About Dunya Productions
Dunya’s Mission
Creating art and performance that will inspire and impassion our audience to engage with the global struggle for social and political justice. We seek to amplify the voices of the Middle East, North African, and Arab (MENAA+) people as well as other marginalized communities.
We are using our group’s diversity and extensive theatre and production skills to create a new voice in Seattle. Dunya Productions looks forward to engaging the Seattle community and beyond by producing and creating provocative pieces and supporting the development of new works.
Rita was born in Jordan and grew up in Seattle. Through the years she has maintained close ties to the Arab world, as well as to the Arab-American communities throughout the U.S. She founded the Salaam Cultural Museum (SCM) to raise awareness of Arab American cultures and provide support to refugees and immigrants both locally and internationally. Rita is owner and founder of Caravan-Serai Tours, a Seattle travel agency specializing in the Middle East and North Africa. Through her travel agency network she has organized volunteer trips and donation drives for refugees in the Middle East and North Africa since the 1980s. She often labors into the wee hours of the night to solve a person’s problem, putting that person in touch with a lawyer, a city council member, a school principal, a church contact, perhaps even someone who lives on the other side of the country. No one is turned away.
Jen Marlowe is an author/filmmaker/playwright and human rights activist. Her most recent film (based on her documentary play) is There Is A Field focused on Black-Palestinian solidarity. Her most recent book is I Am Troy Davis, written with innocent death row prisoner Troy Davis (who was ultimately executed in 2011) and his sister. Her previous books include The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian’s Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker, and Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival. Her films include Remembering the Gaza War, Witness Bahrain, One Family in Gaza, Rebuilding Hope: Sudan’s Lost Boys Return Home and Darfur Diaries: Message from Home. For more information about Jen’s work, visit www.donkeysaddle.org.
George Kassis holds a couple of graduate degrees in Engineering and Business, and spent 28 years working for the Boeing company before deciding to retire in early 2021. Though George does not have any theater background, he is into all forms of art, primarily music. George plays the oud and enjoy the classical music of the Arab world. Born and raised in the Galilee area of Palestine, George came to US to study, then settled in Seattle in the late 1980s.
Manal AlSharif - (she/her) is a Palestinian immigrant. Loves seeing Arab theatre grow in the PNW. Happy to be part of Dunya Productions and learn more about what it takes to bring our theatre to this corner of the world. Looking forward to bringing Arab related films to a screen at Dunya Productions soon.
Nabra Nelson is a theater artist from Nubia, Egypt, and California, and a founding company member of Dunya Productions.
Edward Mast’s plays have been performed in several cities and countries, and he was returning home from his first of many trips to the Occupied Palestinian West Bank when he met Hanna Eady.
Hanna Eady grew up as a Palestinian in what is now Israel. He came to Seattle for graduate school in directing, returning home to work with Palestinian theatre companies, including the one he founded in his native village Buqayah, where he wrote his first play Art and Politics.
Adem Hayyu is a Lighting Designer for Theater based in Seattle. He is also the Founder + CEO of SkyLit Designs, LLC., an event production company that provides access to resources and educational services on event production to underserved communities.
Founding company member Beth, is honored to be part this production team. She is a theatre arts activist and organizer, director, playwright, producer, designer, and educator.