The Deaf Tempest (2026)

Ilhan Abdi (Water Spirit)
Theatre: Apple Time 
 Bio: Mustafa​

Mustafa Alabssi (Prospero)
Theatre: Apple Time, The Madcap Misadventures of Mustafa, The Light of the Deep, 100 Years of Darkness
Other Appearances: Black Summer (Netflix Series, Jan 2019), Fable Deaf
Bio: Mustafa Alabssi is a Syrian Canadian. His languages are American Sign Language, Arabic Sign Language and English.  In summer 2018, he played a Deaf character (Ryan) in a Netflix zombie series called Black Summer alongside movie star Jamie King. He is working on a number of theatre projects but he says, “clowning is the closest to my heart.”

Fatima Tun Nafisa (Fatima the Clown, Co-writer)
Theatre: Deaf Crows and Apple Time (Artesian, SoundOFF Deaf Theatre Festival 2017/2019, Globe Theatre)
Other:  Fatima is a Bangladeshi Canadian and speaks Bengali, English but ASL is her favorite language! She has recently discovered herself to be a true clown.  She is involved in Deaf Crows Theatre projects and her most recent project is an ASL poetry video called,  I never saw directed by Chrystene Ells and produced by the Deaf Crows Collective.  

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Kainat Wahid (Kainat the Clown, Co-writer)
Other Theatre: Apple Time (Artesian, SoundOFF Deaf Theatre Festival, Globe Theatre)
Other: Kainat Wahid is a newcomer Canadian from Pakistan.  She speaks Urdu, some English and enjoys sign language to access the world about her. Being a clown is a new skill which she embraces with gusto. ​

Shayla-Rae Tanner (Shayla the Clown, stage manager)
Theatre: Deaf Crows and Apple Time (Artesian, SoundOFF Deaf Theatre Festival 2017/2019, Globe Theatre)
Other:   Shayla is a Plains Cree from southern Saskatchewan, Canada (Cowessess First Nations). She is deeply passionate about all forms of acting and performing. She is hard working, eager, pleasant, and professional.