Home to some of the most renowned theatres in the world, New York City offers large-scale productions featuring top talent from across the globe. Shows like Hamilton, The Lion King and Wicked have become cultural phenomena, drawing not only audiences but also other figures in the global theatre industry, including 43-year-old Singaporean playwright Zizi Majid.
Determined to tell the stories of Muslim women, her plays often encompass the voices of the oppressed and those on the fringes of society. Zizi’s decision to move to New York City was driven by a desire to progress her career on a much bigger stage, and a deep-seated passion for theatre that has fuelled her journey thus far. The city’s promise of a dynamic and competitive theatre scene gave her and her husband a perfect initiative to challenge themselves. With New York’s commitment to cultural diversity, continuous evolution and a vibrant community of collaborators, Zizi embraced the potential to challenge norms, tell impactful stories and leave a lasting imprint on the global stage.
Zizi shares her journey as a playwright from her work in Teater Ekamatra in Singapore to teaching playwriting and drama in context at Syracuse University with the Karyawan team.
Q: Can you tell us more about yourself and your family?
Zizi: I’m married with two children – my daughter is 14 and my son is 3. My husband, Izmir, is a scenic designer, and teaches scenic design at Syracuse University.
Q: What does your job entail?
Zizi: I am a playwright, and the work of a playwright is pretty self-explanatory – I write plays. When I’ve finished writing a play, I typically enter the play into competitions for development opportunities, as well as for fellowships and residencies. I use these opportunities to develop my work, to get my plays out there and build my resume. Because it is impossible to make a living as a playwright, I am also an adjunct professor at Syracuse University where I teach playwriting, drama in context and play analysis. Teaching keeps me connected to the craft and holds me accountable to rigour and discipline. I also work at Syracuse Stage where I do meaningful work that engages the community through programmes offered by the theatre company.
Q: Why New York?
Zizi: Previously I was a playwright and theatre director in Singapore, where I was also the Artistic Director of Teater Ekamatra. My husband and I wanted to go to graduate school for each of our disciplines, and the leading set designers and playwrights teach in programmes here in the US, so we came here. After graduation, we chose New York because it is where the most dynamic theatre scene is; and we wanted to challenge ourselves and see if we could compete in the most competitive theatre scene.
Q: How does working in the United States compare to working in Singapore?
Zizi: Basically, I moved from a small but very active theatre scene in Singapore to one that is huge and very competitive. The sheer amount of talent and number of people competing is astounding. Being a playwright in the US is very different from Singapore – it is much more competitive, and you must fight really hard to get your work read, developed or produced. One of the first questions I had to ask myself was how my artistic voice is relevant and how the plays I write can connect with the audience here while still being true to who I am.
I have found a passion for writing plays about Muslim women from the global diaspora, especially because the voices of Muslim women are often oppressed or misrepresented. I have written a play about a woman who was an interpreter for the US Army in the Iraq War, another about a female-fronted rock band in Syria during the Syrian Civil War and another about a group of female students in the Muslim Students Association of an Ivy League university. My faith is what connects me to the characters I write about. I do an incredible amount of research when writing a play, I am very mindful that I tell a story responsibly, and that the story I tell is authentic and well-grounded. My research spans historical writing, political op-eds, fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.
Q: As a Muslim working in the US, were there any particular challenges you faced?
Zizi: I consider myself very lucky because in the theatre industry, people are very liberal, open and accepting. There is a great degree of respect for diversity and for the freedom of identity. Freedom of religion is a right that is taken very seriously here. While I was in graduate school, I worked part-time for a mortgage company and when I brought up the issue of having to pray during the workday, my boss made sure I had a comfortable place to pray. In my current day job, my supervisor is very supportive of me taking a few minutes to do my prayers during the workday. In both places, I am the only Muslim person on staff and my right to practise my religion is respected. For me, the challenge comes in the social aspects of life in the US. I have encountered quite a few what I’d call ‘drive-by’ racist comments from people I meet in stores, in public, etc. I think as women who are visibly Muslim, we are low hanging fruit – there seems to be a perception that we are timid and that you can say anything to us and get away with it. That said, there was only one instance where I felt physically unsafe; all other incidences were harmless – very hurtful, but physically harmless.
Q: Why did you choose to pursue a career as a playwright?
Zizi: I have been a playwright for over 20 years; theatre is my true love, and I cannot imagine doing anything else. Some highlights include being conferred the Young Artist Award in Singapore at the Istana by Mr Lawrence Wong (who is now the Prime Minister but then was the Minister for Information. Communication and the Arts). In October 2022, I was given a year-long playwriting fellowship with the Dramatists Guild Foundation, a prestigious fellowship in New York City (NYC) and was mentored by amazing playwrights whom I greatly admire. That was a true dream come true. In May 2023, I was awarded the Julia Miles Residency by WP Theater in NYC, a theatre company I love for their advocacy of women artists. I am especially proud that when I accepted the award, I spoke about the importance of telling the stories of Muslim women and our voice being invited to the table.
Q: What are some sources of inspiration for your works?
Zizi: I love going to museums and looking at works of art – I am always looking for inspiration from the work of great artists – especially when I’m just starting to formulate a play. Some playwrights I love are Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Quiara Alegria-Hudes, Young Jean Lee. I read a lot of poetry as well, and some poets I love are the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, Rainer Maria Rilke, Richard Wilbur, Tracy K. Smith, and Alice Notley. I’m also obsessed with Elif Shafak, the Turkish-British novelist. With the exception of poetry, I almost exclusively read women writers. I guess it is because so much of my work is focused on telling the stories of women – and I feel very strongly that there is still so much to be done to fight for women’s rights.
Q: What messages or emotions do you hope to convey to your audience through your work?
Zizi: I really hope that through my plays, people see the humanity and diversity of the experiences of Muslim women. I think often the experiences of Muslim women are pushed aside and belittled, so celebrating and telling their stories well is incredibly important to me.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
Zizi: We love hiking and camping as a family. Where we live in Syracuse, there are beautiful forests and mountains in the Adirondacks that is a short drive away, so we love to go and explore nature. We also like canoeing in lakes and ponds. However, because we are far up north, the water rarely gets warm enough to swim, so the one big thing I miss about Singapore and Southeast Asia is swimming in the sea. In the winter, because it snows a lot here, we go snow shoeing and cross-country skiing.
Q: What are your plans for your career in the future?
Zizi: To keep on writing plays about Muslim women and sharing these stories so that more people can hear our voices.
Q: Do you have any advice for the Muslims in Singapore who are interested in pursuing their career overseas?
Zizi: Just before I moved, my aunt gave me advice that I’ve held on to through the years. She hugged me and whispered, “Jangan lupa aqidah” (Don’t forget [your] faith). I think through all the challenges of the past ten years – starting from scratch and not knowing anyone; learning how things work – from how to take the bus to learning how to pay bills; facing racism – aqidah and trust in Allah has seen us through. We’ve moved five times in the ten years we’ve been in the US and each time, it is connecting to our faith in each new place that has helped us through. The truth is, regardless of what the media tells you, there are Muslims everywhere and more than that, there are people open and willing to embrace Muslims everywhere. You just have to be true to yourself, hold yourself up with dignity and people will respect you for it.
Irdina Aisyah Mohd Imran is currently an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore studying English Literature and Psychology. Her research interests include cultural and historical development, in particular pertaining the Islamic and Southeast Asian world.
