Sharifa Yasmin
Sharifa Yasmin is an Egyptian-American director and playwright raised in South Carolina. As a trans woman theatre artist, her work is centered on her own life experiences and advocating for other marginalized stories across the United States. She is currently a 2020-21 National Directing Fellow with the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.[1] Her play The Devils Between Us will be published in the upcoming Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays.[2]
Early life and education
Yasmin was born in Egypt and moved to the U.S. with her parents when she was 3 years old. Her family lived in North Carolina until Yasmin was 12. They then moved to South Carolina where Yasmin grew up and went to school.[3] Yasmin graduated cum laude from Winthrop University with a B.A. in theatre performance and a minor in sociology.[4] Starting in Fall of 2021, Yasmin will be a Brown/Trinity MFA Directing Candidate for the class of 2024.[5]
Themes
As a playwright, her work reflects her intersection of queerness and Arab-American identity.[6] Yasmin, as a director, prioritizes creating space for BIPOC individuals in the room and onstage. Influenced by her studies at Winthrop University, Yasmin is politically minded in her work. She often directs contemporary dramas that recreate what it means to be in a marginalized community in America[3] Her directing credits include plays by artists that deeply influence her. Highlights from that list are plays by Naomi Wallace, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Marco Ramirez.[7]
Plays
The Devils Between Us
This play explores the dynamics of a small town in South Carolina, where a closeted man named George comes face to face with a ghost of his past. His young Muslim boyhood lover Latif has returned as Latifa. Forced to confront devils both have been avoiding, they find that their only way out of the past is through each other.
This play has been developed through readings at Women’s Theatre Festival in 2020 and at TransTheatreFest in 2021.[6] This play will be published among other gender diverse plays in May 2021 in the Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays.[8]
Close to Home
This play features Zara, a homeless trans girl, Colt, a young southern man, and Kaysar, a quiet Muslim man. Throughout the play, these three very different people find that what they’re looking for might just lie beneath an old oak tree.
These Perfect Seconds
In just ten minutes, the past and present are re-examined. Jasmyne, a trans woman and bridesmaid, steps away to catch a breath, only to be followed by Drew. The two haven’t spoken in months; she wants to keep it that way, however, he has other plans.
Directing fellowships
- Actors Theatre of Louisville
- Manhattan Theatre Club
- PURE Theatre
- Geva Theatre
- Hypokrit Theatre
- The Drama League
- Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
References
- ↑ ""National Director's Fellowship"". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Mirsajadi, Ali-Reza. ""Erasing the Middle East: White Gatekeeping and the Painful Path of Progress"". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mancilla, Freddie (December 7, 2020). ""The Future of Theatre (w/ Sharifa Yasmin)"". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ ""Sharifa Yasmin"". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ ""Reading of Mosque4Mosque with talkback, moderated by Sharifa Yasmin"". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "New Play Exchange Profile: Sharifa Yasmin". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Directors Council". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
This article "Sharifa Yasmin" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Sharifa Yasmin. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
