Hassandra (b. Beirut 1994 - they/them) is an interdisciplinary performer, DJ, Make-up Artist, and event organizer based in Berlin. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Stage Acting from the Lebanese University in Beirut where they were born and raised. Shortly after graduating in 2015, Hassandra appeared in numerous theatre productions and films working with prominent Lebanese theatre directors such as Sahar Assaf and Lina Abyad. 

 

Hassandra emigrated to Berlin in 2017 and began a new solo practice as a drag artist. Their acting training became the basis for theatrical drag performances. Hassandra found inspiration in the female characters from ancient theater and Greek mythology. Their practice reimagines and subverts such characters and portrays the tensions and contradictions fraught with their identity as a queer diasporic subject. Hassandra performed on various stages and art spaces in Berlin and across Europe such as Schuwz, Monster Ronson’s, Tipsy Bear, SO36, Prague, Budapest, and Amsterdam. In 2019, Hassandra competed and won in Mx. Kotti, gaining recognition and prominence in the Berlin art scene. Using their newfound popularity, they co-organized and performed the original monthly show ‘Therapy Sessions’, a recreation of a clinic in Neukölln to open up discussions of wellness, health, and loneliness among the queer community. 

 

Staying true to their acting roots, Hassadra continued to work in theater and film such as the stage productions Lila Lied, Planet Lubunya, Migraanten!, and most recently, Wohin. Additionally, they were in the film ‘Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day?’, which ran in the Berlinale Jury of 2022, and produced and starred in Lazarus, which took part in the International Queer Solidarity: Images of Resilience and Hope Pride exhibition in Slovenia and Soura Summer Shorts 2023. Hassandra further expanded their solo practice into dance, which debuted on stage with their piece “تَمّوز (tammūz) ” At Uferstudios in 2022 and ‘Against The Grain’ at Theaterforum Kreuzberg in May 2023. 

Besides performance, Hassandra is a founding member of Critical Queer Solidarity and ADIRA Party. Through CQS, Hassandra organizes and facilitates educational workshops, using theatre and performance tools. Their curational work started with Queer Arab Barty and continues with ADIRA Party, a queer Arabic-pop club night series, which debuted at ACUD Macht Neu in 2023. Hassandra is the founder and curation of ADIRA Drag Festival, the first Arab drag festival to take place.