bourjeily is an actor director writer and producer of both theater and film but mostly known for his international work in immersive and interactive theater he was behind the first professional improvisational theatre shows in the middle east defying all censorship laws still applicable in this region peacefully challenging social and cultural barriers using theatre to set off dialogue encourage free speech and as a true force of positive change he is a fulbright scholar and holds an mfa in filmmaking from loyola marymount university in los angeleshis work in both theatre and film has traveled the worldwide festival circuits and won him many awards of which the yce international british council award in edinburgh scotland in 2009 he brought his progressive approach to theatre to londons lift festival in 2012 with his hardhitting immersive play 66 minutes in damascus while 66 minutes in damascus was a response to the current events in syria his work has often been a response to political circumstancesin 2012 he was chosen by cnn as one of 8 leading cultural lights from lebanons contemporary arts scene that are making an impact in lebanon and internationally a year later he challenged the lebanese government with an anticensorship play entitled will it pass or not which was banned from public performance by the lebanese general security but created an unprecedented media backlash against the bureau therefore in may 2014 the general security confiscated bourjeilys passport in an obscure administrative procedure called subduing of critics but they backed down on their decision 48 hours later after lebanese general public outcry for his activism against censorship on the arts in lebanon he was nominated for the 2014 freedom of expression award held annually at the barbican center in london by index on censorshiphis latest play vanishing state performed at the battersea arts center in london as part of the 2014 lift festival implicates the audience in drafting the middle easts countries borders along with french and english diplomats sykes and picot at the end of world war i a secret agreement at the time whose consequences are still strongly felt today throughout the levant region