Asolo Rep Welcomes Adam Ashraf Elsayigh as Literary Manager and Dramaturg
(SARASOTA, FLA) — Asolo Repertory Theatre proudly welcomes Adam Ashraf Elsayigh as its new Literary Manager and Dramaturg. Elsayigh serves as a key member of Asolo Rep’s artistic team, closely collaborating with Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards, participating in season show selection and curating public programming.
As literary manager and dramaturg, Elsayigh manages and executes all dramaturgical and literary functions for the theatre, including shepherding new play development efforts, providing dramaturgical research for productions, creating program content, networking with literary agents, cultivating playwrights, and acquiring and evaluating new scripts.
“I’m delighted that Adam has joined our team,” Edwards said. “His unique personal story, combined with an outstanding education and an intense curiosity for new voices in the American theatre, makes him an exciting addition to Asolo Rep. His passion for the process of creating and developing impactful theatre is evident in everything he does. His dramaturgical work will enhance the theatrical experience for our artists and audience members, offering a deeper exploration of the creators, themes and issues that are represented on the stage.”
An Egyptian writer and theatre maker, Elsayigh writes scripts for theatre and television that interrogate the intersections of queerness, immigration and colonialism from his lens as a queer, Arab immigrant. He seeks to tell and amplify stories from communities that have been historically under and misrepresented on American stages and television screens.
"As a dramaturg, I aim to carve transformative spaces for playwrights that allow them to produce their best and most vulnerable work,” Elsayigh said. “I'm particularly excited to be working with artists from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the American theatre. I'm deeply excited to embark on being a part of Asolo Rep's artistic team and to be a part of this institution's artistic growth. I hope that my tenure here supports the institution as it continues to become a more accessible and inclusive incubator for emerging artists and new work within the American theatre."
Elsayigh’s plays, including Memorial, Jamestown/ Williamsburg, Revelation and Drowning in Cairo, have been developed and seen at The Lark Theater, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and Golden Thread Productions. He is a co-founder of The Criminal Queerness Festival with National Queer Theater and a fellow at Georgetown University's Laboratory for Global Performance. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater with an emphasis in Playwriting and Dramaturgy from NYU Abu Dhabi and is a Master of Fine Arts candidate in Playwriting at Brooklyn College.
ABOUT ASOLO REP
Now in its 63rd season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. One of the few select theatres in the nation that performs in true rotating repertory, Asolo Rep’s highly skilled acting company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that gives audiences the opportunity to see multiple productions in the span of a few days. Asolo Rep presents up to 10 productions each season, including contemporary and classic works and provocative musical theatre experiences. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with the best theatre artists working in the industry today and cultivating new artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, Asolo Rep’s ambitious theatrical offerings and ground-breaking education and community programming engage audiences and ensure its lasting legacy for future generations. Visit asolorep.org to learn more.