Zaina Yasmin Dana

Zaina Yasmin Dana is a Palestinian director, producer, and organizer based in North Philadelphia. Her work centers Palestinian narratives, refugee experiences, and questions of displacement, identity, and resistance through theater and community-based organizing. She has collaborated with organizations including UNRWA and UNRWA USA, where she served as Project Manager for the Gaza 5K Walk/Run for Mental Health, and has organized teach-ins and workshops focused on representation and cultural memory. Dana is the recipient of the Al-Bustan Award for SWANA Artists, and her adaptation Othello (vs the Military Industrial Complex), which reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy through the lens of Palestinian occupation, was named one of the six best Fringe shows of 2024. Her directing practice blends classical texts with contemporary political realities, using physical storytelling, multilingual dialogue, sound, and ensemble-driven collaboration to create immersive theatrical spaces that transform grief into collective vision and protest into ritual.