About Me
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THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE 5TH ANNUAL NY ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL!!
We want to thank everyone who came out to support the recent 5th annual NY Arab-American Comedy Festival. This year turned out to be our biggest and most successful Festival ever!! Over 1700 people attended the 6 night Festival (our record before was 1300) - it really exceeded all our expectations! It was also great to see such a diverse audience coming together to laugh and have a great time!
We can't thank enough the over 50 Arab-American performers who donated their time to join in this annual celebration of our heritage which shows others that we can be funny. We had comedians travel from all over the country and even Canada to participate as well as a very talented cast of comedic actors. We are proud that our Festival provides us the rare opportunity to tell our story ourselves and to depict Arabs in a positive and accurate light.
We hope that our Festival will also inspire other Arab-Americans (and even more broadly other Middle Eastern-Americans) to become active in the entertainment field. So if you are funny, start writing jokes and go to open mikes (It is how everyone starts) Or take improv classes or start writing sketches or making short films. We need more of you in next year's Festival and in the entertainment industry!
Overall, the support of everyone who attended and our generous sponsors -and especially the Arab-American community - has inspired to continue the Festival as an annual tradition. We are planning to take the Festival to Los Angeles and hopefully the Middle East later this year! So for those living in those areas, we hope to see you at our shows!
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Can Arabs really be funny?! If you have to ask, it means you have never been to one of our shows!!
While all of our performers are Arab-American, our shows are not just for Arab-Americans. White people also find it funny. In fact, everyone is very welcome to our shows: Black, white, brown, yellow, FBI, blue, purple, green, immigrant (legal or illegal), and any religion or ethnic group. You will be amazed by the level of talent - this is not Arabian idol!
The NEW YORK ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL is the only festival in the United States which is dedicated exclusively to celebrating the comedy of Arab-Americans. The Festival was created in 2003 as a showcase for Arab-American actors, comedians, playwrights and filmmakers as well as a way to dispel negative stereotypes about Arab-Americans and to attract positive media coverage for the Arab-American community as a whole. We are very happy that we have been successful at achieving these goals.
Our annual Festival has grown from 2003 with four shows over three nights, to 2006, when five sold out nights of shows saw over 1000 people attend the eight events which showcased over 40 Arab-American artists. We have even taken the show on the road to Los Angeles and we are planning a tour of major cities!
This not for profit Festival, which was co-founded by comedians Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid , has received positive media coverage and critical acclaim nationally and internationally on CNN, NPR, BBC, in the Associated Press, AFP, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Beirut Daily Star, to name just a few. Check out our Festival's website to read all of our press clips.
Our fifth annual Festival will be held January 18-23, 2008 in New York City. Details and tickets will be available in early January 2008 at our website.
Here is what some people have said about the Festival:
Los Angeles Daily News: Arab-American comics have them rolling in the aisles.
Editorial from the The Topeka Capital-Journal in Kansas: Some Arab-Americans have discovered a way to make their ethnic group more acceptable to other Americans through humor.
Agence France Press: Bombings and comedy make an uneasy alliance, but in the hands of a small group of Arab-American comics the mixture can be an effective tool for shattering stereotyped views of their community.
Soledad OBrien on CNNs American Morning: So you got to run out and see it right now.
Our 5th Annual New York Arab-American Comedy Festival will be held January 18-23, 2008 in NYC - For more details please visit NEW YORK ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL
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