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Kunafa and Shay

Kunafa and Shay

Written by: Marina J. Bergenstock Nabra Nelson HowlRound Theatre Commons
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Kunafa and Shay focuses on Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)/Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre—highlighting classic and contemporary plays and theatremakers, spotlighting community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and analyzing the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the United States. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and discussion. The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our differences.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Golden Thread at Thirty: Looking Beyond 2026

    Golden Thread at Thirty: Looking Beyond 2026
    May 28 2026
    In the season finale, Marina and Nabra preview Golden Thread’s 2026 season, from Palestinian performance and stand-up comedy to new Arab American plays and ReOrient. They reflect on curation, community, and the future of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian theatre. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across the region. Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers, spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and discussion. The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity, and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
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    34 mins
  • Inside the ReOrient Festival: Short Plays and Long-Term Impact

    Inside the ReOrient Festival: Short Plays and Long-Term Impact
    May 21 2026
    This episode is a deep dive into Golden Thread’s ReOrient Festival and the MENATMA convening, exploring how short plays, artistic experimentation, and community infrastructure shape the evolving landscape of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian theatre in the United States. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across the region. Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers, spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and discussion. The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity, and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
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    58 mins
  • Centering Women and Palestinian Solidarity at Golden Thread

    Centering Women and Palestinian Solidarity at Golden Thread
    May 14 2026
    Marina and Nabra explore how Golden Thread Productions amplifies women’s voices and mobilizes global artistic solidarity through What Do the Women Say? and 24 Hours for Palestine, where performance becomes archive, resistance, and collective action. Kunafa and Shay is a podcast produced for HowlRound Theatre Commons by co-hosts Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson. Kunafa and Shay discusses and analyzes contemporary and historical Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre from across the region. Kunafa and Shay highlights MENA/SWANA plays and theatremakers, spotlights community-engaged work in the region and diaspora, and analyzes the past, present, and future of MENA/SWANA theatre in the United States and beyond. Theatre artists and scholars Nabra Nelson and Marina Johnson bring their own perspectives, research, and special guests in order to start a dialogue and encourage further learning and discussion. The name, Kunafa and Shay, invites you into the discussion in the best way we know how: with complex and delicious sweets like kunafa, and perfectly warm tea (or, in Arabic, shay). Kunafa and Shay is a place to share experiences, discuss ideas, and sometimes engage with our differences. In each country in the region, you’ll find kunafa made differently. In that way, we also lean into the diversity, complexity, and robust flavors of MENA/SWANA theatre.
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    32 mins
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