Genesis of A Playwright

Never seen an indoor show at Fringe? Think of your first-ever ticket as a gateway. That first one might just change you forever.  

That’s akin to what happened Edmonton for Mowat Diversity Award winner, Moemen Gaafar (MG). After arriving in from Egypt in 2022 to complete his Master’s degree in Computer Science, he signed up to volunteer at KidsFringe.  

His first summer here, he saw Mail Ordered — Shanice Stanislaus’s wildly interactive show about a woman looking for someone to buy her for $100,000 so she can save her family from a gambling debt. 

“I remember being super excited while watching it,” Gaafar says. “I was like I’m witnessing something that I’ve never seen before. I didn’t know people could do that in theatres. And I think it also affected my vision for what I’m working on right now.” 

Gaafar may be debuting his first play now, but he’s far from an inexperienced writer. Since age 19 he worked on the popular YouTube comedy/documentary series Al Daheeh, which offers witty takes on topics ranging from science to religion to losing fights with your spouse.  

Moemen, how did you jump from writing for YouTube to becoming a playwright? 

MG: I felt like I needed to write something where people interact, not just one person talking to a camera. But I always thought about doing something for YouTube. I never thought about theatre until I came here. I was very surprised about how many theatres are here and how active the theatre community is. I would search for all the shows that were happening. I felt like I was discovering a new medium. I had seen plays before, but I never thought about how many possibilities you can have in a play until I came here. 

What’s been the process since you found out you were receiving the Mowat Diversity Award?  

MG: I had a week of being super excited. But then I had another week where I thought OK, I have nine months. I have to know what I’m doing, because I have no experience in this. The first thing I had in mind was finishing the script and reaching out to people. The place that helped me the most was the Playwrights Circle at Workshop West. I used to go every two weeks and those people are amazing. Like, I didn’t even know what a stage manager was at that point (laughs), so they were teaching me all that stuff. 

Okay, we’ll make sure the stage managers never find out your secret…! What can audiences expect from your show, Genesis?  

MG: This was originally something that I wanted to write for a short story. It was about a character talking to the writer, and the character questioning basically life, being all existential. Why did you create me? Why didn’t you create a better world? And then I had this, I guess, epiphany. What if that writer said okay, you try it? You be the writer and I’ll be the character and show me what you got. I started connecting it to religious themes and it fit: they’re going to be Adam and Eve, and this is going to be a modern take on the story of creation without God, without an actual entity that’s playing God. So that’s how Genesis came about. 

Genesis plays at Venue 2: The Next Act Backstage Theatre.

The Mowat Diversity Award dedicates resources to equity seeking Artists, providing a venue, technicians, lighting, sound equipment, box office support, and marketing, plus $500 cash, mentorship, and reimbursement of their Festival fee in full.

This award is dedicated to Dave Mowat who helped to transform the landscape of Fringe Theatre while serving as the CEO of ATB Financial.

Did you know – all Fringe Theatre Artist Awards are supported by endowment funds. Anyone can donate to a Fringe Theatre Endowment Fund and every gift will be matched by the Canadian Cultural Investment Fund!