Shahadat (The Testimonies)
Researcher - Manal Hamzeh
Playwright/Adapter- Fouad Teymour
Director - Tina El Gamal
Partner - Silk Road Cultural Center, In Partnership with the Borderlands and Ethnic Studies Department at New Mexico State University
Synopsis - Based on Dr. Manal Hamzeh’s scholarship, Shahadat is an interdisciplinary theatre project based on the testimonies of three Egyptian women who experienced state-sponsored sexual violence during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. This project is rooted in Arab feminist methodologies and will challenge patriarchal oppression and its “usefulness” to the Egyptian state, while centering the stories of three incredibly brave activists in their pursuit of justice.
All staged readings begin at 6 PM followed by a talkback and complimentary reception.
Performances are FREE to the public and reservations are not required. DONATIONS help keep the festival free!
WATCH: Manal Hamzeh and Fouad Teymour discuss Shahadat (The Testimonies) for IVP 2024
Dr. Manal Hamzeh is a full professor, co-founder of the Department of Borderlands and Ethnic Studies (BEST) at New Mexico State University (2022—), and director of the new BEST Research Center. Manal is the founder of BEST’s decolonial research and knowledge creation minor (2024). Manal is the sole author of Women Resisting Sexual Violence and the Egyptian Revolution: Arab Feminist Testimonies (2020) and Pedagogies of DeVeiling (2012). She also led the artistic creation of Three Women of Tahrir: Stories from the Egyptian Revolution—a graphic documentary (2022).
Manal Hamzeh
Fouad Teymour
Fouad Teymour is a Chicago-based Egyptian American playwright. He is an associate artist of Silk Road Cultural Center (SRCC), a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists (CD), and a board member for International Voices Project (IVP). The Jeff-nominated (best new work, best scenic design) world premiere of his play Twice, Thrice, Frice… directed by Patrizia Acerra, was co-produced by SRCC (then Silk Road Rising) and IVP. It was listed among Chicago Best Plays 2019 by Picture this Post. His play Blue Fish in A Tall Clear Vase, directed by Jason Smith, was produced at Three Cat Productions (2017). His plays received several staged readings, most recently An Afternoon with my Mother in the CD Out the Box festival (2023) and Egyptian Bride in IVP 2023, both directed by Warner Crocker. Twice, Thrice, Frice… was part of the Crescent and Star Staged Reading Series at Silk Road Rising (August 2017), the New American Voices Series at Queens Theater, NY (October 2018), and a semi-finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival BAPF 2018, and will have an upcoming production at the American University of Cairo (AUC) theater in October 2024. Fouad has acted in Jamil Khoury's video play Obstacle Course, and has translated Ahmed Serag’s The Castle and The Sparrow from Arabic (Performed in IVP 2014. Published in 2015 by Dar Ibda’a in Egypt).
Tina El Gamal (they/she) is a Chicago-based actor, director, educator, writer, community advocate, and arts administrator. They hold a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Chicago. They have worked as an actor and director at regional theatres nationwide, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare, Portland Opera, Silk Road Cultural Center, Steep Theatre, Remy Bumppo, and more. Tina was recently featured in Newcity Mag's Players 50 2022. She is represented by Big Mouth Talent. You can learn more about what she's up to at www.tinaelgamal.com
Tina El Gamal
Silk Road Cultural Center is an interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in Pan-Asian*, North African, and Muslim experiences. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures. *We define Pan-Asian as inclusive of all cultures that span the Asian continent, including their diaspora communities.