Register here [1].
A town hall discussion on MENA+ identity and how it is viewed in the UK industry.
About this Event
From our town hall meetings, patterns of prejudice facing MENA+ performers have emerged, including a sense that the MENA+ experience is consistently forced into a space that is visually ‘othered’. This leaves our members feeling they are ‘too ethnic for everyman roles but not ethnic enough for their own representation’. There is further othering of Afro-MENA performers whose ‘MENA-ness’ is also called into question. The alternative is our roles are given to non-MENA+ actors who fulfill a certain stereotyped ‘look’ but do not represent the language or experiences they portray.
In this town hall event, an invited panel of guests will lead a discussion on how MENA+ identity is viewed in the UK industry, how that differs from the lived experience and what we as a community can do to change it. A casting director will be demystifying the process, a working agent will be discussing the situation from the business side and a MENA+ representative from BFI will provide insights into representation on a wider industry level, alongside a working MENA+ actor.
During the discussion, we will be looking further at key points that emerge and discuss them in smaller breakout, looking for actionable steps we can take as a community to continue to blossom and thrive in the arts.
The event will end with a Q&A with the invited panel.
Guests
TBC
Live captioning will be available in the event through ZOOM. Should you have any other access requirements, please get in touch on info@menaarts.uk [4]