Noor Theatre to Tackle Current Events in 48 HOUR FORUM

Noor Theatre is New York's only theatre representing voices of the Middle Eastern diaspora. They are often asked to respond to the barrage of news related to the Middle East and beyond. Often, news breaks and it is several years before we see something on stage about it. Such is the nature of theatre making.

News is Fast. Theatre is Slow. Not this Time!

Immigration, ISIS, civil wars, stump speeches, domestic policy. Current events run the show at 48 Hour Forum, where a diverse roster of artists will rise to the challenge of spinning our most talked about news events into humorous, incisive "theatrical op-eds." Five playwrights, five directors, and a company of New York's hottest actors gather over 48 hours in a race to create theater as fast as a news cycle.

This year's artists include playwrights Clare Barron (Obie winner, You Got Older, Page 73); Kara Corthron (AliceGraceAnon, Irondale Center); David Zellnik (Drama Desk nomination, Yank!, The York Theatre); Leila Buck (In the Crossing, Culture Project, Women's Center Stage); Laith Nakli (Shesh Yak, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); directors Pirronne Yousefzadeh (That High and Lonesome Sound, Humana Festival of New American Plays); Carlos Armesto (Artistic Director, Theatre C); and actors Christina-Maria Oliveras (Here Lies Love, The Public Theater) and Aysan Celik (JUÁREZ, A Documentary Mythology, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater/Theater Mitu).

Past participants include playwrights Keith Josef Adkins (Artistic Director of The New Black Fest) and Mona Mansour (The Way West, Labyrinth, and Whiting Award winner, 2012); director Shana Gold (Food and Fadwa Noor/New York Theatre Workshop); actors Russell G. Jones (Obie winner for Ruined, Manhattan Theater Club) and Nadine Malouf (The Who and The What, Lincoln Center)

This unique event takes place at The Lark Theatre - 311 W. 43rd Street between 8th and 9th avenues (A,C,E to 42nd St.) Performances are Monday, May 16th at 8pm ($30), and reprised on Tuesday, May 17th at 7PM as a benefit performance and reception ($100) for this vibrant and necessary theatre company. Tickets may be purchased from www.noortheatre.org.

The creation of this work was made possible in part by funding from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.