Marhaban, Blogfriends!
If I did my research correctly--which I'll admit may be shaky as it's from Wikipedia and this instructional video on the YouTubes--then I just said "Hi/Hey, Blogfriends!"
Now, I'm not going all Sesame Street on you for no reason; today's 1001 Cast Member Blog comes from Sam Mauceri, and is all about how her once random interest in the Arabic language has helped her when preparing for the show. It's pretty fascinating stuff, so read on, purchase your tickets here, and then head on over to Facebook to RSVP for the show.
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Many people are surprised to learn that I speak Arabic. I am not Muslim; I don’t have any Middle Eastern heritage; I didn’t even have any burning passion to speak it before I started learning it. But now, a few years later, it is part of who I am, ingrained in my story.
Having taken only six semesters worth of Arabic at HCC over the past 2 and ½ years, I am not exactly fluent in Arabic yet, nor would I consider myself proficient in the language. I would, however, say that I speak “a bit of Arabic, with the intention of becoming fluent.”
Visually, Arabic is a beautiful and distinctive language, and whenever I see Arabic writing on a sign or a building, I will inevitably jump up and down, tug the arm of the poor soul next to me, and shout, at an embarrassingly loud volume, “I CAN READ THAT!”
And now, with 1001, I am given the opportunity to do this throughout an entire rehearsal process! Although there is no Arabic writing in the script, there are plenty of transliterated Arabic phrases, terms, and names. And so, while I use only a few Arabic phrases during the course of the play, I have been deemed the pronunciation corrector to the rest of the company. Admittedly, I’m still working on holding back a wince anytime someone mispronounces the phrase ان شاء الله (‘in shah Allah’: God willing).
After years of taking Arabic and theatre classes side by side at HCC, it’s amazing to me that they have actually come together, right before my eyes, to form something that I am so thankful to be a part of. This play is exciting, intellectual, daring, and infused with the Arabic language and Middle Eastern culture and politics. 1001 has an important story to tell, and it is only fitting that much of it is told with Arabic.
