A bead of sweat loosens her brow and her voice folds into the final notes of breath: it is the end of another show. Broadway gives its light to the applause, the curtain falls, and all Shereen Ahmed can feel is the anxious, riveting excitement of challenging the status quo. Every night she takes the stage is another night of fighting “the good fight” for representation. As an Egyptian-American, she has mastered multiculturalism through song and story, becoming Broadway’s first Arab Eliza Doolittle (per: My Fair Lady Musical) and one of Forbes’ ‘40 under 40.’ Though both are massive milestones – creative and unexpected triumphs – Ahmed’s story starts earlier. Ahmed was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, within a hyper-social and hyper-festive family. With an Egyptian father and American mother, her household was married to the vibrant, excitable disposition of both cultures – traits she carries with her during her chat with Egyptian Streets. She was a dynamic child, athletic and vigorous and wholly unable to sit still; from playing on the boys’ soccer team to groaning at the thought of classical music, Ahmed was “something of a tomboy.” It was…
From Criminal Justice to Broadway’s First Arab Eliza: Shereen Ahmed
December 15, 2021
