2010 Events
Threads of Silk: A Gala to Benefit Silk Road Theatre Project
November 13th, 2010
The Narcissus Room
Macy's on State Street, 111 N. State St., 7th Floor, Chicago
A Gala fundraiser hosted by Silk Road Theatre Project’s Board of Director’s, featuring cuisines inspired by cultures along the Silk Road. Guests also enjoyed Silk Road Cocktails, created exclusively for Threads of Silk by Adam Seger, one of Chicago's most famous mixologists.
The evening’s entertainment was provided by the Silk Road Cabaret Singers – Christine Bunuan, Dipika Cherala, Katherine Lynne Condit, Rob Dorn, Joseph Anthony Foronda, Paul Motondo, and David Rhee – in a performance emceed by Cheryl Hamada. Jerry Boyle directed and Peter Storms was musical director.
Threads of Silk was generously supported by:
Silk Road Cabaret Singers sing National Anthem at the White Sox Game
July 28, 2010
U.S. Cellular Field
333 W. 35 Street, Chicago
Silk Road Cabaret Singers Christine Bunuan, Dipika Cherala, Joseph Anthony Foronda, Erik Kaiko, Govind Kumar and David Rhee, under the musical direction of Peter Storms, sang the National Anthem for Asian Heritage Night at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox.
Meet the Playwrights: The DNA Trail
February 20, 2010
Television Studio A at Columbia College Chicago
600 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Silk Road Theatre Project and Critical Encounters, a program of Columbia College Chicago, joined forces to present a lively discussion about the art and science behind The DNA Trail: A Genealogy of Short Plays about Ancestry, Identity, and Utter Confusion (March 2 – April 4, 2010). Featuring intimate accounts from all seven playwrights who participated in the project – Phillip Kan Gotanda, Velina Hasu Houston, David Henry Wang, Jamil Khoury, Shishir Kurup, Lina Patel, and Elizabeth Wong – as well as director Steve Scott, the discussion navigated the minefields of genealogical testing and American identity politics, merging modern scientific research with the perennial question, “Who am I?”.
Center on Halsted: actOUT with Jamil Khoury and Steve Scott
March 16, 2010
Center on Halsted
3656 N. Halsted Ave., Chicago
Center on Halsted’s actOUT program featured “out” playwright Jamil Khoury and “out” director Steve Scott from Silk Road Theatre Project to discuss the world premier of The DNA Trail: A Genealogy of Short Plays about Ancestry, Identity, and Utter Confusion. In The DNA Trail, seven playwrights – including Khoury – agreed to take genealogical tests and revisit their assumptions about race, ethnicity, and family. Khoury and Scott added sexual orientation to the mix and considered the role of sexuality in coloring racial perceptions, a topic of much interest in Chicago’s diverse and multi-ethnic LGBTQ community.
2009 Events
Chicago Humanities Festival: First Generation American Humor with writers Firoozeh Dumas and Sandra Tsing Loh
November 15, 2009
Sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church at The Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
Silk Road Theatre Project joined the Chicago Humanities Festival in celebrating Laughter, the Festival’s 20th anniversary season, with First Generation American Humor, featuring writers Firoozeh Dumas and Sandra Tsing Loh. Part performance and part conversation, this program showcased two of the country's premier women humorists as they trained their exquisitely particular ethnic vantages (Iranian and Chinese/German respectively) on such knotty topics as race, religion, and the cultural conundrums of immigrant life. The event was followed by a book signing held in SRTP’s theatre space in The Historic Chicago Temple Building.
About Face Theatre’s XYZ Festival of New Works: Precious Little
November 2, 2009
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
In partnership with About Face Theatre, Silk Road Theatre Project hosted a staged reading of Madeleine George’s new play Precious Little, directed by Dan Stermer. The reading was followed by a talk back with playwright George and director Stermer.
Meet the Playwright: Lauren Yee
July 25, 2009
Silk Road Theatre Project Administrative Offices
680 S. Federal Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors featured an intimate conversation with Lauren Yee, playwright of Ching Chong Chinaman, and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Meet the Playwright: Leila Buck
April 28, 2009
Silk Road Theatre Project Administrative Offices
680 S. Federal Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors featured an intimate conversation with Leila Buck, playwright of In the Crossing, and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Motti Lerner: Playwriting in Wartime
March 31, 2009
University of Chicago Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Pick Hall, 5828 S. University Avenue, Chicago
Motti Lerner, playwright of Pangs of the Messiah, spoke on the role of playwrights in societies struggling with war and militarism.
Staging Conflict: Theatrical Narratives of the Holy Land
March 16, 2009
Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center
77 East Randolph Street, Chicago
This collaborative program between Silk Road Theatre Project and Theatre Mir featured scenes from the companies' respective productions of Motti Lerner's Pangs of the Messiah and Robin Soans' The Arab-Israeli Cookbook. The scenes were followed by a discussion with the participating casts, directors, and artistic directors. The discussion was moderated by theatre critic Venus Zarris.
Meet the Playwright: Motti Lerner
February 3, 2009
Silk Road Theatre Project Administrative Offices
680 S. Federal Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors featured an intimate conversation with Motti Lerner, playwright of Pangs of the Messiah, and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
2008 Events
Meet the Playwright: Christopher Chen
December 6, 2008
Silk Road Theatre Project Administrative Offices
680 S. Federal Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors featured an intimate conversation with Christopher Chen, playwright of Into the Numbers: A Play About Iris Chang, and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Meet the Playwright: Philip Kan Gotanda
August 14, 2008
Silk Road Theatre Project Administrative Offices
680 S. Federal Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors featured an intimate conversation with Philip Kan Gotanda, playwright of Yohen, and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Looks Like Chicago Town Hall Meeting
June 16, 2008
Claudia Cassidy Theater at the Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington Street, Chicago
A town hall meeting focused on the charter season of the "Looks Like Chicago" Theatre Subscription, a unique forum for fostering cross-cultural dialogue and artistic exchange. Panelists included representatives of Congo Square Theatre Company, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Silk Road Theatre Project, and Teatro Vista - Theatre with a View.
For more information, visit the Looks Like Chicago website.
In Conversation with Julia Cho and Heather Raffo
May 9, 2008
The Arts Club of Chicago
201 E. Ontario Street, Chicago
The Arts Club of Chicago, in association with Silk Road Theatre Project and Next Theatre Company, hosted "In Conversation," a luncheon and panel discussion with playwrights Julia Cho and Heather Raffo. The conversation was moderated by Jamil Khoury and Jason Loewith, respective artistic directors of Silk Road Theatre Project and Next Theatre Company.
Political Acts: The Emerging Arab American Theatre Movement
April 21, 2008
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago
Next Theatre Company, in collaboration with Silk Road Theatre Project and the Museum of Contemporary Art, produced a high-profile panel featuring the three most potent forces in Arab American theatre today. Playwrights Yussef El Guindi, Heather Raffo and Betty Shamieh, Americans of Egyptian, Iraqi, and Palestinian descent respectively. came together for the first time to discuss the politics inherent in their work, their careers as outsider artists, and the political challenges of negotiating the east-west divide. The panel also served to contextualize productions by El Guindi (Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat) and Raffo (9 Parts of Desire), which had their Chicago-area premieres in the spring courtesy of SRTP and a partnership between Next and the MCA, respectively.
Meet the Playwright: Sung Rno
April 12, 2008
Silk Road Theatre Project Administrative Offices
680 S. Federal Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors featured an intimate conversation with Sung Rno, playwright of Cleveland Raining, and Silk Road Theatre Project Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Looks Like Chicago
February 21 - June 15, 2008
With Congo Square Theatre Company, Teatro Vista - Theatre with a View, and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Looks Like Chicago celebrated the entire spectrum of representation on Chicago stages, striving not only to bring new audiences to each of the participating theatres, but also to create an ongoing dialogue about the nature of diversity in theatre. In its inaugural year, Looks Like Chicago offered a unique, four-company subscription series, offering patrons a sampling of the diverse offerings available in Chicago.
For more information, visit the Looks Like Chicago website.
Meet the Playwrights: Yussef El Guindi and Heather Raffo
February 2, 2008
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
This exclusive event for Silk Road Theatre Project subscribers and donors, as well as Chicago's Arab American and Muslim American communities, featured an intimate conversation with Yussef El Guindi, playwright of Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat and Heather Raffo, playwright of Next Theatre Company's production of 9 Parts of Desire, moderated by Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
This event was videotaped for Chicago's CAN-TV. Watch the conversation here.
In Conversation with Yussef El Guindi and Heather Raffo
February 2, 2008
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
This unique panel discussion with leading Arab American playwrights Yussef El Guindi and Heather Raffo was moderated by Silk Road Theatre Project Artistic Director Jamil Khoury. Topics explored included: representation of Arabs and Arab Americans in US pop culture; the unique challenges faced by Arab American playwrights; and the emergence of a post-9/11 Arab American cultural movement.
This event was videotaped for Chicago's CAN-TV. Watch the conversation here.
Partnership between Silk Road Theatre Project and Next Theatre Company
March 2 - May 18, 2008
Silk Road Theatre Project and Next Theatre Company developed a multidimensional partnership around their respective productions of Yussef El Guindi's Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat and Heather Raffo's 9 Parts of Desire. The partnership included discounted joint ticketing and a variety of special programs and events.
2007 Events
Desi Drama: The First National South Asian American Theatre Conference
July 19 - 22, 2007
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
At this historic event, over 25 theatre artists of South Asian heritage joined in conversations focused on the challenges they face and mapped strategies for building a South Asian American theatre arts movement. Attendees included professionals from California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Washington, D.C. and Germany. Resulting initiatives included The Theatre Arts Network, The Archive Project, The Online Community, and The Artistic Development Initiative. The conference was funded primarily by The Ford Foundation with additional support from the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS).
For more inforamtion, visit the Desi Drama page.
365 Days / 365 Plays: Silk Road Jams!
May 18 - 19, 2007
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
A Theatre Jam Session comprised of seven brief, brilliant, tragic, and hilarious short plays written by Pulitzer-Prize winning African-American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. Part of the international year-long festival of Parks' work, 365 Days/365 Plays. Silk Road inspired music (spun live), Indian dance, poetry and vibrant paintings helped weave together these thrilling new works by one of America's most inventive and provocative playwrights. Curated by Stuart Carden with assistance from Allie Herryman, Lavina Jadhwani and Isaac Sernoffsky. Paintings by Joel Maxime Jr. Choreography by Alka Nayyar. Beats and Music by Mikhail "Misha" Fiksel.
Looptopia: Silk Road Jams!
May 11, 2007
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
Silk Road Theatre Project presented an eclectic late-night celebration of music, dance, painting, poetry and theatre, as part of the Chicago Loop Alliance's all night party, Looptopia. Visitors were invited to join in as we read and discussed seven brief, brilliant, and irreverent plays written by Suzan-Lori Parks. The event also included visual artist Joel Maxime Jr.'s live painting of visual responses to the plays, as well as dancing with the actors as Indian-American choreographer Alka Nayyar taught the crowd a Punjabi folk dance called Bhangra.
Meet the Playwright: David Henry Hwang
March 9, 2007
Sopraffina Restaurant
10 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago
A benefit reception for the celebration of David Henry Hwang, the celebrated Asian-American playwright. The reception was followed by a performance of Hwang's play Golden Child at the Historic Chicago Temple Building.
In Conversation with David Henry Hwang
February 27, 2007
Claudia Cassidy Theater
The Chicago
77 E. Randolph Street, Chicago
This special event featured an interview with Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, moderated by arts critic Lucia Mauro and introduced by Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Why is Chicago Theatre so White?
February 22, 2007
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
This special discussion featuring panelists Erin Gilbert (Congo Square Theatre Company), Luther Goins (Actors Equity Association), Jamil Khoury (Silk Road Theatre Project), and Eddie Torres (Teatro Vista - Theatre With A View), moderated by Time Out Chicago theatre writer Novid Parsi, responded to an article co-written by Parsi entitled "Why is theatre in Chicago so white and how can we fix it?" Laura Washington, columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, was a respondent.
The Silk Road Unveiled: A Zhou Brothers Mural
February 8, 2007
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
At a benefit reception for Silk Road Theatre Project, a major new work of art was unveiled: a 20' x 6' mural entitled The Silk Road. The mural was painted by the world renowned Zhou Brothers and was gifted to Silk Road Theatre Project. Appraised at a value of $250,000, The Silk Road is on permanent display in Pierce Hall at the Historic Chicago Temple Building.
2006 Events
Caravaggio Performance and Panel Discussion for the Chicago Humanities Festival
November 5, 2006
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
This special matinee performance was part of the 2006 Chicago Humanities Festival. The performance was followed by a panel discussion featuring playwright Richard Vetere and Art Institute of Chicago Curator of European Painting Larry J. Feinberg, moderated by Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
Sartori: Carnival and the Origin of Masks
October 24, 2006Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
A free demonstration-workshop directed by Donato Sartori, organized by Istituto Italiano di Cultura in collaboration with Holon Productions and Silk Road Theatre Project. Donato Sartori is one of the last great sculptors of Italian mask-making. Between his work and that of his father, the eminent Amleto Sartori, they've collectively reinvented the tradition and artistry of mask construction assembling one of the world's finest collections. Sartori will take workshop attendees on a journey from the beginnings of the mask as a theatrical tool and urban structure. He has worked closely with many international theater practitioners including Dario Fo, Giorgio Strehler and Jacques Lecoq. His work can be found in Modern Art Museums in Venice, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City and Paris. He will be joined by his wife, architect Paola Piizzi in addition to Chicago-based theatre teacher & director Paola Coletto-Kaplan and performer Sean Kaplan.
Caravaggio: The Artist and the Man
October 13, 2006
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
500 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
On the occasion of the world premiere of Silk Road Theatre Project's Caravaggio, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura hosted a panel discussion addressing how theatrical invention helps us understand history. The panel featured playwright Richard Vetere, Artistic Director Jamil Khoury, and Dr. Marilyn Dunn, Associate Professor of Art History at Loyola University Chicago and a late Renaissance specialist. Arts critic Lucia Mauro moderated the discussion.
Baroque Band Lunchtime Concerts
October 12, October 26, and November 9, 2006
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
A series of lunchtime concerts series featuring The Baroque Band, performing music from the time of Caravaggio. Based in Chicago, The Baroque Band specializes in performing music from the 17th and 18th centuries on instruments appropriate to the period.
Photo Exhibit: Lucia Mauro's Italy
October 7 - November 26, 2006
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
Throughout the run of Caravaggio, Silk Road Theatre Project hosted an exhibit of Lucia Mauro's exquisite Caravaggio-inspired photographs of Italy -- evocative of the mystical light and shadows favored by the early-Baroque artist. These highly tactile images reveal Italy's lush and layered visual poetry. The color photos appear in Mauro's 2004 book, Frieze Frame: Textures & Colors of Italy, and Frieze Frame II: Textures & Colors of Italy.
ACLU Night at Back of the Throat
April 13, 2006
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
This special performance of Back of the Throat was followed by a discussion featuring Edwin C. Yohnka, Director of Communications for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury.
2005 Events
Interfaith Performance of 10 Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith
October 16, 2005
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
For this special performance of Yussef El Guindi's 10 Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith, Silk Road Theatre Project arranged to have an audience made up of one-third Christians, one-third Jews, and one-third Muslims. The performance was followed by a lively discussion featuring playwright Yussef El Guindi, Artistic Director Jamil Khoury, and director Stuart Carden.
Andrea Harris Art Exhibit:
"Women of the Veil"
October 13 - December 30, 2005
Silk Road Theatre Project at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago
Throughout the run of 10 Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith, Silk Road Theatre Project hosted an exhibition of 16 paintings by artist Andrea Harris, depicting veiled women from around the world.
2004 Events
Saving Face Festival
December 4 -5, 2004
Chicago Cultural Center
77 E. Randolph Street,
Chicago
The Saving Face Festival was conceived in a collaboration between Silk Road Theatre Project and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The festival showcased the diversity of Chicago's Asian American artistic communities and enhanced the profiles of Asian American theatre artists within Chicagoland's broader theatre community.
Participating companies included: dueEast Theatre, Mango Tribe, Pintig Cultural Group, Rasaka Theatre Company, Silk Road Theatre Project, Stir-Friday Night!, and Tea Company.
For more information, visit the Saving Face Festival page.
2003 Events
Precious Stones Course / University of Chicago Graham School of General Studies
February 23, 2003
2:00 - 6:00pm
Studio Theatre of the Chicago Cultural Center
77 East Randolph Street, Chicago
Course included a performance of Jamil Khoury's Precious Stones, followed by a post-show discussion with the playwright, the actors, and two experts on the socio-political background of the play, Dr. Ghada Talhami, Professor of Politics at Lake Forest College, and Rabbi Rebecca Lillian. The discussion explored the complex and divisive questions that the play raises about belonging, love, family, and community.