Shahrazad Squad director and host Raeshma Razvi sits down for a conversation with playwright, and meditation instructor, and squad member Denmo Ibrahim about her play Brilliant Mind (virtually staged in 2020) about how she navigated difficult family dynamics and trauma, and the extent to which making art allowed for acceptance, expression and healing. Brilliant Mind is the story of  siblings Dina and Yusef, who grapple with their estranged father’s death. It is story of hope, about what gets lost in translation, and what happens when we dare to love unconditionally. 

Learn more about Denmo:
https://www.denmoibrahim.com/
https://www.instagram.com/denmo_ibrahim/ 

Denmo's  production of BABA is playing from April 21st - May 7th at the Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, Texas. You can learn more and buy tickets here:
https://amphibianstage.com/shows/baba/  

About Denmo Ibrahim:
Denmo Ibrahim is an American playwright, author, actor, and entrepreneur of Egyptian descent. Her plays include Arab Spring (Bay Area Playwrights Festival) Kal & Dija Save the World (Civilians’ R&D Group, Findings Series), the hybrid experience Brilliant Mind (Marin Theatre Company), BABA (Alter Theatre), Ecstasy / A Waterfable (Golden Thread), and The Day Naguib Mahfouz Was Stabbed In The Neck And Almost Died a.k.a. The Selkie Play (Finalist: NNPN’s Showcase of New Plays). Her recently released audio-immersive book, Zaynab’s Night of Destiny (Fons Vitae, Commonwealth Theatre Center) that engaged thousands of elementary and middle school students in 2022.

Denmo’s plays have toured to international festivals and have been supported by The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep, New York Theatre Workshop, Under St. Marks, Playwrights’ Center, Noor Theatre, Theatre Bay Area and Golden Thread Productions. Teaching credits include workshops at Loyac Academy of Performing Arts (Kuwait), Arab American National Museum, California Institute of Integral Studies, and the University of Oregon. Denmo is a resident artist of Golden Thread, a member of MENATMA (Middle Eastern Theatre Makers Alliance), founder & CEO of Earthbody Day Spa, and founder of The People’s Meditation.

Currently she's working on a ten part audio drama for Audible. Denmo holds an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor Created Physical Theater from Naropa University and a BFA in Acting from Boston University. denmoibrahim.com