November 9–December 17, 2017
The U.S. Premiere
Written by Candace Chong
Translated from Chinese by Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith
Adapted by David Henry Hwang
Directed by Helen Young
A 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 the Program Book
Read MoreJanuary 13–15, 2018
Written by Paco Bezerra, Philip Kan Gotanda, Simona Hamer, Marioan Hosseini, Rachida Lamrabet, Mihaela Michailov, and Csaba Székely
Directed by Kaiser Ahmed and Christine Bunuan
What does privacy mean in the digital age? P3M5 is a groundbreaking transatlantic theater project featuring five-minute plays from internationally renowned playwrights.
Read MoreJanuary 23, 2017
This 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.
Read MoreSeptember 9–10, 2017
Written by Mona Mansour
Directed by Anna C. Bahow
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 MoreAugust 19–20, 2017
Written by Fawzia Afzal-Khan
Directed by George Potter
A 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 MoreAugust 5–6, 2017
Written by Fouad Teymour
Directed by Kareem Fahmy
When 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 MoreAugust 2018
Staged readings of three plays translated from Chinese to English that highlight the work of contemporary playwrights from the Chinese speaking world. Stylistically and aesthetically diverse, the featured plays examine a Chinese society rife with tensions between tradition and accelerating change, consumerism and communism, and authoritarianism and personal freedom. New China Festival will also include a panel discussion about the state of theatre in the Chinese speaking world and the insights American audiences can gain from Chinese plays.
Read MoreThe Guardian
By Laura Barnett
April 19, 2014
As Jaber's character travels to Lebanon and Jordan, looking for the vanished Ashraf, displaced Syrians tell her their stories. Some are horrific, some are bleakly funny: all have the ring of truth, and remind us of the infinite human ability to adapt to our circumstances, even in the middle of a war zone.
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Read MoreChicago Tribune
David Rosenberg
In this provocative play masquerading as a standup comedy routine, an Indian intersex person, or “hijra,” explores history, mythology, gender roles... and high school.
Read MoreChicago Stage Standard
By Al Bresloff
June 16, 2015
"...Directed by Ann Filmer on a marvelous set by Timothy Spencer, this wonderful little show is truly worth the trip to the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn. Each segment of the story is special and the delivery of Rohina is in itself an experience to remember."
Read MoreChicago Examiner
Catey Sullivan
June 14, 2015
“A compelling 70-minute piece rich with illuminating surprises, drawing the audience into worlds that are both unique and truly universal. It is terrifically entertaining... Unveiled isn’t groundbreaking in its insistence that racism and xenophobia are evils borne of fear and willful, narrow-minded anger. But the very ordinariness of Unveiled gives it power: Bigotry is all around us, every day. You can find it at weddings, in classrooms and cafes. Seeing it in all its banality is the first step toward combating it. Unveiled will help open eyes. But of equal importance for a stage production, it is terrifically entertaining. Rohina has created vivid characters in wholly compelling situations. If the piece provides a bit of enlightenment while wrapping its audiences in masterful storytelling, so much the better."
Read MoreChicago Reader
Jack Helbig
June 15, 2015
"The beauty of this show is that Rohina never lets the horrors overwhelm her storytelling or turn it bitter. Nor does she ever get preachy. Instead, she takes time to draw us in with beguiling stories of Islamic marriage rituals and immigrant family life...Powerful solo show... five riveting tales of Muslim women."
Read MorePioneer Press
Tom Witom
June 15, 2015
"Unveiled offers a provocative, insightful and uplifting theater experience."
Read MoreChicago Tribune
Nina Metz
June 15, 2015
A "terrific show... intellectually engrossing work of theater"
Read MoreChicago Tribune
Chris Jones
June 14, 2015
"Rohina Malik, the hugely talented writer-actress... is a remarkable new theatrical voice in Chicago. In her rich, upbeat and very enjoyable 70-minute collection of five character studies of Muslim women in modern-day America, Malik gives voice to characters from whom we hear far too little in the theater."
Read MoreThoughtful India
By Suchitra Sharma
May 21, 2013
It is a must-watch for people of Indian Origin but I am sure anybody who has been an immigrant will be able to see a sliver of their experience reflected in the play.
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Read MoreStage and Cinema
By Tony Frankel
April 29, 2013
[It] is no small feat to have a world premiere be as effective as this – you may even be inspired to make that long-avoided call to your folks.
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Read MoreAround the Town Chicago
By Alan Bresloff
April 28th, 2013
Of course, the key ingredient for making a story easy to follow is a solid script and good direction along with actors who truly understand the characters they are bringing off the page into reality (at least for 90 minutes). This show has all that!
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Read MoreThe Fourth Walsh
By Katy Walsh
April 29, 2013
The Lake Effect has surprising depth in meaning while skimming the surface of this trio’s lives. I didn’t want the story to end.
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Read MoreWindy City Times
By Scott C. Morgan
May 7, 2013
There's nothing like a good mystery to pull in an audience, and Rajiv Joseph definitely delivers one that exposes loads of family secrets in his new one-act drama The Lake Effect.
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