For previous participants, see the Bio Archive.

Born in the Great State of New Jersey, Dean's comedy comes in large part from his unique background of being the son of a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. Dean, an award winning comedian who was at one time a practicing attorney, has appeared on Comedy Central's "Axis of Evil" Comedy special and is the co-creator of Comedy Central.com's critically acclaimed Internet series "The Watch List" featuring a cast of all Middle Eastern-American comedians performing stand up and sketch comedy.  

NEW YORK: Lieutenant of Inishmore (assistant director, Broadway), Meanwhile, in Baghdad (New York International Fringe Festival), Love Match (Arab American Comedy Festival)... 

Aaron Alcodray's penchant for satire began long before his formal study as an English major at The University of Michigan-Dearborn. As early as elementary school, Aaron's parents were frequently called in to discuss with brevity their son's depiction of minorities in his short stories and poetry... 

Specializing in sketch and character-driven comedy, Neil and Bethel have written and performed close to a dozen original shows across the country. Shows include: The Grey Area, loosely based on their relationship, Legs Wide Shut at the Bank Street Theater, Insomnia... 

J.J. El-Far is a Jordanian-American producer and director, and a new addition to the festival. As a candidate for an M.F.A. in Directing at The New School for Drama, she recently directed Waiting for Lefty at The Cell Theatre... 

Joe DeRosa started his stand-up comedy career in Philadelphia during the winter of 2001. He soon relocated to New York City and began working at venues such as Stand-up New York, the Comic Strip, and Gotham Comedy Club. He also made appearances on "Last Call with Carson Daly," Comedy...  

Johanna McKeon is thrilled to return to the festival after directing Lameece Issaq's Nightly Neighborhood News last year at The Zipper. Credits include the most recent Drama League Benefit honoring Stewart Lane (Rainbow Room), Anne Washburn's I Have Loved Strangers...  

Kareem Fahmy is thrilled to be working with the NYCAAF for the first time. A Canadian native, he is a graduate of McGill University and of Columbia University where he received an MFA in theatre directing. Directing credits, New York: Love Dr. Mueller...  

Lena Rizkallah, a Palestinian-American, made her acting debut in Live With Pascal and Chantal! at the 2003 NYAACF and the 2004 NYC International Fringe Festival. Lena wrote and acted in Layla's Sahra for the 2004 NYAACF, and later co-produced...  

Negin Farsad is the director/executive producer of the upcoming feature film, Nerdcore Rising (a documentary about Nerdcore hip hop). She recently developed and wrote the MTV broadcast pilot and web series, "Detox." She also directed/produced the Comedy Central series... 

Ronnie Khalil has headlined across four continents, performing with the "Axis of Evil", "Arabs Gone Wild" , "Sultans of Satire", and taped two "Friday Night Live" Showtime Comedy specials in Dubai, including "Minorities Rule" and "New World Order." He has performed in sold-out shows across the Middle East... 

Ryan Jaber is a Lebanese-American born and raised in Dearborn, MI. He has enjoyed comedic writing as far back as he can remember. He has continued writing both as an undergrad at the University of Michigan and currently while at Dartmouth Medical School... 

New York: Betrayed, Now Boarding, Caravan Man, Regression Therapy, I Know You, Perez Hilton Saves the Universe, A New Brain, Nate the Great. Selected Regional: Evita, Rumors, City of Angels, Into the Woods...
 

Sherri was born next to a swamp with a view of Giants Stadium, aka "the Meadowlands". Her parents named her when she was four days old by drawing "Sherri" from a hat two out of three times. She now calls herself an actress, singer/songwriter, model... 

Tracy C. Francis is an Egyptian American director and actress. She is happy to be working with the Arab Comedy Festival again as it is the only place where her degree in Middle East studies and theatre makes perfect sense...