Noura

Mainstage Theater

Written by Heather Raffo
Directed by Joanna Settle

Produced in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company
New York premiere

NOURA

Did it take Mosul being destroyed to find each other at this table? Could we have gotten here any other way?

Eight years ago, Noura and her family fled their home in Iraq. Today, she plans the perfect Christmas dinner to celebrate their new life in New York. But when the arrival of a visitor stirs up long-buried memories, she and her husband are forced to confront the cost of their choices, and retrace the past they left behind. With compassion and startling clarity, Heather Raffo’s play charts the intricate pathways of motherhood and marriage — and the fragile architecture of what we call home.

FEATURING
Dahlia Azama — Maryam
Liam Campora — Yazen/Alex
Matthew David — Rafa’a
Nabil Elouahabi — Tareq/Tim
Heather Raffo — Noura

Developmental Dramaturg: Maya Roth
Scenic Design: Andrew Lieberman
Costume Design: Tilly Grimes
Lighting Design: Masha Tsimring
Sound Design: Obadiah Eaves
Production Stage Manager: Laura Smith
Assistant Stage Manager: Shane Schnetzler

Design Team Bios
Nabil Elouahabi is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

TRAILER

Footnote: Iraqi Women in Diaspora

Playwright and performer Heather Raffo gathers a multi-generational, multi-religious, multi-national group of women to discuss the themes and ideas of her play Noura.

TRAILER

Scene: Noura

TRAILER

Noura

Opening Night Photos: Noura

The Noura cast takes a bow.
Dahlia Azama and Heather Raffo
Matthew David, Liam Campora, and Nabil Elouahabi
Liam Campora, Dahlia Azama
Playwrights Horizons Artistic Director Tim Sanford, Heather Raffo
Jennifer Bareilles (of the recent Playwrights Horizons production of Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play)
Babak Tafti and Francis Benhamou (The Profane), Laith Nakli (The Wall)
Francis Benhamou (The Profane), Laith Nakli (The Wall)
Dance Nation playwright Clare Barron, with actress Nana Mensah
Margo Seibert (of the recent Playwrights Horizons production of Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play)
Actors Chris Henry Coffey and Jesse Pennington with Robert O’Hara (Slave Play, Bootycandy at Playwrights Horizons)
Matthew David, Heather Raffo, Dahlia Azama
The Noura cast takes a bow.

Production Photos: Noura

Heather Raffo
Liam Campora and Matthew David
Heather Raffo
Heather Raffo and Nabil Elouahabi
Dahlia Azama, Nabil Elouahabi, Heather Raffo, Liam Campora, Matthew David
Nabil Elouahabi and Heather Raffo
Nabil Elouahabi, Liam Campora, Heather Raffo, Matthew David

INTERVIEW

In Process: Heather Raffo on Noura

Playwright and actor Heather Raffo discusses her inspirations for Noura, including the struggle for modern women to “have it all” while balancing commitments to family and community.

First Rehearsal Photos: Noura

Welcome back! After rehearsing in Abu Dhabi, the Norua company is now settling in the Mainstage Theater and is set to bring Heather Raffo’s “epic” (Washington Post) new drama to life.

ESSAY

Playwright’s Perspective: Noura

By Heather Raffo, Playwright
Noura was provoked by many things. From the fracturing of Iraq, to a shifting American identity. From the rise of polarizing ideologies to modern marriage and motherhood. read more

ESSAY

The American Voice: Thinking Horizontal

In finding a shape for the stories with which so many had entrusted her, Raffo also found a shape for her process, and claimed a new identity. (Sarah Lunnie, Literary Director)
read more