MEET MASHUQ MUSHTAQ DEEN
“I find it meaningful to walk alongside an artist navigating both the creative and industry sides of their career, and to create with them a space where they can think deeply about their values and what gives them meaning, and how they can hold onto that deep part of themselves while putting themselves out there”
Location: Bronx, New York
Disciplines: Theatre, playwriting, poetry, nonfiction/essays
Mashuq Mushtaq Deen (he/him) is a playwright and essayist interested in the careful devastation of his audience. Residencies and awards have brought him to diverse national and international geographies, and he is curious about the ways those varied landscapes contribute to our value systems and to our divisions. Traversing the changing landscape of age, and the way it forms our subjective realities, is also of particular interest. He often writes in relief, often from perspectives diametrically opposed from his own, and with a focus on the possibility and utility of compassion and forgiveness in impossible situations. His award-winning work has tackled gender, state-sponsored violence, mathematics, apocalyptic futures, as well as surreal and absurdist theatrical forms. He prioritizes process over product, and believes the process of making art, and the artist themselves, are the most important mediums that the artist works with.
Work
mentor profile
What interests you about mentoring?
“I find it meaningful to walk alongside an artist navigating both the creative and industry sides of their career, and to create with them a space where they can think deeply about their values and what gives them meaning, and how they can hold onto that deep part of themselves while putting themselves out there.”
Given your experience and interests, what kind of emerging artist do you feel best positioned to support?
“I think I'm best positioned to support an artist who is past their first full-length play, is sending their work out to theaters and submitting for opportunities (residencies, contests, festivals), and understands something about their voice even as they are continuing to grow and discover. I'm well positioned to support a "determined" artist, but an "ambitious" artist will likely be frustrated by me. What's the difference? Neither is bad, but to me it's a difference of priority. An honest, introspective artist who prioritizes artistic growth over career success will probably find me a more useful presence.”
As a mentor, what would you like to offer an emerging artist? What would you like to receive?
“I can help you navigate situations and decisions, and talk to you about what's meaningful to you. I am not going to be able to read all your plays and give you feedback, nor sit in your rehearsal rooms. But I will help you think about who you know who could do those things for you.”
Have you had mentors of your own? Who have they been?
“One of my early mentors was Laura Maria Censabella, a first playwriting professor in graduate school, and now a longtime dear friend. Another was Michael Grief. And also was Jim Nicola and Cynthia Mayeda, from my time at NYTW. Some were official and some were unofficial. Some are lifelong relationships, and some were for the time that they were, and yet very meaningful.”
Is there something we didn’t ask that you would like prospective applicants to know?
“Every mentor is different. I am just who I am, no more and no less. And I value honesty, clear communication, commitment, the ability to be vulnerable and also resilient, and the capacity for both confidence and humility. We are all a work in progress, and if you are progressing in this direction then perhaps we might progress together. ... Also silliness. A good dose of silliness is very helpful!”
This Mentor is open to working with Fellows either remotely or in-person!