Interview with Sharif Abdunnur
A very good friend of Al Nabad and a multi talented artist; Sharif Abdunnur is a genuine writer, director, teacher, actor, counselor, and lecturer. The soft spoken and very handsome Abdunnur told us a little about his current projects and gave us an inside scoop about his personal life.
Q: Did you have interest in fine arts as a child?
A: As a child I used to paint a lot and I won several awards for drawing. My interest in fine arts began when I was a little older.
Q: You were born in Lebanon and moved in the United States while you were younger, what made you move back to Lebanon?
A: I lived all around the world but the closest thing to home was Lebanon . Ideally I would like to go back to Palestine . But unfortunately I can only go as a tourist.
Q: What were some of the places that you traveled to while you were a child?
A: My family and I traveled all around the sates and we often went to Iraq because my father had work there.
Q: Your parents were members of the UN; did that inspire to write the play Unacceptable?
A: Not really. I think world relief organizations have failed to produce any real achievements and are not making any effective changes in the world, and their failure to make any significant changes in the world despite their billions of dollars that they have. Just like any other organization is audited I think the UN should be audited as well.
Q: On an average how often do you produce or write plays?
A: I am constantly writing and every couple weeks I write plays. But it takes a lot of time to produce plays, so not every thing I write is always made into a project that is produced.
Pain and conflict can sometimes be inspirations for writing.
Q: What do you think of theater in the Middle East?
A: It has a lot of space. Theater in the Middle East really needs to be supported by the local government. And with film it’s hard to complete with Hollywood . So the only way to preserve our true identity as Arabs is through theater.
Q: When you are acting do you ever get stage fright?
A: Yes, every single time. It’s actually a great way to loose weight.
Q: How has the war affected your work? And if it has, has it affected you positively or negatively?
A: I grew up on the front lines and have experienced war since I was a young child. War has made me realize what my main priorities are. It has been such a big factor and supplement in my life.
Q: What is it like working with Jawad al Assadi?
A: He is a good friend and a great man. He is one of the toughest directors out there because he is constantly creating and recreating. I’m currently the director of his new theater Babel . It has been very nice working with him even though he is a tough cookie.
Q: Who do you enjoy working the most with in theater?
A: I enjoy working the most with kids and teens, and especially with the children in the refugee camps. I consider my work more of a passion than just a career. It is truly a unique and wonderful feeling working with the kids.
Q: Who are some of your influences?
A: I like a lot of artists and painters but my number one inspiration and idle is my mother. I really look up to her a lot.
Q: You are a writer, director, teacher, actor, counselor, and lecturer, how are you able to manage your time?
A: The truth is my personal life is my work. Most of my work is not paid for, only the lecturing at the university. The people at my work are friends and not just colleagues.
Q: What does laughter mean to you?
A: Laughter is the ultimate escape. It can cure many things from frustration to anger and sadness. The beauty is when you laugh you can’t focus on anything else but just laughing. The whole world just fades away and you can’t feel anything but happiness.
Even if you are in the worst of situations once you start laughing you forget everything.
It’s a really magical feeling.
Q: Can you relate to any of the characters in some of the plays that you have written?
A: With anything that I write, the characters personally reflect me or are a part of my life. I couldn’t write anything that is not genuine.
Q: What achievements do you think you are most famously well known for?
A: Internationally I think it would be Laughter Under the Bombs; a book documenting the war in 2006 as well as looking at drama as a from of therapy. Also The Secret Life of a Woman and The Secret’s of Men; which addressed male and female sexuality in the Arab world and the issues and pressures that come with it.
Personally I enjoy working as a circus clown juggler. I like going to the refugee camps and performing for the children. It’s spontaneous and unplanned and brings a smile to the children’s face which brings so much joy into life.
Q: How has drama therapy helped young adults with coping with the war and dealing with stress in general?
I had the young adults work with the children. And I think it really helped them gain confidence and gave them a sense of purpose in life, because it’s a lot easier to worry about someone else than to worry about yourself. As a child I learned that you need to enjoy and live your life regardless of what is happening around you.
http://www.theatreversusoppression.com/biosharif.htm
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/808/cu2.htm
Q: Did you have interest in fine arts as a child?
A: As a child I used to paint a lot and I won several awards for drawing. My interest in fine arts began when I was a little older.
Q: You were born in Lebanon and moved in the United States while you were younger, what made you move back to Lebanon?
A: I lived all around the world but the closest thing to home was Lebanon . Ideally I would like to go back to Palestine . But unfortunately I can only go as a tourist.
Q: What were some of the places that you traveled to while you were a child?
A: My family and I traveled all around the sates and we often went to Iraq because my father had work there.
Q: Your parents were members of the UN; did that inspire to write the play Unacceptable?
A: Not really. I think world relief organizations have failed to produce any real achievements and are not making any effective changes in the world, and their failure to make any significant changes in the world despite their billions of dollars that they have. Just like any other organization is audited I think the UN should be audited as well.
Q: On an average how often do you produce or write plays?
A: I am constantly writing and every couple weeks I write plays. But it takes a lot of time to produce plays, so not every thing I write is always made into a project that is produced.
Pain and conflict can sometimes be inspirations for writing.
Q: What do you think of theater in the Middle East?
A: It has a lot of space. Theater in the Middle East really needs to be supported by the local government. And with film it’s hard to complete with Hollywood . So the only way to preserve our true identity as Arabs is through theater.
Q: When you are acting do you ever get stage fright?
A: Yes, every single time. It’s actually a great way to loose weight.
Q: How has the war affected your work? And if it has, has it affected you positively or negatively?
A: I grew up on the front lines and have experienced war since I was a young child. War has made me realize what my main priorities are. It has been such a big factor and supplement in my life.
Q: What is it like working with Jawad al Assadi?
A: He is a good friend and a great man. He is one of the toughest directors out there because he is constantly creating and recreating. I’m currently the director of his new theater Babel . It has been very nice working with him even though he is a tough cookie.
Q: Who do you enjoy working the most with in theater?
A: I enjoy working the most with kids and teens, and especially with the children in the refugee camps. I consider my work more of a passion than just a career. It is truly a unique and wonderful feeling working with the kids.
Q: Who are some of your influences?
A: I like a lot of artists and painters but my number one inspiration and idle is my mother. I really look up to her a lot.
Q: You are a writer, director, teacher, actor, counselor, and lecturer, how are you able to manage your time?
A: The truth is my personal life is my work. Most of my work is not paid for, only the lecturing at the university. The people at my work are friends and not just colleagues.
Q: What does laughter mean to you?
A: Laughter is the ultimate escape. It can cure many things from frustration to anger and sadness. The beauty is when you laugh you can’t focus on anything else but just laughing. The whole world just fades away and you can’t feel anything but happiness.
Even if you are in the worst of situations once you start laughing you forget everything.
It’s a really magical feeling.
Q: Can you relate to any of the characters in some of the plays that you have written?
A: With anything that I write, the characters personally reflect me or are a part of my life. I couldn’t write anything that is not genuine.
Q: What achievements do you think you are most famously well known for?
A: Internationally I think it would be Laughter Under the Bombs; a book documenting the war in 2006 as well as looking at drama as a from of therapy. Also The Secret Life of a Woman and The Secret’s of Men; which addressed male and female sexuality in the Arab world and the issues and pressures that come with it.
Personally I enjoy working as a circus clown juggler. I like going to the refugee camps and performing for the children. It’s spontaneous and unplanned and brings a smile to the children’s face which brings so much joy into life.
Q: How has drama therapy helped young adults with coping with the war and dealing with stress in general?
I had the young adults work with the children. And I think it really helped them gain confidence and gave them a sense of purpose in life, because it’s a lot easier to worry about someone else than to worry about yourself. As a child I learned that you need to enjoy and live your life regardless of what is happening around you.
http://www.theatreversusoppression.com/biosharif.htm
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/808/cu2.htm
