“We cannot start the process of bringing about a world that ought to be until we can all see each other as human.”
Tell me about the work you do now?
I graduated from Friends six years ago with the goal of pursuing musical theater writing. Today, it feels somewhat surreal to say that I'm doing just that. My work uses dark comedy and pop-rock music to both explore my identity as a Palestinian New Yorker and to communicate a Palestinian narrative in ways I've never quite seen before.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
When talking to a writer, one usually has to clarify what's meant by "job." The job I work nine-to-five is as the Admissions and Enrollment Officer for Berklee NYC's one-year Master's programs. As a proud graduate of the Writing and Production for Musical Theater program, the highlight of my job is getting the chance to speak to interested applicants about all the ways that the program has set me up for a professional artistic career. As for what I enjoy most about my multimedia storytelling, it's gotta be that long awaited moment when I get to present material to a crowd, hear them (hopefully) laugh, and confirm that others resonate with the work.
Did your time at Friends influence your career path?
The highlights of my time at Friends primarily stem from its excellent theater community. Led by Steve Borowka, our productions were professional in both production quality and process—and were fun social opportunities too! The late nights finishing homework during tech week were a harbinger of many sleepless nights in college and even my current life as a writer who ultimately has to make the time to create. When you love what you're doing and you're passionate about the stories you're telling, nothing can stop you. That passion started at Friends.
Tell me a little bit about your Friends journey?
I came to Friends first and foremost because of their one-of-a-kind Arabic program. Despite it being my first language, I joined the Upper School being illiterate in Arabic. Under the excellent instruction of Joseph Sills and Nadim Bawalsa, I left Friends not only literate but also far more confident in my linguistic capabilities and cultural understanding.
Upon arriving at Friends, I started performing in every school play and musical starting in freshman fall (aside from one semester in Junior year when I decided to assistant direct Into the Woods). In sophomore year, right around the Hamilton craze, I started writing my own musicals and would premiere them in the One Act Festivals over the next three years. I also wrote a one-man musical about John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Abraham Lincoln (in which I wore a really cheesy fake mustache) which won some awards in the National History Day competition and probably single-handedly got me into college. I also can't help but note that I worked my way up to an A minus in English class, which any Friends student will hopefully agree is equivalent to an A++ anywhere else.
What are a few of your most memorable Friends experiences?
I started writing musicals during my time at Friends, and premiered my first original show in the first ever Friends One Act Festival. It was a hot mess, and I thank God every day that there's no video evidence of that performance. With that said, I clearly still enjoyed the massive undertaking, and that moment lit the fire under me to get me where I am today.
Now that I'm a graduate of and full time staff member at Berklee, I also have to mention the Chorus and Jazz groups' involvement in Berklee's High School Jazz Festival, led by Kristin Marchilena and Bob Rosen. It was the deep care shown by teachers like these (as well as the excellence they expected) which I look back on most fondly.
In what ways have Quaker values and your experience at Friends influenced the work you do today?
There's a phrase in Friends' mission statement that often sticks with me; "To engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be." This phrase has guided my artistry since I took on the mantle of a musical storyteller. After all, the arts are one of the few realms in which we can really experience utopia. In my off-beat musicals, I have the ability to tell stories where Palestinians are free from colonial oppression, military occupation, decades long illegal blockade, and genocide. However, that world doesn't exist today, so I instead opt for storytelling that engages with the world as it is while also giving us the freedom to laugh and tell good stories in the face of adversity.
My hope is that these stories can ultimately reshape the vilified perceptions of Palestinians in the west. I felt compelled to do it in the walls of the Meetinghouse and now I must continue to do it beyond. I've been very moved to see a number of our community members joining me in speaking out for the cause since our time at Friends.
In Meetings for Worship, I was given time and space to reflect on my own life (a much desired commodity now that I'm working a full-time job in addition to a writing career), but it also gave me an open forum to candidly share my experiences as a Palestinian.
Part of the School's mission is to help students develop as scholars, artists and athletes. As an artist, what advice would you offer our current Upper School students who may be thinking about pursuing a career in the arts?
My biggest advice for any Friends student is to find something you really love doing amidst the academic grind. For me, that was writing music and stories for the stage, which I didn't start doing until my junior year. Despite that taking up a ton more of my time; my confidence, grades, and general contentment all improved as a result. So find what you really love doing, and remember that whatever that is can also evolve and change!
How do you understand the work you do now as bringing about a world that ought to be?
We cannot start the process of bringing about a world that ought to be until we can all see each other as human. Sure, it's a low bar, but that's where the bar sits whether we like it or not. Through my musical storytelling, I plan to show audiences just how human and funny and awkward and petty and absurd and traumatized my people are, and therefore how similar all of us really are.
What are your hopes, dreams and plans for your work in the future?
My original musical, Fouad of Nazareth, was originally developed in Berklee NYC's one-year Master's program in Writing and Production for Musical Theater. Since then, we have been featured on the Playbill Songwriter Series, had two sold-out concert fundraisers at Joe's Pub (attended by some Friends faculty!), and held a developmental industry reading as part of Noor Theatre's Highlight Reading Series. Going into 2025, we will be developing the piece as part of the Johnny Mercer Foundation's Writers Grove at Goodspeed as well as recording a concept album for the show at the legendary Power Station recording studio thanks to a grant from the Pop Culture Collaborative.
Beyond that, my dream for this work is to reach as many audiences as possible either through an off-Broadway run or an eventual film adaptation. I plan to continue leveraging my identity as a Palestinian Christian New Yorker with Israeli citizenship to break people's brains and communicate past the stereotypes—just like I did throughout my four years at Friends.
Comments