FIRST EVER NY ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 17-19, 2003
FIRST EVER NY ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL
sponsored in part by NAAP-NY
The NEW YORK ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL is proud to announce that its inaugural festival will be held NOVEMBER 17-19 in New York City. This first ever "Arab-American Comedy Festival" will be divided into three nights; comedic plays, stand-up comedy and short films, and will showcase Arab-American performers, writers and filmmakers. On the final night of the Festival, we will honor Emmy Award winning Arab-American actor Tony Shalhoub, star of USA's "Monk," for his achievements in the entertainment industry.
This not for profit Festival is being co-sponsored by the New York Chapter of the Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP), the NY Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Nibras (The Arab-American Theater Collective).
Monday, November 17: Plays
We will present excerpts from comedic theatrical pieces written and performed by Arab-Americans. Several of the works that will be presented have appeared in the NYC Fringe Festival, including "Brain Freeze" by John Kawie, "Chocolate in Heat" by Betty Shamieh and Nibras' "Sajjil."
This event will be held at the Kraine Theater located at 85 East 4th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. There will be two shows: 6:30pm and 9:00pm.
Tuesday, November 18: Stand-up Comedy
We will present traditional stand up comedy and will feature Arab-American comedians who have appeared on Comedy Central, NBC and MTV including Ahmed Ahmed (ABC's The View, Comedy Central), James Asher, Helen Maalik (ABC's 20/20), Kerri Louise (Comedy Central) Nasry Malak (ABC's 20/20), Dean Obeidallah (Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, SNL), and Maysoon Zayid (MTV, As the World Turns). This event will be held at Stand Up New York Comedy Club located at 236 W.78th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues) at 9:00pm. (There is also a two-drink minimum at this event.)
Wednesday, November 19: Short Films
We will feature Sayed Badreya and Hesham Issawi's award-winning short comedic film "T for Terrorist," co-starring Arab-American actor Tony Shalhoub.
The festival will also honor Mr. Shalhoub for his achievements in the entertainment industry including winning the 2003 Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedic Television Series. Shalhoub's portrayal of Adrian Monk in USA's "Monk" earned him this award. Mr. Shalhoub is also a Golden Globe Award-winner and has starred in numerous movies and television programs including "Wings," "Men in Black I" and "Men in Black II," and "Big Night." This event will be held at Freight {www.freightnyc.com}, 410 W. 16th Street between 9 and 10th Avenues
at Chelsea Market
Tickets for each event are $10 and are available through Smarttix at www.smarttix.com or by calling (212) 868-4444.
For additional information, please contact Dean Obeidallah at DObeidalla@aol.com or Maysoon Zayid at zeitoonah@yahoo.com or see our website at www.arabcomedy.org.