Welcome to the NYTW Blog—a resource for behind-the-scenes insights on our productions, share-outs from the classroom penned by teaching artists, community partner spotlights, and a peek behind the curtain to see how work gets made at NYTW.

A Knock on the Roof and Enduring Solo Performance at NYTW

Despite the cold weather outside the walls of the Workshop, the room feels warm as I watch Khawla Ibraheem’s performance of A Knock on the Roof. I can feel how the audience around me is moved by Khawla’s performance as Mariam, a mother rehearsing how she and her family can run from the titular evacuation warning. Collectively, we consider the questions she asks of us (or individually, answer aloud when asked directly). Parents in the audience laugh at Mariam’s complaints about her family. All of us feel the weight she carries throughout her story.

February 11, 2025 by Marty Chandler