Silk Road Rising, under the leadership of Artistic Director Jamil Khoury, announces its 2016-2017 Season featuring two world premieres, a staged reading series, and a U.S. premiere sure to take you on an authentic and daring polycultural journey.
A Letter from Artistic Director Jamil Khoury
From stand-up comedy to musical theatre, from global conflict to Charles Dickens. Some might call it eclectic, but I call it exciting! And the talent, oh the talent.
In kicking things off, why not give the Islamophobes something to really fear? You know, like that incorrigibly irreverent, equal opportunity offender, Azhar Usman. As in, Dave Chappelle's favorite opening act. Azhar promises to ( dis )grace our stage with his no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, laugh-till-you-cry, world premiere of Ultra American: A Patriot Act. Whatever you may think of Muslims, get ready to be ripped out of your ( dis )comfort zone. Trust me, Azhar leaves no stone unturned, including your own pet rock. Even the folks at the TSA are gonna bust a gut.
And in case you've forgotten, Christianity is a Silk Road religion, Christmas is a Silk Road holiday, and the Philippines ( by way of adjoining sea lanes and connecting trade routes ) is part of the Silk Road. But don't worry, Christmas at Christine's will remind you—with music, nostalgia, and a spicy melange of naughty and nice. And besides, who can resist the insanely gifted, and outrageously lovable, actor-chanteuse Christine Bunuan? Journey with Christine as she breaks out the carols and weaves us tales in this world premiere celebration of that most wonderful time of the year.
Moving on to Israel/Palestine, that seemingly intractable, yet utterly soluble conflict that just keeps on giving! Wow, folks, could you please stop being so generous? Fortunately, we get great art for our misery. And the bar is about to be raised with Semitic Commonwealth: Staged Readings of Plays about Israel and Palestine. Six plays in all, soon to be announced. But these aren't your grandparent's predictable old narratives ( no offense to anyone's grandparents ). We ain't dusting off any cherished heirlooms this time around. No, we're going to make you work. Maybe even squirm.
And last but certainly not least, what's a Silk Road Rising season without a robust rumination on our most repeated c-word: colonialism? Call it the karmic spoils of imperialism. If Brits got to colonize India, now Indians get to colonize British literature. Far more humanely, I might add, and with stunning results! In a cartographical switcheroo worth its weight in parchment, playwright Tanika Gupta has adapted Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations onto a 19th century Bengali landscape. In a stroke of mission-alignment genius, we'll be co-producing this subcontinental Great Expectations with Chicago's distinguished Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. Between Gupta and Dickens, Silk Road and Remy Bumppo, the British Raj has surely met its match. Yes Virginia, stories can sail, and when they drop anchor, they take on entirely new meanings.
SILK ROAD RISING'S 2016-2017 SEASON
ULTRA AMERICAN: A PATRIOT ACT
September 6 - 25, 2016
THE WORLD PREMIERE
Starring by Azhar Usman
Directed by Aaron Todd Douglas
Famed comedian, Azhar Usman, takes to the stage with this brutally honest, unflinching one-man show. Ultra American explores the tensions and paradoxes surrounding the double consciousness of American Muslims living in an ever-polarizing world. Learn more at www.UltraAmerican.org
CHRISTMAS AT CHRISTINE'S
December 1 - 23, 2016
THE WORLD PREMIERE
Written & Performed by Christine Bunuan
Directed by J.R. Sullivan
This new holiday musical revue puts a Silk Road spin on the Christmas season. Chicago favorite Christine Bunuan invites you into her world with Christmas at Christine's. Journey from California to Chicago to the Philippines to a Catholic-Jewish household, as Christine sings her way through the holiday songbook and a lifetime of yuletide memories. Learn more at www.SilkRoadChristmas.org
SEMITIC COMMONWEALTH
Staged Readings of Plays about Israel and Palestine
February 10 - 26, 2017
Curated by Jamil Khoury, Michael Malek Najjar, & Corey Pond
A staged reading series comprised of six plays by Arab and Jewish playwrights exploring the human toll of the Israeli—Palestinian conflict. Rather than strive to achieve balance and moral equivalency between "competing" narratives, these works investigate themes of identity, occupation, exile, and home with remarkable honesty. Learn more at www.SemiticCommonwealth.org
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
May 11 through July 2, 2017
THE U.S. PREMIERE
Written by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Tanika Gupta
Co-Directed by Lavina Jadhwani & Nick Sandys
A musical journey following the life and legacy of the ninth century musician and polymath, Ziryab, who rose out of slavery to achieve extraordinary fame throughout Islamic Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. His influence on music, fashion, and the culinary arts are still seen around the world to this day. Learn more at www.GreatExpectationsPlay.org
VENUE
All performances held at Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W Washington St, Chicago.
TICKETS
Tickets for Ultra American: A Patriot Act and Christmas at Christine's are $25 Adults / $15 students.
Tickets for Semitic Commonwealth are $60.
Tickets for Great Expectations
Preview Tickets: $25 Adults / $12.50 Students ( May 11 - 20, 2017 )
Regular Run Tickets: $35 Adults / $15 Students ( May 21 - July 2, 2017 )
Tickets can be purchased online at www.silkroadrising.org or at the production sites indicated below.
MORE INFO
ULTRA AMERICAN: A PATRIOT ACT - www.UltraAmerican.org .
CHRISTMAS AT CHRISTINE'S - www.SilkRoadChristmas.org .
SEMITIC COMMONWEALTH - www.SemiticCommonwealth.org .
GREAT EXPECTATIONS - www.GreatExpectationsPlay.org .
ABOUT SILK ROAD RISING
Silk Road Rising creates live theatre and online videos that tell stories through primarily Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. In representing communities that intersect and overlap, we advance a polycultural worldview.
For more information about our 2015-2016 season, visit www.silkroadrising.org .
For more information on Silk Road Rising please contact Malik Gillani at ( 312 ) 857-1234 ext. 202, or email him at malik@silkroadrising.org .
