stage &Screen, TheatreSquared, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Playhouse Square, Arts Center at NYUAD, FringeArts, and many more. Free Palestine!

Taylor Blackman (he/him) is an actor, writer, producer, director, and professor based in Brooklyn, NY. As an actor, Taylor recently finished the first National Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He has also performed with Roundabout Theatre Company, The Movement Theatre Company, The Public Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and New York Stage & Film. Taylor can also be seen on Comedy Central’s “Alternatino” and on CBS’ “FBI”. As a playwright, he is currently under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre & Roberta P Sloan to create a new scientific play. He has held residency with Hi-ARTS Harlem to develop new works, as well creatively produced readings and workshops of his own work. Taylor recently served as the movement director for a recent production of Sweet Chariot that premiered at The Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival. He holds a professorship with the New School in the Theatre Department. Taylor is currently working on a new musical titled Hero, created by Shariffa Ali and Vuyo Sotashe.

Kate Moore Heaney (she/her) is a theatre director, producer, and dramaturg. Kate is the Artistic Associate, Literary at Long Wharf Theatre, Artistic Producer of Noor Theatre, and a founding steering committee member for the Middle Eastern and North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA). She has directed and/or developed new work with The Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, The Playwrights Realm, The Civilians’ R&D Group, New York Theatre Workshop, The Amoralists, The Flea, The Shakespeare Society, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, and other NYC companies. She has assistant or associate directed with Ibex Theatricals/The New Vic, McCarter Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, Yale Institute for Music Theatre, and The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway. B.A.: Yale. katemooreheaney.com

Sharifa Yasmin (she/her) is a trans Egyptian-American director, actor, playwright and intimacy coordinator. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Yasmin’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been produced with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Uprising Theatre, Amphibian Stage, Trans Theatre Fest, Women’s Theatre Festival, taught at DePaul, Susquehanna, and Kansas Universities, and published in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Yasmin was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League’s Directors Council, and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep. www.sharifayasmin.com

Taylor Blackman (he/him) is an actor, writer, producer, director, and professor based in Brooklyn, NY. As an actor, Taylor recently finished the first National Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He has also performed with Roundabout Theatre Company, The Movement Theatre Company, The Public Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and New York Stage & Film. Taylor can also be seen on Comedy Central’s “Alternatino” and on CBS’ “FBI”. As a playwright, he is currently under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre & Roberta P Sloan to create a new scientific play. He has held residency with Hi-ARTS Harlem to develop new works, as well creatively produced readings and workshops of his own work. Taylor recently served as the movement director for a recent production of Sweet Chariot that premiered at The Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival. He holds a professorship with the New School in the Theatre Department. Taylor is currently working on a new musical titled Hero, created by Shariffa Ali and Vuyo Sotashe.

Kate Moore Heaney (she/her) is a theatre director, producer, and dramaturg. Kate is the Artistic Associate, Literary at Long Wharf Theatre, Artistic Producer of Noor Theatre, and a founding steering committee member for the Middle Eastern and North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA). She has directed and/or developed new work with The Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, The Playwrights Realm, The Civilians’ R&D Group, New York Theatre Workshop, The Amoralists, The Flea, The Shakespeare Society, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, and other NYC companies. She has assistant or associate directed with Ibex Theatricals/The New Vic, McCarter Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, Yale Institute for Music Theatre, and The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway. B.A.: Yale. katemooreheaney.com

Sharifa Yasmin (she/her) is a trans Egyptian-American director, actor, playwright and intimacy coordinator. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Yasmin’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been produced with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Uprising Theatre, Amphibian Stage, Trans Theatre Fest, Women’s Theatre Festival, taught at DePaul, Susquehanna, and Kansas Universities, and published in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Yasmin was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League’s Directors Council, and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep. www.sharifayasmin.com