Meet the Creative Trio

This co-produced world premiere involved a thicket of details to coordinate between two theatres, two different types of stages, and two staffs, and guiding the process was the intrepid team of playwright Yussef El Guindi, director John Langs, and dramaturg Nakissa Etemad. Learn more about the logistics (and the joys) of their process here!

MTC: Pairs of you have worked together in these roles before–Yussef as Playwright and John as director. And Yussef and Nakissa are fellow Resident Artists of Golden Thread and past colleagues in new play festivals. This co-production marks your first time working together as a PlaywrightDirector-Dramaturg team. How is it working together?

Yussef: A seamless transition as we all came together to make this production happen. We’d already chatted and had a December workshop on Zoom prior to walking into the rehearsal room, so all the work that took place during those three weeks of rehearsals felt effortless and creatively satisfying. I thought we fed off each other well, providing good feedback, support, and encouragement. No knives were brought out during the making of this production. Which is a good thing.

John: It has been a total blessing to work collectively on this play. Even through the most intense moments the care that each member of the team brings to this story is inspiring. We all bring a unique lens and live experience to the work and I certainly learn a lot from my partners. Also, we laugh a lot and that’s a bonus.

Nakissa: It is so satisfying to be part of a trio that collaborates and thrives as we do—both as a unit and as separate

The cast and Creative Team members of Hotter Than Egypt on Opening Day at ACT in Seattle. (Left to Right, Top:) Paul Morgan Stetler, Naseem Etemad, Yussef El Guindi, Ahmad Kamal, Jen Taylor, Nakissa Etemad, ACT Stage Manager Tori Thompson. (L to R, kneeling:) John Langs, Wasim No’mani

Dramaturg Nakissa Etemad’s workstation in the ACT Seattle Rehearsal Hall

individuals coming together with our unique perspectives and skills. We all care so deeply for this play and are so dedicated to bringing it to life faithfully and with all the integrity we can muster. We respect each other’s work so much and value each other’s company. It really is a joy to work with Yussef and John, I think we make a great team.

MTC: Producing a world premiere is a complex and multi-faceted process for one theatre. How did you blend the two theatre’s teams to begin a truly collaborative co-production process?

John: I think the first rule is constant communication and transparency. We over-communicate which you must do on projects this complex. You can’t assume really, anything. Also, I think both theatres have held space for the other to ask a thousand questions.

Nakissa: One hundred percent! I also think it was key that we conceived of this world premiere as a co-production from the beginning. That enabled us to plan ahead—to make some design choices that were adaptable to both theatre spaces, to hire artists who could work in both cities… Creating the world premiere together made it natural for us to collaborate on virtually every decision, to do what’s best for the final product and also what works best for each company.

MTC: So with this co-production, some elements and team members are the same in both places, while others have a second set for the MTC leg, such as two stage managers, two lighting designers, two physically very different theatres. How is that going?

John: So far so great. The work the creative team has done to really mine the spine of the play and its desired impact has led the way. I think we have worked hard to define the spirit and feelings in this story that we want to share. This clarity is very helpful for other collaborators to add to the vision. It’s really special to share a vision and see how it can be sharpened, interpreted and amplified by many great artists.

(L to R) Actors Wasim No’mani and Naseem Etemad in rehearsals at ACT Seattle

Nakissa: The goal was to extend the life of the world premiere process which typically lasts for the one time—the first time a play is ever produced. But here we have the golden opportunity to start it at ACT then do it a second time at MTC, and to start this second process with all the knowledge and experience of the first. And to have some artists be new to simultaneously give us fresh perspective. What an amazing starting point.

MTC: ACT’s theatre space is in-the-round, whereas MTC is a proscenium stage. How are you adapting the ACT production to work at MTC, especially in terms of the set and lighting? How does that impact the actors’ work and the play?

Actor Ahmad Kamal in rehearsals at ACT Seattle Yussef: I think this will be the challenge. To recreate a production first crafted in-theround to one best suited for the proscenium stage. For the actors, the roles have been crafted in a way that not only is supposed to take in a 360-degree space, but one that has been fed and supported by an audience responding from all around them. The focus and energy lines will have to adjust to all point in one direction, and their reception of the MTC audience—during the dialogue that happens in all live performances between audiences and performers—will have to shift as they absorb the audience’s reactions coming only from one direction.

John: We want to make a very generous evening of theatre for any audience, and that has everything to do with how you aim and focus the moment-to-moment work so it can be deeply felt by the audience. We were literally surrounded by the community in Seattle, and here in Marin they are right out front, so our performances will be shaped so that the revelations of story and character are offered right into the lap of the audience.

Nakissa: Our scenic designer Carey Wong was wonderful in crafting a world that could adapt to both audience configurations. We decided to collaborate with local lighting designers who knew our spaces—here at MTC we’re working with Jeff Rowlings who has designed here a few times and is a longtime friend and colleague. When I was in residence in Seattle for our first rehearsal period, I was able to keep an eye on what we could expand or build upon in the MTC leg, I often sat in the theatre on the side of the set that would become the MTC audience, so I could start to imagine what could be

Full Stage Photo of Scenic Designer Carey Wong’s set at ACT Seattle

(L to R) Playwright Yussef El Guindi and Dramaturg Nakissa Etemad in rehearsals at ACT Seattle

done in the Boyer and pass on any tricky points to the MTC team. We are now in MTC rehearsal as this article goes to press, and as John said, so far so great.

MTC: Having created the first staging of this new play at ACT Seattle, what are you looking forward to in the MTC staging?

John: A deeper richer truer experience. We have all had a month to live with this play on low heat in the background of our hearts and minds. It was pretty great in Seattle but even in that short time the world has changed, and we have changed. I am excited to see how this play lands in this moment and this community.

MTC: During the ACT Seattle run, did you hear any lines or note any scenes where you thought, “Oh, I’d like to change that…”—and are you planning changes at MTC?

Yussef: Yes, I have made a few small changes, and one big adjustment (I won’t say where!) and will be very curious to see how that plays, both in the short rehearsal period we have, and, more importantly, in front of an audience. As always, if it works it’s a keeper, if not, out it goes.

MTC: John and Nakissa, both of you have two artistic hats to wear at each theatre: John is the director for both productions but also serves as Artistic Director at ACT Seattle; Nakissa is dramaturg for both productions but also serves as the play’s producer and MTC’s Associate Artistic Director. Tell us about how

those roles differed at each theatre, and lessons you learned. John: It’s such a gift to serve a theatre company as an artistic leader, and it also has demands and challenges that never stop at the walls of the rehearsal hall. It is truly a lifestyle and not a job. The ability to step away from time to time is a huge learning opportunity, particularly when working in someone else’s shop. There is so much to learn as each theatre has its own unique culture. I find I am always looking at how other theatres have built their traditions. Particularly in this moment when everything is changing. It’s very exciting.

Nakissa: It’s actually a lovely exchange program we’ve built here. I could focus on being a dramaturg on this world premiere while I was working away from MTC. I watched John in his artistic home, where he switched between being an artist in the rehearsal room and leading his company in the off-hours. Now I am hosting John and giving him the chance to focus on directing while I take the lead at producing on my home field. It feels so nice that I can return the hospitality and generosity I was given when I was away from home.

MTC: What do you hope that MTC audiences take away from the experience of seeing Hotter Than Egypt?

Yussef: Most of all I hope the MTC audience is engaged and entertained. That’s my first and most important job as a playwright: to actively draw in an audience into the unfolding story, and by the end of it leave them feeling like they’d spent a worthwhile time in the theatre. Everything after that is gravy, as they say. John: I hope audiences appreciate the writing. Yussef really has honed a unique voice in the American theatre. His plays are never one thing. His characters are flawed and beautiful. He speaks about the world through the lens of interpersonal relationships that tug at you long after the curtain call. I hope people leave the theatre with a thousand thoughts about the journey of these characters.

Nakissa: With all of the detailed planning and careful preparation, I look forward to the final piece of the puzzle that we can’t map out in advance, to see how Bay Area audiences react to the play. We hope you embrace the journey. We can give you the travel you may have been craving in the past two years. Welcome to Cairo!

(L to R) Actor Jen Taylor and Director John Langs in rehearsals at ACT Seattle