Central and MENA Arts UK Announce Associateship
Central and MENA Arts UK are pleased to announce a new associateship which will work to promote and celebrate MENA/SWANA voices and to strengthen links between higher education arts training and the industry.
The associateship will seek areas of collaboration between the two organisations, including celebrating the work of MENA/SWANA artists and practitioners including students and alumni.
As part of the newly formed associateship, Central will host MENA Arts UK’s MENA/SWANA Celebration Performance Series at the School on 5 and 6 April 2024. The two-day celebration of the work of MENA/SWANA Central alumni and students will include an evening of performance and Q&As followed by a day of workshops and installations. Performers for the first evening include Youness Bouzinab, Fatima Serghini, Mai Weisz, Alia Lahlou, Mohab Kaddah, Laïla Alj and Lanna Joffrey with work presented on day two by Adi Gortler, Mohab Kaddah, Farokh Soltani, Amirah Samer, Lanna Joffrey, Lama Amine and Sepy Baghaei.
Central’s Principal and Chief Executive Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE said:
“We are delighted to announce our associateship with MENA Arts UK, and to plan for our future work with the MENA/SWANA artists and practitioners – many of whom are Central alumni – that make up this vast network. We are particularly pleased to celebrate this new relationship by hosting the MENA Arts UK Celebration and Performance Series here at Central, and to bring this important work to our student and staff communities. May this be the first of many more exciting collaborations to come!”
Kerry Kyriacos Michael, MENA Arts UK’s Director, said:
“We are so much looking forward to working with Josette and her team at the School. Our aim is for MENA/SWANA professionals to shape and thrive in live and recorded arts in the UK, and Central’s invitation to work with their students and alumni is an exciting way to do just that.”
Lanna Joffrey, MENA Arts UK Community Producer and Central Alumni (MA Acting Contemporary 2014) said:
“Central has become a home I come back to again and again, supporting me as a multi-disciplined artist. It is a welcoming home, committed to lifting up and celebrating its graduates past and present and, therefore, their artistic futures. This celebration is an expression of this commitment to highlight and showcase Central’s incredible MENA/SWANA talent.”
Laïla Alj, MENA Arts UK Steering Group Member, Event Producer and Central Alumni (MA Acting for Screen 2011) said:
“Central helped shape the artist I am today, and it’s inspiring to see the great work that our alumni and MENA/SWANA community have achieved. This associateship is an opportunity to make those ties stronger, and I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”
The announcement marks MENA Arts UK as Central’s second associate company, alongside New Earth Theatre and with more announcements to follow in the coming months. Central’s associate companies form part of a series of key, strategic relationships which bring the institution closer to industry partners and deepen and expand the work of the School.
The MENA Arts UK MENA/SWANA Celebration Performance Series will be hosted at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on 5 and 6 April 2024. To find out more about the event including a full list of performers and participants and to reserve a free ticket, please visit the event page here.
Artists and practitioners involved in the MENA Arts UK MENA/SWANA Celebration Performance Series include:
Laila Alj (Central graduate): Laila is an actor and producer. Born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, she studied theatre at Northwestern University (BA Theatre, Creative Writing for the Media certificate & Religion minor). She also has an MA in Screen Acting from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Laila lives in London and works across theatre, film, tv and radio. Recent credits include Bob Marley: One Love (paramount); Landscapers (sky/HBO); All’s Well That Ends Well (RSC); Hakawatis (Globe). she is also currently developing a solo show “Chambers of the Heart” written by Hassan Abdulrazzak. Laila is a steering group member of MENA Arts UK, a UK based arts organisation championing the work of MENA+ (Middle East, North Africa and surrounding areas) creatives in the UK. She is also the producer at Theatro Technis, an independent theatre in Camden.
Lanna Joffrey (Central graduate and staff): Lanna Joffrey is an award-winning Iranian performer/writer working in the UK and US. She has enjoyed performing extensively in theatre, film, audio projects and her spoken word, which has been published in print and online. Upcoming: English (RSC & Kiln) Select Theatre: Sister Radio (Pitlochry, Traverse, Tron, Perth…), I Call My Brothers (Gate Theatre), The Time of Our Lies (Park Theatre), The Eyes of the Night (Cervantes Theatre), Muse of Fire and Sonnet Walks (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Thousand Splendid Suns (A.C.T., Old Globe, Arena Stage & Seattle Rep), Soulless Ones (Hoxton Hall), Cause (Vaults Festival), The Profane (Playwrights Horizons), Troilus and Cressida, Measure for Measure,Timon of Athens and Julius Caesar (The Factory), They Promised Her the Moon (Old Globe), Measure for Measure (The Public), Richard III and Hamlet (Epic Theatre). Awards: NYFringe, IRNE & Ovation. Her critically acclaimed verbatim docudrama of women’s war stories, Valiant has toured throughout the UK/US and was published by NoPassport Press. She is a company member of The Factory, Barefoot Theatre, Hyphen Artist Collective (Founder) and is a Community Producer for MENA Arts UK.
Fatima Serghini (Central graduate): Fatima Serghini is an emerging London playwright and performer. She is honoured to be among the select playwrights participating in the Criterion Theatre New Writers program this year in the West End. Hailing from Ladbroke Grove, known to many as ‘mini Morocco,’ her roots inherently shape her writing, capturing the nuanced essence of her London-centric background. Themes of culture clash, the Cinderella effect (rags to riches), and a keen exploration of the contemporary zeitgeist seamlessly weave through her narratives. In addition to her role as Literary Reader at Theatre503 and previous writers’ room dramaturgy training at Stockroom, Fatima is an alumna of the Vaults Festival New Writer Program and Wellspring by Vital Exposure under the mentorship and script development guidance of the renowned theatre company Paines Plough. In television, Fatima trained in screenwriting at The National Film & Television School and Curtis Brown Creative. She was also selected by UKScreenSkills for television writing mentorship with the legendary scriptwriter and Director of the Writers’ Guild, Lisa Holdsworth. Since then, she has contributed to writers’ rooms for Netflix shows and has been involved in various scripted projects.
Her credits include: “War & Women” (Southwark Playhouse) 2022, “Blaccine” (Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Stockroom in association with Naked Productions) 2022, and “Rock the Casbah” Vaults New Playwrights Showcase (Pleasance Theatre) 2021. Fatima is a proud and active member of the British Arabs Writers Group.
Alia Lahlou (Central student): Alia Lahlou is a Moroccan-Canadian actor who is currently studying on the MA Acting Classical at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is due to graduate in 2024.
Adi Gortler (Central graduate): Adi Gortler(she/her) is a movement director, teacher, and theatremaker. She graduated with her MFA in Movement: Directing and Teaching from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London), and a B.Ed in Theatre Directing and Teaching from Seminar Ha’Kibbutzim College (Tel Aviv). At the heart of her practice lies a deep celebration of people and their individuality, leading to an environment where uniqueness and identities are cherished and expressed in creating a story. Latest work: As Movement Director: Baghdaddy, Jews. In Their Own Words (Royal Court), The EU Killed My Dad, The Anarchist (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Snow Queen (Polka Theatre), Attempts On Her Life (Guildhall), Bad Roads, Swive, How To Hold Your Breath, The Antipodes, Light Falls, Woyzeck, Pomona (LAMDA), Borders הגדר ألسیاج (Vault Festival, Drayton Arms, OSO Arts Centre) As Intimacy Director: The Shape Of Things (Park Theatre), Bad Roads, Swive, How To Hold Your Breath (LAMDA) As Director: What Moves You? (LAMDA), I See in Colour (International Children’s Theatre Festival, Haifa), As a Matter of Fact- The Post Truth Cabaret (Habima Theatre, The Arab-Hebrew Theatre, Tzavta, Haifa Theatre)
Youness Bouzinab (Central graduate): Youness Bouzinab is a Moroccan, Greek and Belgian performer, theatre-maker and dramaturg. After studying Archaeology and Art History of the Ancient Near East in Brussels, Paris and the UK, he trained on the BA (Hons) Acting, Collaborative and Devised Theatre at Royal Central.
Since graduating, Youness has performed in Maktub (Pleasance Theatre, Complicité), Fatherland (Lyric Hammersmith, Frantic Assembly), What They Forgot To Tell Us (And Other Stories) (BOLD Elephant, Sarah Davey-Hull), The Wetsuitman (Arcola Theatre, Trine Garrett). He’s on Migrants in Theatre’s Steering Committee (MiT), and is also a member of MENA Arts UK and Equity’s Non-UK Born Artists Network Casting Working Group.
Mai Weisz (Central graduate): Mai is an actor and writer, graduated from the BA Acting CDT at Central in 2018 and from the MA Global Cinema at SOAS University in 2019. Acting credits include: Two Palestinians go Dogging (Olivier Awards nominee, Royal Court, 2022); This is Going to Hurt (multi-BAFTA nominee, BBC/AMC Drama, 2022); Il n’y a pas d’ombre dans le desert (Les Films du Poisson, France 2022); On Cloud Nine (acting & writing, OnComm nominee, White Bear Theatre, 2020/21); The Journey (Wizo UK & Neopolitan Pictures, 2023); Shoshana (ADR and Hebrew coordination with Michael Winterbottom, Revolution Films Ltd, 2023)
Mohab Kaddah (Central student): I am a London-based Egyptian artist with a background in musical theatre and music performance. Since 2017, I have worked professionally in Cairo’s theatre scene, performing in Arabic and English musicals and concerts as a guitarist and singer. In 2023, I relocated to London to pursue my MA in Music Theatre at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. With a passion for acting and storytelling, I aspire to build a successful career in the vibrant theatre scene of London, blending my cultural heritage with new artistic experiences.
Amirah Samer (Central student): Amirah Samer (they/them), is a versatile practitioner, artist, and facilitator, specialising in empowering young people through creative expression. Their recent collaboration with Smiles Africa in Kenya’s Korogocho settlement epitomises their dedication. By facilitating a transformative project, they empowered youth to find their voices and build confidence through theatre. Currently in their third year of Drama, Applied Theatre and Education, they are poised to make a profound impact in the creative industry. With a passion for authentic storytelling and a drive to empower others, Amirah embodies the transformative potential of theatre for social change.
Farokh Soltani (Central graduate and staff): Dr Farokh Soltani is a writer, researcher, sound-maker, and teacher. His career began in his native Iran, where he worked as a writer and sound designer. His output included everything from sitcom scripts for national television networks, to award-winning short films such as The Project and Mr M at the Centre of the World, to music for theatre, film, and a particularly annoying mobile phone tariff ad. He now lives in London, where he is putting his PhD in radio drama to use by, well, making radio drama, as well as teaching screenwriting and doing bits of script editing and dramaturgy.
Sepy Baghaei (Central graduate): Sepy Baghaei is an Iranian-Australian theatre director based in London. She originally trained as an actor at the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art, before moving to London to complete an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She has also trained on the National Theatre Directors Course.
Sepy is primarily drawn to new writing, and has workshopped new plays with the National Theatre Studio and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Selected credits as director include: Sokhan Begoo (Royal Court); Habibti Driver (Octagon Theatre); Little Women, Citizen, Wilde Tales (The Space); The Wolf Inside Me (Blue Elephant Theatre); Re: Memory (Suitcase Civilians); and Grimm Tales (City of Sydney Library).
As associate director: The Boy With Two Hearts (National Theatre/Wales Millennium Centre). As assistant director: Manor (National Theatre); Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia (Almeida Theatre); Welcome To Iran (BBC Radio 3/Theatre Royal Stratford East/National Theatre); Reasons To Stay Alive (Sheffield Theatres/English Touring Theatre); Othello (English Touring Theatre); and As You Like It (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).
Sepy is a recipient of the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award and the Guildford Academic Associates Scholarship, and currently serves on the board of Stage Directors UK.
Lama Amine (Central graduate): Lama Amine is an artist, movement director, performer and activist. She holds an MA in Movement: Directing and Teaching from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London. She currently works with Seenaryo as Head of Arts and has directed several plays with Seenaryo, including While We Were Dreaming, The Metamorphosis after Franz Kafka, What’s Far is Near, I see my ghost coming from afar and Tilka. The play I see my ghost coming from afar was nominated for best performance at the 2023 Youth Festival in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. In 2023, she also participated in Shubbak Festival as director of the play Dreamer with Dalal Chachno, as well as receiving a scholarship from the Goethe Institute to participate as an artist in the Theatertreffen Festival in Berlin, where she worked with international artists.
She was in the world premiere of Cabaret Migrants, a touring Kahraba prouduction directed by Eric Deniaudpart. She is also part of TNT British Company and performed in the world premiere of My Sister Syria in Europe. In 2016 she worked on RISE production with The Old Vic New Voices as an assistant movement director. In 2015 she was selected to participate in the Home Grown Theatre Project, a collaboration with the Kevin Spacey Foundation in Sharjah, UAE. Lama has worked on two operas with Robert Wilson in New York at the summer programme and has also been a dancer with Sima Dance Company in Dubai.