2003
Mainstage Productions
July 18, 2003–April 20, 2005
Written by Jamil Khoury
Multiple Casts, Multiple Directors
Precious Stones boldly examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the "safe" yet turbulent terrain of American Diaspora. Set in Chicago in 1989, the story unfolds against a backdrop of disturbing images, as the first Palestinian Intifadah rages in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Two women, one Jewish and one Palestinian, join forces to organize an Arab-Jewish dialogue group, only to find themselves falling in love. As they each cross "enemy lines," they stumble upon the disputed territories of sexuality and class.
January 16–March 2, 2003
The World Premiere
Written by Jamil Khoury
Directed by Michael Malek Najjar
Precious Stones boldly examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the "safe" yet turbulent terrain of American Diaspora. Set in Chicago in 1989, the story unfolds against a backdrop of disturbing images, as the first Palestinian Intifadah rages in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Two women, one Jewish and one Palestinian, join forces to organize an Arab-Jewish dialogue group, only to find themselves falling in love. As they each cross "enemy lines," they stumble upon the disputed territories of sexuality and class.
Tours
July 18, 2003–April 20, 2005
Written by Jamil Khoury
Multiple Casts, Multiple Directors
Precious Stones boldly examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the "safe" yet turbulent terrain of American Diaspora. Set in Chicago in 1989, the story unfolds against a backdrop of disturbing images, as the first Palestinian Intifadah rages in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Two women, one Jewish and one Palestinian, join forces to organize an Arab-Jewish dialogue group, only to find themselves falling in love. As they each cross "enemy lines," they stumble upon the disputed territories of sexuality and class.
Staged Readings
November 17, 2003
Written by Velina Hasu Houston
Directed by Lynn Ann Bernatowicz
Set in 1950’s small town Kansas, Tea tells the story of four women who come together to clean the house of a fifth after her tragic suicide upsets the balance of life in their small Japanese immigrant community. The spirit of the dead woman returns as a ghostly ringmaster to force the women to come to terms with the disquieting tension of their lives and find common ground. Her destiny requires she escape the limbo between life and death, and move on to the next world in peace, carving a future passage for the others.
September 21, 2003
Written by Chay Yew
Directed by Jay Paul Skelton
An evocative journey into the lives of four gay men, three Asians and one Caucasian. A Language of Their Own is a lyrical and dramatic meditation on the nature of love, desire, sexuality, and self-definition as the four men come together and drift apart in a series of interconnecting stories.