We sat down with New York based Egyptian playwright, dramaturg, and producer Adam Ashraf Elsayigh to discuss his migration story and to learn about his art. Adam was born in Cairo and moved to Dubai with his parents. He grew up in a religious Muslim household with American cable television, going to a British school in a Gulf state where over 90% of the population were migrant workers. This postcolonial reality made Adam aware of global inequity and political repression from a young age. Through his writing and producing, Adam interrogates the intersections of queerness, immigration, and colonialism. Some of Adam’s plays include Memorial, Jamestown/Williamsburg and Drowning in Cairo. He is a fellow at Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance and a Co-founder of The Criminal Queerness Festival. Adam’s work has been seen at IRT Theater, Dixon Place, Golden Thread Productions, and the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center.
This is the first in a series of interviews with artists, academics, activists, and other prominent migrants of Egypt around the world. Living and observing between worlds, Adam talks with Michael Akladios about the impact of his Egyptian, queer, and migrant identities on his life and cultural productions. He also reflects on life in New York and confides valuable advice to all those wishing to follow similar career paths.
Thank you for watching and stay tuned for our next conversation.
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