2017
Set in Naperville, Illinois, Obstacle Course explores reactions to a proposed Islamic Community Center on the site of a beloved landmark. Allyship, municipal politics, and Islamophobia all intersect in this head-on collision between Not in My Backyard fear mongering, well-intentioned liberalism, and the peaceful practice of faith.
Performed as part of RIOTCon 2018
Read MoreA gripping investigation of journalistic integrity, city planning, and social conscience, Wild Boar is a new play from one of Hong Kong’s most acclaimed playwrights. When a controversial professor goes missing, an editor and his student band together to publicize the truth. Old flames spark and friendships are tested in the U.S. premiere of this turbulent thriller about media manipulation, fake news, and who gets to speak for the poor.
Read MoreThis event, in conjunction with the Alphawood Gallery, featured a group discussion led by Artistic Director Jamil Khoury on creating art that responds to political and social crises. The gallery exhibit and a play reading of Don Nguyen's Red Flamboyant will serve as examples of such responses.
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Should an Arab American enlist in the U.S. military? A progressive woman and her conservative nephew dip into the treacherous waters of identity, family, and militarism. Co-commissioned with San Francisco’s Golden Thread Productions and New York’s Lark Play Development Center as part of the Middle East America New Plays Initiative, We Swim, We Talk, We Go to War blurs the lines between “us” and “them” presenting a provocative exploration of the tragic and indelible ripples of war.
Performed as part of Silk Road Rising's Crescent and Star Staged Reading Series: Arab and Muslim Journeys
Read MoreA Muslim feminist responds to the hijacking of Islam by patriarchal extremists. Her unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness reflections deliver a potent indictment of the surreal and sardonic world we now inhabit, and a welcome reminder that sisterhood is powerful.
Performed as part of Silk Road Rising's Crescent and Star Staged Reading Series: Arab and Muslim Journeys
Read MoreWhen an affair involving one of their husbands comes to light, long-held secrets begin to emerge in the lives of three Muslim women, threatening the friendship that binds them together. With humor and mischief, Twice, Thrice, Frice… unleashes a debate about polygamy and fidelity, as each woman struggles with her sexuality and faith.
Performed as part of Silk Road Rising's Crescent and Star Staged Reading Series: Arab and Muslim Journeys
Read More“Where politicians and diplomats fail, artists and storytellers may yet succeed,” says Silk Road Rising founding artistic director Jamil Khoury.
Read MoreKhoury and the playwrights and directors involved with Semitic Commonwealth envision the festival not as an end in itself, but as the start of a conversation... The festival’s creators don’t think it’s too idealistic to expect plays to have an effect on policy.
Read More[Silk Road Rising's] upcoming series, "Semitic Commonwealth," featuring six plays by Arab and Jewish playwrights, explores the human themes of identity, occupation, home, and exile that underscore both sides of the conflict’s human toll.
Read MoreIn curating the pieces [for Semitic Commonwealth], Jamil Khoury was more concerned with examining the humanity behind the conflict, rather than focusing the discussion on "rooting for one's team."
Read MoreThe production currently occupying the basement black box at the Chicago Temple clocks in at three hours with an intermission, but flows so smoothly from locale to locale as to render textual excision all but impossible... Look for this ambitious project to continue on long after its immediate run.
Read MoreTanika Gupta’s eye-opening reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic reveals new depths to this tale of rags to riches. Recommended!
Read MoreDespite the story’s epic length, nothing is superfluous and nothing drags. On top of providing a multi-faced look at the British Empire’s legacy of unequal cultural interactions, it is an exciting adventure and a moving character study.
Read MoreWhat stuns is how perfectly Dickens’ story translates into this setting, finding new textures of meaning along the way.
Read MoreThe concept as a whole is successful. Pip’s transformation is relatable to modern America, where immigrants feel the need to become more American....The collaboration between Silk Road Rising and Remy Bumppo Theatre looks to be in sync, and hopefully they can continue to produce more works together.
Read MoreThe change of scenery illuminates facets of the story in new ways...There are strong supporting turns in the large cast—primarily Anish Jethmalani's compassionate Joe, Netta Walker's chilly Estella and Linda Gillum's decrepit Miss Havisham.
Read MoreA stalwart cast...led by an artfully naive Anand Bhatt as Pip, a delightfully grotesque Linda Gillum as Miss Havisham, a drearily upright Roderick Peeples as Jaggers, and a charismatically frigid Netta Walker as Estella...the show is full of carefully etched performances and well-shaped dramatic arcs.
Read MoreBrilliantly co-directed by Lavina Jadhwani and Nick Sandys, ['Great Expectations'] feels as if it was always meant to take place in Colonial India. Staged with sensitivity and passion... this production is as captivating as it is fascinating.
Read MoreHighly Recommended! The direction is superb. This is a solid production that has blended two theater companies flawlessly into one for a special production of a special play, 'Great Expectations' in a unique and different platform, giving an old classic a new and wonderful look.
Read MoreA marriage made in theater heaven. Remy Bumppo/Silk Road Rising's replenished offering renews Dickens' social criticism through Gupta's cultural critique...A three-hour treasure.
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