Noor Theatre

If there was ever a time to donate to Noor, it's now.

We believe deeply in the power of theatre to reveal misperceptions, challenge stereotypes, and create a real connection between the storytellers and the audience. That belief drove our programming more than ever this year.

 

Introducing… The Myth Project

This year, we launched The Myth Project. We tasked three forward-thinking directors to create original, contemporary plays inspired by a Middle Eastern myth of their choosing. Their early efforts were shared in a two-day workshop presentation packed with audience members, who were moved by the work. They shared how their expectations were challenged by the scope of the pieces, and by the unexpected ways the myths served as inspiration. Clearly, the new plays deserve more exploration. So, this spring, with your help, we will be moving the pieces forward in a workshop production here in New York City.

“Sometimes we don’t tell stories just to survive, but we also survive to tell stories.”   - Allison, Rutgers/NJIT student of Noor’s Myth in Motion

We also completed our educational partnership with The Rutgers/New Jersey Institute of Technology Theatre Program -- hopefully the first of many. Asked to create an original piece together with the students, we followed The Myth Project template, using a classic myth or tale as a springboard to create a new piece. Our curriculum introduced the students to 1,001 Nights and taught them the tools of collaborative theatre making. We challenged each of them to become their own Scheherezade, that ancient narrator who spun 1,001 stories to keep a vengeful king at bay and save her own life. Embodying her creativity and bravery, our students transformed their own experiences into a unique play, Myth in Motion, that impressed us all with its honesty and depth.

Empowering this diverse class of students to tell their stories has been one of our most fulfilling jobs as artists, producers, and now, educators.

Who We Are

Noor means “light” in Arabic and Farsi. Noor Theatre responds to the imperative for positive representations of people of Middle-Eastern descent. Our goal is simple – to champion the stories, cultivate the artists and develop the audiences that will raise the cultural dialogue to a more intelligent and humane level. Through our readings, productions, and public speaking we are having an impact on not just the artistic landscape, but the social and political as well. Learn more and sign up for our newsletter at www.noortheatre.org.