Sara Shaarawi (born 1989) is an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

. She is chiefly known for her work in Scottish Theatre.

Early life

Shaarawi was born in 1989, raised in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

and settled in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

after studying there.

Career

While at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 2011 Shaarawi began working with David Greig on a series of Arab plays to be performed at Oran Mor as part of an Arab Spring season. The experience launched her into Scottish theatre and her first play, ''Niqabi Ninja'', was shared as a work in progress at the

Tron Theatre The Tron Theatre is located in the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in what was formerly the Tron Kirk which had started as the Collegiate Church of Our Lady and St. Anne in the Trongate area of Glasgow, Scotland. The Tron Steeple still ...

in 2014 and Platform in 2015. ''Niqabi Ninja'' has since been performed in Germany and South Africa. A full production is planned for the UK. Other work for theatre has included ''Leyla'', performed at the Tron Theatre in 2017 and ''Lifted'', with her co-writer Henry Bell, which appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 and 2016. Shaarawi is the recipient of a New Playwright's Award from Playwright's Studio and the Starter Programme from the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

. Other projects include a Cairene adaptation of Alasdair Gray's ''

1982, Janine ''1982, Janine'' is a novel by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work. Its use of pornography as a narrative device attracted much criticism, although others, including ...

'' with Henry Bell. The play ''Haneen'' had a rehearsal reading in Egypt. As a producer Shaarawi is known for her work with the Arab Arts Focus, both in organising the largest Arab Arts Festival to come to the Edinburgh Fringe, and as the host of its nightly cabaret, Chill Habibi. Shaarawi is a founder member of The Workers Theatre, and produces Megaphone, a crowdfunded residency for artists of colour in Scotland. In 2017 Shaarawi, was ranked 43rd in The List Hot 100.

Personal life

Shaarawi lives in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaarawi, Sara Scottish dramatists and playwrights Scottish women dramatists and playwrights Egyptian dramatists and playwrights Egyptian women dramatists and playwrights Living people Egyptian emigrants to Scotland 1989 births Alumni of the University of Edinburgh