MENA Theater Makers Alliance 2026 Convening

Join us at “Protecting Dissent: Celebrating Voices from the Middle East and North Africa,” the MENA Theater Makers Alliance 2026 Convening. Presented on October 23-25, 2026 in San Francisco, this national gathering provides an essential opportunity to network, strategize, and celebrate with MENA and SWANA artists, activists, and scholars from around the country. Don’t miss your chance to join this spirited opportunity to share stories, learn about fellow cultures, and discover new ways of collaborating and honing our skills.

Presented in conjunction with Golden Thread Productions’s ReOrient 2026 Festival, this year’s Convening focuses on an essential question: “How do we protect dissent today?” As theater makers, we must uplift and defend the voices of artists in our community, who are boldly expressing truths in a time of growing censorship and suppression.

Following MENATMA’s groundbreaking MENA Theater Makers Fund announcement earlier this year, the Convening will feature and celebrate the 18 awardees who represent some of the most impactful MENA and SWANA voices working in American Theatre today.

All registrants will receive a ticket to Golden Thread’s ReOrient 2026 Festival for Friday evening.

Register for the Convening today!

Protecting Dissent is co-produced by MENATMA, Art2Action, and Golden Thread Productions.

CONVENING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026 – DAY 1

8:30-9:15am:
COFFEE, LIGHT BREAKFAST (in lobby), and REGISTRATION (in lobby)

9:15-9:50am
WELLNESS PRACTICE – Meditation: 3rd Foundation of Mindfulness (optional)
Start each day with this optional offering to help center your mind, body, and spirit. Led through the lens of MENA/SWANA facilitators, mindfulness practices may include meditation, simple movements, or creative practice. Suitable for all abilities and experience levels, sitting or standing, no special clothing required. Today’s practice led by Amal Bisharat will explore mindfulness of consciousness, observing our mental states without judgement and meeting ourselves with acceptance and compassion.

9:50-10:00am
BREAK

10:00-10:45am
CONVENING WELCOME
by Denmo Ibrahim, Nabra Nelson, Debórah Eliezer and Sarah Dahnke (livestreamed on HowlRound)
Don’t miss the official start of the convening featuring MENATMA chair Denmo Ibrahim, Golden Thread Artistic Director Nabra Nelson, and more. Get energized for the weekend and hear about MENATMA’s exciting updates and programs.

10:45-11:45am
PROTECTING DISSENT: CELEBRATING VOICES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Moderator: Catherine Coray, Panelists: Andrea Assaf, Torange Yeghiazarian and Nabra Nelson (livestreamed on HowlRound)
How does MENA theater react to systemic silencing of our community? A robust conversation on the themes of this year’s convening with a selection of established leaders working in MENA theater today.

11:45am-12:00pm
BREAK

12:00-1:15pm
MUSICAL CHAIRS NETWORKING
Facilitator: Tracy Francis
Join us for a fun, structured speed-networking session where you will get a chance to meet new friends and colleagues.

1:15-2:45pm
LUNCH BREAK (lunch provided) and PITCH SESSION SHARING
Facilitator: Tracy Francis
Catered lunch for all attendees. Pitch Session: Sign up for a short time slot to pitch a new or existing project, or just to talk about your artistic work or company! (Slots are first come, first served.)

2:45-4:00pm
AWARDEE INTRODUCTIONS AND SHARING
Facilitators: Sarah Dahnke with Torange Yeghiazarian (livestreamed on HowlRound)
Introducing the inaugural awardees of The MENA Theater Makers Fund, MENATMA’s historic funding initiative, the first of its kind for MENA artists and organizations that provides unprecedented and significant investment in MENA theater in the U.S. This session will feature and celebrate a number of awardees out of 18 total recipients who represent some of the most impactful MENA and SWANA voices working in American theater today.

4:00-4:15pm
BREAK

4:15-5:30pm
FORGING OUR PATHS AS MENA ARTISTS
Moderator: Aidaa Peerzada (livestreamed on HowlRound)
MENA theater makers of various disciplines share how they began their careers, adapted, and evolved to make their mark in the American theater landscape. What is the collective impact made by our community, and how do we preserve our collective wisdom? How do we actively resist the erasure of our history, and break the ‘silo’ to become a consistent part of the mainstream? What can we incorporate from our theatrical and cultural pasts to help us enrich today’s theater culture?

5:30-5:45pm
SRCC PRESENTS SURVEY (and Invitation to Participate)
Presenters: Tasneem Mandviwala from Silk Road Cultural Center & Malek Najjar
Silk Road Cultural Center presents its cultural mapping research project of surveys and interviews to examine the experiences, needs, barriers, and contributions of Southwest Asian and North African theatre artists and arts organizations across the United States. Supported by The Wallace Foundation, the study aims to better understand the landscape of the field and the resources SWANA artists need to thrive, and to help strengthen connections, increase visibility, and inform future advocacy, investment, and support.

5:45-7:00pm
DINE-AROUND DINNERS
Choose-your-own-adventure dining at local restaurants! Casual, facilitated conversations over dinner in groups led by locals.

7:30-10:00pm
PERFORMANCE
ReOrient 2026 Festival of Short Plays (tickets provided)
The performance will be followed by a post-show discussion with the ReOrient playwrights in person and on Zoom.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026 – DAY 2

8:30-9:15am
COFFEE, LIGHT BREAKFAST

9:15-9:50am
WELLNESS PRACTICE – HaMakom: Take Space (optional)
Start each day with this optional offering to help center your mind, body, and spirit. Led through the lens of MENA/SWANA facilitators, mindfulness practices may include meditation, simple movements, or creative practice. Suitable for all abilities and experience levels, sitting or standing, no special clothing required. Today’s practice is led through the lens of Awardee Debórah Eliezer of Aviva Arts, and will explore how we take up space with our imagination, breath and movement.

9:50-10:00am
BREAK

10:00am-12:00pm
CREATING IN CRISIS
Moderator: Amal Bisharat
This hybrid session brings together artists from Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and Sudan to explore what it means to create when crisis is not a distant event but an ongoing reality. How does art respond to moments that can feel impossible to represent? What does it mean to make work while remaining connected to people and places experiencing violence and upheaval? How do artists navigate the expectations placed on them to explain, document, mourn, resist, or speak for a place?

12:00-1:30pm
LUNCH & CRAFT BREAK (lunch provided)
Enjoy a catered lunch for all attendees while dipping into crafts from around our MENA communities, a sneak peek for Sunday’s Traditional Arts session.

1:30-2:30pm
AFFINITY JAM SESSION
Facilitator: Raymond Bobgan (Producing) with Affinity Group Leaders Kathy Haddad (Regional Collaborations), Malek Najjar & Hala Baki (Education), and Marjan Moosavi & Aycan Akçamete & Nakissa Etemad (Dramaturgy/Playwriting)
What does MENA collaboration look like within specific affinity groups? An opportunity to tap into vibrant smaller group discussions with dramaturgs, educators, regional collaborators, and producers.

2:30-2:45pm
BREAK

2:45-4:15pm
EMERGENT BEST PRACTICES IN MENA SPACES
Facilitators: Debórah Eliezer and Caitlin Nasema Cassidy
As our MENA community grows, how does our organizational practice align with our personal values, which are often in conflict with the systems in which we live and work? This participatory session will question prevailing work practices, source anecdotes from the group, and co-imagine better organizing protocols designed by and for the MENA/SWANA community.

4:15-4:30pm
BREAK

4:30-5:30pm
OPEN MIC SHARING
Facilitator: Denmo Ibrahim
Sign up for a short time slot to share an excerpt or short performance. This could be an excerpt of a script, a song, a poem or even a dance!

5:30-7:00pm
DINE-AROUND DINNERS
Choose-your-own-adventure dining at local restaurants! Facilitated dining in groups led by locals.

7:30-10:00pm
PERFORMANCE OPTIONS
ReOrient 2026 Festival of Short Plays
(at Potrero Stage, need tickets, 7:30pm start)

Meem Collective’s Mornings in Jenin Musical Concert
(at A.C.T. downtown SF, need tickets, doors open at 7:30pm, 8pm start)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2026 – DAY 3

8:30-9:15am
COFFEE, LIGHT BREAKFAST

9:15-9:50am
WELLNESS PRACTICE – Restoring Our Tools: Hands, Feet, Eyes (optional)
Start the day with this optional offering to help center your mind, body, and spirit. Led through the lens of Awardee Leyya Tawil of Dance Elixir (Oakland, CA), you are invited to “come as you are.” This accessible somatic movement session will offer ways to prepare our hands, feet, and eyes for the work laid out before us. This practice includes simple movements, guided visualizations, and restorative techniques for our whole selves.

9:50-10:00am
BREAK

10:00-11:15am
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MENATMA: HOW CAN WE SERVE YOU?
Facilitators: Sherrine Azab and Kate Moore Heaney
We want to hear from you! Join this participatory session to contribute your ideas, requests, and vision for MENATMA’s future. Learn about the launch of MENATMA’s membership program and ways to connect.

11:15-11:30am
BREAK WITH SUBSTANTIAL SNACKS

11:30am-1:00pm
TRADITIONAL ARTS SHARE-OUT
Introductions: Aidaa Peerzada

1:00-1:30pm
CONVENING CLOSING

1:30-2pm
BREAK (on your own)

2:00-4:30pm
PERFORMANCE
ReOrient 2026 Festival of Short Plays – (optional, need tickets)