SEVAN .

MFA Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Attachments:

2022 EST/Sloan Commission
2022 Playwrights Center Core Writers Group
2021 NAMT 33rd Festival of New Musicals
2021 The Orchard Project
2020 Noor Theatre/Kitchen Sink Residency
2019 Pipeline Theatre PlayLab
2015-2016 The Bush Theatre Inaugural Emerging Writers Group
2011-Now New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect
2011-2012 New York Theatre Workshop Resident Playwright Teaching Artist at the Khalil Gibran Academy
2010-2011 The Public Theater Emerging Writers Group
2011 Rising Circle Theatre Collective’s INKtank Writers Lab

Prizes:

2018/2019 PlayPenn Festival – You, The Fire and Me
2018 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist – You, The Fire and...

MFA Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Attachments:

2022 EST/Sloan Commission
2022 Playwrights Center Core Writers Group
2021 NAMT 33rd Festival of New Musicals
2021 The Orchard Project
2020 Noor Theatre/Kitchen Sink Residency
2019 Pipeline Theatre PlayLab
2015-2016 The Bush Theatre Inaugural Emerging Writers Group
2011-Now New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect
2011-2012 New York Theatre Workshop Resident Playwright Teaching Artist at the Khalil Gibran Academy
2010-2011 The Public Theater Emerging Writers Group
2011 Rising Circle Theatre Collective’s INKtank Writers Lab

Prizes:

2018/2019 PlayPenn Festival – You, The Fire and Me
2018 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist – You, The Fire and Me
2017 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist – I Am Not Mine
2016 Kondazian Playwriting Award for Armenian Stories – Forgotten Bread
2016 Arch and Bruce Foundation Playwriting Prize – The House of In Between
2016 Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist – I Am Not Mine
2015 Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist – Sam-21
2014 William Saroyan Prize Armenian Commendation Finalist – In the Name of Silence
2014 William Saroyan Human Rights/Social Justice Prize Finalist – I Am Not Mine
2014 Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist – Forgotten Bread
2014 Papatango Playwriting Prize Short List – STUFF
2013 PlayPenn Conference Finalist – babel
2012 William Saroyan Playwriting Prize finalist – DOON
2012 PlayPenn Conference Finalist – In the Name of Silence
2011 Actors Theatre of Charlotte NuVoices Festival Winner – Narrow Daylight
2010 William Saroyan Playwriting Prize finalist – Forgotten Bread

PRODUCTION – FULL-LENGTH PLAYS
2022 First Down 59E59/Noor Theatre dir. Johanna McKeon
2016 This Time Sheen Center (NYC) dir. Kareem Fahmy
2016 FLIP ArtsEd dir. Rebecca Hill
2016 The House of In Between Theatre Royal Stratford East dir. Pooja Ghai
2016 bi Rich Mix dir. Carla Kingham
2015 Nahda Bush Theatre/Shubbak Festival dir. Sean Turner
2014 Fear in a Handful of Dust COG Arts dir. Jonny Collis-Scurll
2014 The Greene Card…. Camden Fringe/The Space dir. Daniel Huntley Solon
2014 ‘The Remorse’ (Mysteries) The Flea Theatre, New York dir. Ed Iskandar

PRODUCTION – SHORT PLAYS
2015 A is for Ali Old Red Lion Theatre dir. Jonny Kelly
2014 Fitnah InJustice (EnsembleUK) dir. Carla Kingham
2014 The Choosing is Not The Greenbelt Festival dir. Christian Kinde
2014 Trafalgar Dreams Theatre503 RWR, London dir. Carla Kingham
2013 Shhh… aMios, New York dir. Kristin Parker
2012 A Jedi Shall Not… Ugly Rhino, New York dir. Andrew Scoville
2012 Star-Burst aMios, New York dir. Kristin Parker
2011 Unexpected-Beautiful Access Theatre, New York dir. Nick Leavens

Scripts

First Down

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Montana native George Berri is a national sports sensation, beloved hometown hero, and one of the NFL’s best players. But he’s about to create a perfect storm of personal, professional and political conflict as he wrestles with the decision to reveal who he really is at the Superbowl. He wants to tell the world he's an Arab-Muslim by praying during the national anthem. His coach wants him to focus on winning the...

Montana native George Berri is a national sports sensation, beloved hometown hero, and one of the NFL’s best players. But he’s about to create a perfect storm of personal, professional and political conflict as he wrestles with the decision to reveal who he really is at the Superbowl. He wants to tell the world he's an Arab-Muslim by praying during the national anthem. His coach wants him to focus on winning the game and not bring politics where it doesn't belong. His best friend and sport agent thinks he's committing career suicide standing up for a community that will vilify him. And his mother has a few more lessons to teach about the reality of living in a country he thinks is ready to handle his truth. The costs of his choice may be more than he bargained for. First Down is the first in a triptych of Muslim plays examining crises and questions of identity and faith in modern America.

Gorgonae

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Inspired by women soldiers fighting against ISIS throughout the Middle East and the mythical Gorgon sisters, this hybrid theatre play examines the current crises raging through the Middle East through the eyes of those living it.

Three Syrian sisters, separated by war, journey to find one another across time and place. Although they are unified in their want for change, their personal and political differences...

Inspired by women soldiers fighting against ISIS throughout the Middle East and the mythical Gorgon sisters, this hybrid theatre play examines the current crises raging through the Middle East through the eyes of those living it.

Three Syrian sisters, separated by war, journey to find one another across time and place. Although they are unified in their want for change, their personal and political differences tear them apart to devastating consequences when they finally reunite on a battlefield of their own creation.

You, The Fire, and Me

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Tommy, Jules, and Omer are tired of their worlds, their countries, their governments, and their families. They’re tired of being invisible. They’re tired of being disenfranchised. They’re tired of being no one. They’ve found a supportive family with one another and found the solution to their problems: Joining a terrorist organization. A coming-of-age story for a new generation, You, the Fire, and Me asks how...

Tommy, Jules, and Omer are tired of their worlds, their countries, their governments, and their families. They’re tired of being invisible. They’re tired of being disenfranchised. They’re tired of being no one. They’ve found a supportive family with one another and found the solution to their problems: Joining a terrorist organization. A coming-of-age story for a new generation, You, the Fire, and Me asks how far you would go to have your voice heard and to finally be seen as someone rather than just anyone.

SAM-21

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

A family’s fight against normalcy is brought into question when a cure for Down’s Syndrome is announced. To what lengths will a mother go through to ensure her son has a ‘normal’ life? Can a loving, but absent, father keep pretending his son is just like everyone else? And when an older brother ushers you into manhood in the most misguided way what will be the aftermath of your newfound knowledge? Sam has all...

A family’s fight against normalcy is brought into question when a cure for Down’s Syndrome is announced. To what lengths will a mother go through to ensure her son has a ‘normal’ life? Can a loving, but absent, father keep pretending his son is just like everyone else? And when an older brother ushers you into manhood in the most misguided way what will be the aftermath of your newfound knowledge? Sam has all the possibilities and all the odds stacked against him. It’s too bad no one has asked what he wants.

I Am Not Mine

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Do revolutions truly change anything? After 13 years, Abdul-Rahim is released from captivity. Driven by the memory of his wife, he must find his two children, Qila and Mar, now young adults struggling to survive in the bleakest of refugee camp conditions. But the past cannot leave the present behind and screams for revenge: A blood oath must be paid by the parent or the child. Inspired by the current global...

Do revolutions truly change anything? After 13 years, Abdul-Rahim is released from captivity. Driven by the memory of his wife, he must find his two children, Qila and Mar, now young adults struggling to survive in the bleakest of refugee camp conditions. But the past cannot leave the present behind and screams for revenge: A blood oath must be paid by the parent or the child. Inspired by the current global refugee crisis, this new play examines the costs of personal freedom and familial obligation.

Narrow Daylight

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Reeling from the death of her husband and the recent loss of her soldier son, Susan Davis is confronted with a surprise visitor at her doorstep – a young Iraqi girl named Lena who is more connected to her son than she could ever imagine. Not even her best friend, cookie-baking Jesus-loving Gloria and her wise ass daughter Anne-Marie, can avoid the tides of change as East meets West in sleepy Panama City, FL.

Reeling from the death of her husband and the recent loss of her soldier son, Susan Davis is confronted with a surprise visitor at her doorstep – a young Iraqi girl named Lena who is more connected to her son than she could ever imagine. Not even her best friend, cookie-baking Jesus-loving Gloria and her wise ass daughter Anne-Marie, can avoid the tides of change as East meets West in sleepy Panama City, FL.

falling babel

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Luke and Issa have found a friendship in the middle of an occupation war. Along with Issa’s twin sister, Hayat, the three find comfort, security and a sense of family again. But when the announcement is made that the troops are being withdrawn, a home-grown insurgency starts to take hold, testing their relationships to breaking points. What is the price of friendship forged in wartime? And how far will they go...

Luke and Issa have found a friendship in the middle of an occupation war. Along with Issa’s twin sister, Hayat, the three find comfort, security and a sense of family again. But when the announcement is made that the troops are being withdrawn, a home-grown insurgency starts to take hold, testing their relationships to breaking points. What is the price of friendship forged in wartime? And how far will they go to find their freedom?

STUFF

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Widowed Edith is a hoarder. She doesn’t think there’s a problem, but when the city of Boston sends her an order to clean-up or vacate, she is forced to come to terms with some harsh realizations. Unfortunately, that includes the well-intentioned, but meddling, Dr. Meredith who drags Edith’s estranged children into the situation: Beth, a volatile self-abuser, and David, a socially awkward germaphobe. She’s got a...

Widowed Edith is a hoarder. She doesn’t think there’s a problem, but when the city of Boston sends her an order to clean-up or vacate, she is forced to come to terms with some harsh realizations. Unfortunately, that includes the well-intentioned, but meddling, Dr. Meredith who drags Edith’s estranged children into the situation: Beth, a volatile self-abuser, and David, a socially awkward germaphobe. She’s got a weekend and all the odds are against her.

Nahda: five visions of an Arab awakening

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

Who is the Arab today? Five visions explore modern Middle Eastern identities in the West: the confusion of second generation children of refugees; the struggle of British-Muslim soldiers killing their cultural siblings; the consumerist obsession with cultural food fetishism; and the politics of baby-naming in a post-911 world.

Who is the Arab today? Five visions explore modern Middle Eastern identities in the West: the confusion of second generation children of refugees; the struggle of British-Muslim soldiers killing their cultural siblings; the consumerist obsession with cultural food fetishism; and the politics of baby-naming in a post-911 world.

Fear in a Handful of Dust

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

A visceral look at the violent reality of WW1 trenches as seen through the eyes of two unlikely soldiers: Simon, an ex-pat raised in India, and Buck, a nationalist Irishman. This new play unveils the hidden and forgotten troops of the war and their personal struggles in a time of great upheaval and change. How can you survive the war when you're not sure if you can survive your trenchmate?

A visceral look at the violent reality of WW1 trenches as seen through the eyes of two unlikely soldiers: Simon, an ex-pat raised in India, and Buck, a nationalist Irishman. This new play unveils the hidden and forgotten troops of the war and their personal struggles in a time of great upheaval and change. How can you survive the war when you're not sure if you can survive your trenchmate?

Forgotten Bread

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

“History is not the past. It is the stories we tell about the past.” – Grace Lee Boggs. An ode to the Armenian Genocide, Forgotten Bread is the volatile, and sometimes humorous, journey of a Lost Son trying to uncover his family’s past and reclaim his cultural identity. Past and Present collide and melt into one another as he descends further down the rabbit hole of life, death, and survival pushed along by...

“History is not the past. It is the stories we tell about the past.” – Grace Lee Boggs. An ode to the Armenian Genocide, Forgotten Bread is the volatile, and sometimes humorous, journey of a Lost Son trying to uncover his family’s past and reclaim his cultural identity. Past and Present collide and melt into one another as he descends further down the rabbit hole of life, death, and survival pushed along by family secrets and historical truths. How can you undo the forced memory loss of survivors guilt to find your place in a world that has forgotten your people?

This Time

by SEVAN .

Synopsis

In the sultry heat of 1960s Cairo, a clandestine love affair blooms between a married Egyptian woman and a Canadian professor ten years her junior. In a wintry Toronto house in the 1990s, an aging mother’s memories encroach on her recently divorced daughter’s attempts to restart her life. The past closes in, threatening to overwhelm the present. But what is real and what is illusion? Inspired by the memoirs of a...

In the sultry heat of 1960s Cairo, a clandestine love affair blooms between a married Egyptian woman and a Canadian professor ten years her junior. In a wintry Toronto house in the 1990s, an aging mother’s memories encroach on her recently divorced daughter’s attempts to restart her life. The past closes in, threatening to overwhelm the present. But what is real and what is illusion? Inspired by the memoirs of a Muslim woman who fought for her independence at a turning point in Egypt’s modern history, This Time is a new play about regret, romance, and familial responsibility.