What Do the Women Say? 2026

Torange Yeghiazarian

Since retiring from Golden Thread Productions after 25 years, Torange has focused on writing, directing, and translating plays. Currently, Torange is adapting the epic romances of the 12th-century master poet, Nizami Ganjavi. Combining Iranian epic story-telling, Naghali, with ensemble-based musical theater to create a dynamic aesthetic performed in English with Persian poetry and live music. She recently premiered Leili & Majnun at Central Stage and will begin working on Khosrow & Shirin next. Her play, The Tutor, commissioned and premiered by the New Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, was said to “deliver a masterclass in palpable psychological storytelling” by the Bay Area Reporter. Torange’s writing has been published in New Iranian Plays, Performing Iran, Casting A Movement, Salaam. Peace Anthology, The Drama Review, and American Theatre Magazine, among others. Torange is one of Theatre Communication Group’s Legacy Leaders of Color, and has been honored by Theatre Bay Area, the Cairo International Theatre Festival, and the Symposium on Equity in the Entertainment Industry at Stanford University. A tireless advocate for the MENA Theater community, Torange co-authored the seminal paper, “Middle Eastern Theatre Artists’ Bill of Rights”. She is a founding board member of Middle Eastern North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA) and also serves on the board of Consortium of Asian American Theatres and Artists (CAATA). TorangeYeghiazarian.com

Sahar Assaf

is a theatre practitioner whose work centers socially and politically engaged performance, amplifying Middle Eastern narratives, lived experience, and community-based storytelling. From 2021 to 2025, she served as Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco—the first U.S. theatre company devoted to the Middle East—where she curated four seasons of world premieres, revivals, and devised works. Her 2024 Season for Palestine drew record audiences and deepened national community engagement. Previously, Assaf taught at the American University of Beirut, where she co-founded the Theatre Initiative and directed classical and contemporary texts alongside original documentary and site-specific performances. A Fulbright Scholar, she is a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and co-founder of Directors Lab Mediterranean. She has presented her work internationally and contributed scholarly writing on theatre and performance practice.

Nabra Nelson

Nabra is the Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions. She is a multi-disciplinary theater maker from Nubia, Egypt, and California, with over a decade of experience as a director, administrator, writer, consultant, dramaturg, and teaching artist. She leads the Nubian Foundation for Preserving a Cultural Heritage, is a founding company member of Dunya Productions, a founding company member of Heard Space Arts Collective, Board Member of the MENA Theater Makers Alliance, co-founder of HERitage emBODYment, company member of Dancing Earth, and is the co-host of the Kunafa & Shay Theater Podcast. Awards and recognitions include the New England Foundation for the Arts National Theatre Project, Dramatists Guild Foundation National Playwriting Fellowship, New Arab American Theater Works’ Inaugural Playwriting Cohort, 4Culture Project Grant, Map Fund Artist Award, Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Partner of the Year, and Agenda Communicating the Arts 30 Under 30. Her scholarship has been published by Routledge, Bloomsbury, Johns Hopkins University Press, The Gemsbok, and the Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal. Her plays have been produced and developed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Milwaukee, Santa Barbara, Portland, and Minneapolis.

Aswat Women's Ensemble

Founded in 2012 by Nabila Mango, Aswat Women’s Ensemble (AWE) is the only all-female Arab music group in the United States. Based in the Bay Area, the ensemble is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Arabic musical traditions, ranging from classical and folkloric to contemporary styles. Beyond its diverse repertoire, AWE serves as a vital space for female agency, empowering its members to lead artistic and programming decisions through performance and collaboration. By centering women’s voices, the AWE nurtures a unique environment where cultural heritage and community empowerment intersect through the universal language of music. AWE members: Music Director and Violin: Briana di Mara. Strings: Laila Zaidi, Stacey Simone. Qanoun: Maria Trogolo. Oud: Coralie Rousso. Ney: Susu Pampanin. Percussion: Amina Goodyear, Monica Berini, Cynthia Diwan, Mohini Rustagi. Vocalists: Stephanie Akers, Hannah Doughri, Nastya Kassir, Sara Magdy, Rana Mroue (vocal trainer).

Amal Bisharat

Amal (she/her) is a Palestinian-American multidisciplinary artist— a director, producer, writer, musician, actor and photographer. She is Artistic Director & Co-founder of Meem Collective م and creator of Mornings in Jenin Musical, adapted from susan abulhawa’s best-selling novel. Bisharat holds a BA in Music and Theater and spent 12 years working as a theater director and music director in partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District. In 2023, as Artist-in-Residence with Golden Thread Productions, she co-produced and directed for ReOrient Festival of Short Plays and directed an online reading of The Gaza Monologues by Ashtar Theatre-Palestine. Bisharat serves on the board of MENA Theater Makers Alliance, and she is grateful to have received support for her work from the following organizations: San Francisco Arts Commission Artist Grant (2023), Theater Bay Area CA$H Creates Grant (2022), TBA Arts Leadership Residency Grant (2023), Investing in Artists: Artistic Innovation CCI (2024), Zoo Labs: FUND (2024), Doria Feminist Fund (2025). Bisharat is also an award-winning photographer, capturing the magic of live performance- dance, theater, and music, as well as portraits and weddings with her arts-focused photography company. Bisharat believes in the transformative power of art and storytelling whether on a stage, in a photograph, or in the stories we tell ourselves.

Briana Di Mara

Briana is an eclectic violinist whose musical journey effortlessly weaves through diverse genres, embracing a broad range of sonic landscapes. With a distinctive style that fuses global music, Briana’s sound is as dynamic as her career, which spans across various musical projects all over the world. Her latest endeavor is a folktronica DJ act utilizing live instrumental elements, creating an immersive, danceable and genre-bending experience for listeners. Briana’s versatility has made her a sought-after collaborator, with recent tours and collaborations alongside renowned acts such as Dirtwire, Yaima, Kr3ture, Bloomurian, Akriza and Beats Antique. Known for her improvisational skill and ability to breathe new life into every performance, Briana continues to push boundaries and captivate diverse audiences with her innovative approach to music. She also maintains a private Suzuki violin teaching studio in the Bay Area and directs the Aswat Women’s Ensemble.

Salma El Assal

Salma is a luminous vocalist from El-Obeid, Sudan, who unites audiences through the powerful, women-led tradition of aghaani banaat (ladies’ songs). Rooted in music performed by women for women at weddings and community gatherings, this vibrant Sudanese repertoire celebrates love, resilience, and shared joy. In Salma’s hands, these songs come alive through an exquisite blend of soul and tradition. Her musical journey, which began in intimate community celebrations in Sudan and led her to Egypt, continues today in the Bay Area, where she cultivates spaces of connection and celebration. In June 2025, Salma performed with the Aswat Women’s Ensemble in Zaghareet, a concert highlighting Arab wedding songs and celebrating women’s voices and shared traditions. Across continents and stages, Salma’s music remains deeply rooted in community, cultural pride, and the joy of women coming together.

Taraneh Hemami

Raised in Tehran, Iran, and living and working in the Bay Area for over forty years Taraneh Hemami continues to explore themes of displacement, preservation and representation through her public, collective and curatorial experimental projects. Her works incorporate materials of history, organizing images, data and information into patterns, colors and maps manifesting as public art projects, installations, object productions and publications. Her projects have been awarded a Creative Work Fund, a Creative Capital, Artistic Innovation Award from Center for Cultural Innovation, and Zellerbach Foundation , San Francisco Arts Commission, California Arts Council and the California Humanities. Hemami has been teaching at the California College of the Arts for twenty years, and curating regularly working closely with San Francisco Arts Commission, Southern Exposure, and Minnesota Street Projects. She is the founder of Makaan Residency at Minnesota Street Project Foundation, offering a communal production hub for local and visiting CWANA artists for creative exchange.

Denmo Ibrahim

Denmo (she/her) is an American playwright, actor, and theatre maker of Egyptian descent. Her plays include Arab Spring (Finalist: O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Princess Grace Award, Rainin Fellowship), BABA (Winner: ‘Best Original Script’, Theatre Bay Area, Winner: ‘Best New Play’, ‘Best Solo Show,’ San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award), A Country Made of Salt (Winner: Legacy Playwrights Award, Harvard University) and Naguib Mahfuz Was Stabbed in the Neck and Almost Died (Finalist: Sundance Theatre Lab). Her work has been produced and developed by Audible, Round House Theatre, Williamston Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Capital Stage, Noor Theatre, The Civilians R&D Series, Amphibian Stage, Alter Theatre, Shotgun Players, Golden Thread and Crowded Fire. Regional acting credits include Berkeley Repertory, The Old Globe, Seattle Repertory, American Conservatory Theater, and California Shakespeare Theatre. Her audio-immersive children’s book, Zaynab’s Night of Destiny, toured 25 public schools in Kentucky and was supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts. She currently serves as Chair of the Middle Eastern and North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA), a national coalition advancing visibility and equity for SWANA artists. Denmo holds an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor-Created Physical Theater (Naropa University) and a BFA in Acting (Boston University). denmoibrahim.com | zaynabbooks.com

Fatemeh Mehraban

Fatemeh is a queer Iranian performing artist, receiving her associate’s of arts in theatre from American River College. Her work combines her passion for performance with her passion for advocacy. She recently received her bachelor of science in geography and environmental science from California State University, Northridge. These days Fatemeh spends her most of her time between NorCal and sunny Los Angeles working on theater, film, and voiceover! Her most recent work includes Pilgrimage, A Distinct Society (Weston Theatre Company), English (Capital Stage), Georgiana & Kitty (Capital Stage), Twelfth Night (California Stage), The Newlywed Game (B Street Theatre), The Most Massive Woman Wins (Capital Stage), For the Love of Dog (The Stage at Burke Junction), and Sawyer Thompson (The Geery Theatre). Instagram: @fatemeow

Leda Rasooli

Leda is an Afghan-American artist, based in California. She’s had the privilege of participating in English at Capital Stage, and Golden Thread’s recent production Pilgrimage. She’s honored to celebrate Women’s Day with Golden Thread.

Amelia Romano

Amelia is a lever harpist, programming classical re-imaginations alongside original works. She received her master’s in classical lever harp performance at San Francisco State University under the tutelage of Karen Gottlieb, retired second harpist of the San Francisco Symphony. Her latest album, “Levers Engaged: Classical Works Re-imaged for Harp ” and sheet music collection “Classical Re-imaginations,” present the instrument as a valid voice in classical music. A composer, arranger and trailblazer in the lever harp world, she is equally at home writing Latin America inspired works for solo harp as she is adapting classical pieces for chamber collaborations.

Bahar Royaee

The acoustic and electro-acoustic music of Iranian composer/sound designer Bahar Royaee has been acclaimed as “succeed(ing) as a poetic incantation, brimming with ideas and colors” (Classical Voice North America) and “haunting” (Boston Arts Review). Recipient of the prestigious Opera America Discovery Grant 2025 and Fromm Foundation Commission Awards 2022, Bahar writes music for various genres, from opera, theater, and film to chamber music. Her work has been performed by luminaries such as International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble der gelbe Klang, Fabriqk Quartet, Splice Ensemble, and Lamnth. Significant chamber music performances include Ojai Festival 2025, ECLAT Festival 2025 in Germany with FabrikQuartet, Biennale Venice in Italy 2024 with Hannah Levinson, Festspiele festival in Germany with Opus21 ensemble (2024), Composer Conference Gala 2024 with Talea Ensemble, Ultraschall Berlin with Muriel Razavi (2023), Berlin Prize for Young Artists with Adam Woodward (2023), ICE Festival Germany with ensemble Tempus Konnex (2022), Tehran Electroacoustic Music Festival (2022) and Time: Spans Festival (2020) with International Contemporary Ensemble and Suzanne Farrin. Royaee is currently an assistant professor at Boston Conservatory.

Naima Shalhoub

Best known for her “at turns wistful, haunting, and powerfully growling” performances, Naima Shalhoub is a Lebanese musician, educator, and multidisciplinary artist whose work centers sacred remembrance, healing, and liberation. She has opened and performed alongside Angela Davis, Cornel West, Zap Mama, and Les Nubians. Her music has been featured in San Francisco Classical Voice, Al Jazeera and AJ+, PopMatters, Scene Noise, KPFA, and Electronic Intifada. Shalhoub holds an MA in Postcolonial Anthropology and brings over 20 years of grassroots community work in prisons, schools, and community spaces to her artistic practice, contributing to global movements for social justice, collective healing, and liberation.

Amel Tafsout

Born in Algeria, Amel Tafsout is a celebrated artist and scholar of North African Maghreb dance. Her work intertwines movement with memory, activism, and cultural depth. A true cultural ambassador, Tafsout has dedicated her life to building bridges between North Africa and the Western world through dance, scholarship, and storytelling. Her presence is magnetic, her knowledge profound, and her artistry deeply rooted in honoring tradition while inspiring transformation. “Her dance was as cleansing and refreshing as the water she worked within her spirit. I saw her, not just as Amel, but as her spirit dancing alongside her. At moments, her face transformed into that of a tigress; at others, as she whirled with her veil, waves of power washed over me, cool and invigorating. Amel is a magical being, and today I truly witnessed every energy she embodies come alive around her.”

Lisa Tateosian

Lisa has been working with Golden Thread Productions since 2003, when she choreographed and performed in the musical Love Missile. She has since worn many hats at Golden Thread: acting in a number of productions, Stage manager for Benedictus, choreographer for Learn To Be Latina and the Fairytale Players productions, as well as helping with assorted administrative and production tasks. Lisa has also consulted and helped launch Golden Thread’s Education Program. Born to parents of Armenian descent, Lisa grew up in the Bay Area, studying music and dance, and began performing in community theatre at age 11. Lisa has enjoyed performing with various local dance and theatre companies including Khadra International Dance Theatre, Ballet Asfaneh, Dance Brigade, CTA/Crossroads, Douglas Morrison Theatre, Women’s Will and College of Marin. She had a career as a Teaching Artist in numerous schools in the Bay Area, and toured in California in school productions. She has enjoyed choreographing for student shows and professional theatre. Lisa holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Mills College and an M.A. in Educational Theatre from New York University.

Dina Zarif

Dina is a San Francisco-based multidisciplinary performing artist, designer, curator, and arts activist, born and raised in Iran. As a vocalist, she blends Western classical technique with Middle Eastern and Persian traditions, creating a sound rooted in her cultural heritage. As an actress, Zarif trained with renowned Iranian theater master Bahram Beyzaie at Stanford University’s Iranian Studies Program. Her stage credits include Ardaviraf’s Report, Tarabnameh (musical), Crossroads, The Language of Wild Berries (Golden Thread Productions, 2022), and Exodus to Eden (Oakland Theater Project, 2023). Most recently, she appeared in Dash Akol According to Marjan at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre (2024–2025) and in Leili and Majnun (2024–2025). Zarif starred in the title role of the feature film MITRA (2021), which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. As a shadow performer and costume designer, she toured internationally with Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic, winner of the 2019 UNIMA Award for Excellence in Live Performance and Design, performing at major venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is the Artistic and Managing Director of Red Poppy Art House, a multidisciplinary artist incubator in SF. She holds an MA in Landscape Architecture from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts.