I’ve spent the past several weeks working as Associate Director with Leah C. Gardiner on a unique and exciting new musical with book and lyrics by Ismail Khalidi, co-lyricist Patrick Lazour and music by Hadi Eldebek.
Dead Are My People follows Nicola, a young Syrian man who flees to the U.S. from famine-stricken Mount Lebanon during World War I. Once there, he hopes to track down his uncle Tanios, who emigrated West years before. Finding few traces of his kin, Nicola must ultimately navigate the treacherous terrain of the Jim Crow South. Grappling with the legacies of white supremacy, immigration, and assimilation, Dead Are My People is an unexpected and timely journey to the core of the American experience. Dead Are My People is Noor Theatre’s first full-length play commission.
To our knowledge, this is the first American musical with a book and score balanced between English and Arabic. The short run is already sold out (!!) but fingers crossed you’ll be hearing more about this timely project in the future!
Check out NYTW Next Door’s website for more details!