Precious Stones The College Tour 2003 – 2005
Written by Jamil Khoury
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Silk Road Theatre Project is proud to embark on our first ever college tour with a production of Jamil Khoury's acclaimed play Precious Stones. The production is available to be presented at colleges, universities, high schools, and other educational institutions across the United States and beyond. Book Precious Stones Today! To book a performance of Precious Stones, please call Silk Road Theatre Project’s administrative office at 312-236-6881 For information
about Precious Stones - The College Tour, please
visit the links below: |
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OVERVIEW
PRECIOUS STONES
THE COLLEGE TOUR
Jamil Khoury’s 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, the other 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. The political finally confronts the personal, as Andrea, the barely middle class Jewish lesbian, and Leila, the married, upper class Palestinian, discover new lines in the sand, once again raising the specter of difficult negotiations, painful compromises and distant resolution.
Precious Stones illuminates for audiences the acute sense of pain, sadness and loss that characterizes Jewish and Palestinian lives. It reveals the narratives of persecution and suffering that prevent both peoples from moving beyond their troubled memories and toward a new narrative of peace and reconciliation. While consciously challenging American perceptions and stereotypes, Precious Stones is ultimately about exploring the symbiotic relationship that binds Arabs and Jews together. In dramatizing the fear, insecurity, anger, and hurt that permeate this complex relationship, the play uncovers the layers of familiarity, hope, kinship and eroticism that inevitably strengthen it.
A TWO-ACTOR PLAY – In Precious Stones, two actresses play six-characters. The actress who plays Andrea, the central Jewish character, also plays two Palestinian characters, including a Palestinian man, and the actress who plays Leila, the central Palestinian character, also plays two Jewish characters.
RUNNING TIME - Precious Stones runs approximately 2 hours with an intermission.
WORLD PREMIERE - The world premiere of Precious Stones was produced by Silk Road Theatre Project at the Chicago Cultural Center's Studio Theater from January 16 – March 2, 2003, directed by Michael Najjar and featuring Roxane Assaf and Nicole Pitman.
AN AWARD WINNING PLAY - Playwright Jamil Khoury won Gay Chicago Magazine's 2003 John W. Schmid After Dark Award for Outstanding New Work for Precious Stones.
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Crossing Boundaries, Creating Intersections:
Jamil Khoury Does Both with ‘Precious Stones’ "If you were to climb the stairs to the upper floors of Jamil Khoury’s thoughts, you might find yourself out of breath. If you took the elevator, you might get dizzy. But let Jamil transport you there on his voice, and you’ll be happy to go for the ride..." Click here for Full Story |
PERFORMANCE FEES AND PAYMENT POLICIES
For information regarding performance fees and payment policies,
please contact Silk Road Theatre Project's administrative office
at 312-236-6881.
INSURANCE
Silk Road Theatre Project is a fully insured company. Insurance
coverage extends to all participants in the Precious Stones college
tour and to all performances of Precious Stones.
PERFORMANCE SPACE
The sponsoring college, university, conference, or institution must
reserve a suitable venue for the performance that includes a stage
area that is at least 20' wide x 20' deep with a ceiling height
of 13'. Good audience sightlines are essential. For audiences larger
than 50, either the stage or the audience should be raised. If a
portable platform is used, it must be strong and neither tilt, wobble,
nor slide apart.
If possible, there should be a plain background. Our set is self-standing, and looks best with a plain dark backdrop.
It is essential that a light/sound booth or table with a clear view of the stage area, enabling our stage manager to call cues and operate the light/sound system. Said booth or table must include an installed in-house sound system with compact disc capability, allowing the stage manager to play recorded music and ambient sounds.
The actors must be provided at least one dressing room with an accessible bathroom.
In-door performance facilities must be equipped with adequate air conditioning/heating and be set at a comfortable temperature. Out-door performance facilities must provide protection from inclement weather conditions that could obstruct the performance.
ACOUSTICS AND SOUND
The only acoustic difficulty is in very resonant, echoey spaces
that garble diction — avoid these if there's a choice. Also,
many spaces have ventilating systems that make a steady background
hiss or roar. Often they can be turned off before the show. The
sponsor should check to see what can
be done.
The show's sound design is contained entirely on one CD.
If the performance venue exceeds 150 seats, the sponsor is responsible for providing microphones. Wireless clip-on microphones are required for the two actors. The stage manager will need a regular microphone with stand for the “chiming" sounds (finger cymbals) made in-between scenes. The sponsor must provide someone to assist with setting up and operating the microphones.
SET
Our set requirements are quite minimal. It is incumbent upon the
sponsor to provide two sturdy black or gray chairs with no side
arms.
We will bring with us an 12' x 8' Israel-Palestine flag. Designed
by Joanne Witzkowski, it is a very stunning flag to look at. In
order to display the flag, the sponsor must provide a plastic or
metal pipe that is at least 12' 8" inches long, with a diameter
of 3⁄4" or 1". The 4" that protrude out from
each side of the flag will be used to lash and dead-hang the flag
from the ceiling, or to rest upon support brackets attached to the
back wall. The sponsor must provide someone to handle the installation
and take down of the flag during the designated set-up and take
down times.
LIGHTS
Our lighting needs are very simple. The performance venue should
be capable of being completely darkened, except for exit signs,
and should possess fade-in, fade out capabilities. If the house
light controls are located elsewhere than the light/sound booth,
the sponsor must provide someone to
operate the houselights, fading them in and out as instructed by
the stage manager.
STAGE SET-UP, TAKE DOWN AND RUN-THROUGH REHEARSAL
We require at least six hours for set-up and a run-through rehearsal.
Often, it takes less time than that, but as it’s common to
encounter odd problems, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
For an evening show we'd prefer to do set-up in the afternoon and
be back in the theatre 2 hours
before curtain.
The sponsor must provide someone to assist with set-up before the show and take down after the show, and to be on-hand during the run-through rehearsal.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND PROGRAMS
We will provide color and b/w Silk Road Theatre Project and Precious
Stones logos. The logos are the exclusive property of Silk
Road Theatre Project and can only be used for the promotion and
presentation of contracted performance(s). We will also provide
text about Precious Stones, Silk Road Theatre Project, and playwright/producer
Jamil Khoury, to be used for marketing and promotional purposes.
All marketing and promotional text must include mention of Silk
Road Theatre Project as the producing company and cite Jamil Khoury
as the playwright.
We will design the program for the performance and will e-mail it to the sponsor in electronic Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. The sponsor in turn must make sufficient copies of the program. At least one week prior to the performance, the sponsor must provide us a list of individuals, departments, and organizations to identify and/or thank in the program.
HOUSE MANAGEMENT AND USHERS
The sponsor must arrange for front-of-house management, ushers,
and the distribution of programs.
A late-seating policy must be devised and implemented that absolutely minimizes interference with performance.
The house may be opened no sooner than thirty minutes before curtain time.
House manager(s) and ushers must be informed of the following:
• The play runs about 2 hours with an intermission.
• Absolutely no photography, recording, or videotaping is
permitted during
the show.
• Precious Stones is not suitable for children under
13.
POST-SHOW DISCUSSION
The actors and playwright/producer, Jamil Khoury, will participate
in a post-show discussion with the audience immediately after the
performance.
• Khoury will structure the discussion as follows: first he
will ask
specific questions of the audience, then he will open it up to questions
from the audience.
• Khoury is also available to offer lecturers about the writing
and
development of the play and the various issues it addresses, for
an agreed
upon honorarium.
PROMO VIDEO AND NPR INTERVIEW
To receive an 8-minute VHS promo video of Precious Stones and a 12-minute CD of a taped interview with playwright Khoury on
National Public Radio, please call Silk Road Theatre Project's administrative
office at 312-236-6881.
To date, many of Precious Stones most enthusiastic supporters have been academics, educators, and students. The catalyst for developing the college tour was the encouragement Silk Road Theatre Project received from college professors interested in exposing their students to this important piece. Precious Stones can be incorporated into the curricula of various academic disciplines. It is a play that "portrays" facts and information in an emotionally compelling manner, and presents theoretical ideas in a humanized, narrative form.
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following disciplines will find Precious Stones particularly
useful:
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Precious Stones corresponds well to the following
areas of academic inquiry:
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The most effective way of covering expenses and maximizing the play's impact on campus is to involve as many departments and student groups as possible. Arab, Jewish, Middle Eastern, lesbian and gay, feminist, inter-religious, and peace and justice student organizations are all natural constituencies.
Per faculty/departmental involvement, the following are two examples of successful inter-disciplinary co-sponsorship:
De Paul University - September 24, 2003 - Performance was co-sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program; Women's Center; Cultural Center; Humanities Center; Office of Diversity; International Studies Program; Department of Communication; and the Department of Religious Studies.
The University of Chicago - June 5, 2004 - Part of the Hyde Park - University of Chicago Arts Fest. Performance was hosted by the Oriental Institute and co-sponsored by the Center for Gender Studies; Lesbian and Gay Studies Project; Rockefeller Memorial Chapel; Center for Middle East Studies; Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture; Franke Institute for the Humanities; and the Human Rights Program.
ACADEMICS PRAISE PRECIOUS STONES
Jamil Khoury's Precious Stones has garnered accolades and praise from professors in various disciplines. The list continues to grow!
"Precious Stones breaks new ground on a number of levels as theatrical art and social commentary. This story of love between two activists, a Palestinian woman and a Jewish-American woman, deftly tackles two explosive issues in the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the struggle for recognition of lesbians and gay men. The play suggests that perhaps one way out of the current hopelessness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to explore the need for recognizing the "other" at all levels, not just in the realms of politics, religion, and ethnicity, but also in the arenas of gender and sexuality."
-Dr. Janet Afary
President of the Association for Middle East Women's Studies
Associate Professor of History and Women's Studies
Purdue University
"Precious Stones is one of the best plays I've seen. It deals with politics in an inclusive, sophisticated, and humorous way. Race, class, sexuality, gender, religion and ethnicity are addressed in a context that shows them to be in a constitutive relationship with one another—not just "intersecting" or "overlapping" categories that exist independently of one another. It is fast-paced and informative. The production is innovative performatively. See it, and tell your students to see it!"
-Dr. Tina Chanter
Professor of Philosophy
DePaul University
"Precious Stones is a brave play and testament to Khoury's intellectual integrity. It manages to simultaneously be plain-spoken, funny, and complex. Most importantly, it brilliantly exposes students to multiple and overlapping perspectives on sexuality and relationships — both human and political — in the layered context of the Israel/Palestine conflict."
-Dr. Anthony Chase
Assistant Professor in Diplomacy & World Affairs
Occidental College
"Precious Stones helped bridge students' academic pursuits with their co-curricular experiences and provoked interest among students, staff and faculty alike in renewing the Jewish-Arab dialogue group on campus. By illustrating complex history and companion analysis through the interrelationship of many characters, the performance pointed to the importance of honest, open discussion as a method to achieving greater understanding of one's self, others, and historical "truth." This is very much in keeping with Georgetown's Jesuit tradition."
-Erika Cohen Derr
Director of Orientation and Leadership Programs
Georgetown University
"I thought Precious Stones was a remarkable theatrical experience. It's seldom that issues of class and gender and sexuality are so compellingly interwoven—and set in the context of the Middle East. I was drawn in, completely, to the way in which the demands for serious political action are considered across the spectrum of our social and private being."
-Dr. Norma Field
Professor, East Asian Languages & Civilizations
The University of Chicago
"Over 500 people turned out at our university for a remarkable performance of Jamil Khoury's Precious Stones. The event attracted an extraordinarily diverse audience, both from on campus and off. Thus before it had even begun the play achieved one of its primary goals, which is to bring people together for tough and honest (and sometimes hilarious) dialogue about politics, culture, and sexuality. While highly entertaining, the play manages to educate the audience in substantial detail about the issues dividing the Jewish and Palestinian communities, as well as illuminating debates about class and race that divide gay and lesbian people. It's an ideal play to bring to a college campus, especially when the surrounding community can be brought into the conversation."
-Dr. Gregory Jay
Director, Cultures and Communities Program
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
"Jamil Khoury is an avant-garde artist with heightened sensitivities for political and social issues. I read Precious Stones and saw it performed twice. What interested me, besides its dramatic power, is its depth, balance, and understanding of the human condition. As a professor of sociology, I recommend Precious Stones highly to faculty and students alike, and to the wider public. Jamil Khoury is an Arab Brecht in the making."
-Dr. Baheej Khleif
Professor of Sociology
Columbia College of Chicago
"Precious Stones is a work of art and a labor of
love. The actors, the dialogue, and dialects, are creatively woven
to create a rich tapestry of a world that is both known and unknown
to those of us fortunate enough to have attended this performance.
It is through Precious Stones that we have an opportunity to hear
the voices and feel the passion of those with a deep and intimate
understanding of what it means to be female, lesbian, working class,
Palestinian, Jewish, political, inclusive, excluded, old, and young.
Jamil Khoury's brilliant discourse reminds us of the humanity and
the struggles that continue to dominate Middle East and U.S. politics.
Tinged with lively humor, and a cast of 2 women playing 3 roles
each (the cocktail party scene at Leila's and Samir's house is great
fun!) Precious Stones is an incredible journey - something
that one must experience - not
just see."
-Dr. Regina Lark
Assistant Director
UCLA Center for the Study of Women
"Our audience found Precious Stones to be quite thoughtful. It opened an important artistic window on issues of great concern to many of our students. In addition to the content of the play, our students found the writing and acting to be exceptional. While Jamil Khoury's work touched more than a few nerves, his facilitation of the post-performance discussion was outstanding. We are proud to have been the first Jewish institutional venue to host this play.
- Dr. Hal M. Lewis
Dean Of Public Programming and Associate Professor
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
"Precious Stones is truly a ministry. It puts the audience in touch with the divine through human experience, human experience that is gritty, funny, unpredictable, beautiful, and sacred. Prepare to be challenged and awed."
-Dr. Michael Maher
Chaplain
Loyola University Chicago
"Jamil Khoury is truly a remarkable playwright. Not only does Precious Stones provide a worthwhile evening of art and entertainment, but it effectively explores many social topics, some considered taboo, in both Arab and Jewish societies. The subjects of gender and sexuality portrayed in the play beautifully express the sometimes wrenching decisions people of Middle East origin daily contemplate, whether they remain in the Middle East or are part of a community in the United States."
-Dr. William Rowe Mellon
Post-Doctoral Fellow in Geography
Macalester College
"Precious Stones dares to show the full intelligence and well-spoken passion of women equally dedicated to cultural survival. It is timely in placing homophobia in the mix as a complication of justice in peoples striving toward democracy. Academic, spiritual and activist communities should join in coalition to see this play!"
-Dr. Bonnie J. Morris
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Women's Studies
Georgetown University
"Precious Stones is a masterful piece of theater that forces you to reflect on the nature of conflict and on the incredible complexity of the particular conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. It is, of course, an especially timely production. The actors, with astonishing agility, move from one character to another, playing multiple roles and plunging into the emotional turmoil of a personal relationship developing within a hostile context. The history, cultures and environment are as full of despair as they are of hope. Current events, and the knowledge of them within the audience, move you in the direction of wondering if there is a solution to the confrontation that goes on and on. Precious Stones is thought provoking and riveting."
-Dr. Margaret D. Pusch
Executive Director
Society of Intercultural Educators, Researchers, and Trainers (SIETAR)
"Precious Stones is an ideal vehicle for engaging students about the complexity of the Middle East conflict, and the interconnectedness of the personal and political. I have seen the play three times, and each time I found myself connecting to different aspects of the story. I realize how little I know about the Middle East. I am compelled to consider the sometimes-fraught issues endemic to organizing between women, gay and straight. And I am reminded how important it is to seek out alternative sources of information."
-Dr. Francesca Royster
Associate Professor of English
De Paul University
"Jamil Khoury's play Precious Stones is an important contribution to current theater and literature. Precious Stones brilliantly manages to utilize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a background to illustrate the concept of "truth" as a social construct that affects interpersonal relationships as much as it shapes our identity. Jamil has succeeded to give voice to a cast of very divergent characters while refraining from judgment on their respective world views. The audience thus is able to achieve a deeper understanding of the complexity of intractable political and social conflicts and their impact on interpersonal relationships. His play allows the audience to make a deep and lasting cognitive and emotional connection with the characters, their lives, and perspectives. Long after the play is finished and the characters have left the stage, the audience will reflect upon this play."
-Gabriele Schmiegel, M.A.
Associate Counselor, International Student and Scholar Services
University of Minnesota
"Precious Stones captures the complexity not only of the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict but also of class, sexuality, culture, and gender. It presents a balanced and substantive portrayal of the multiple beliefs and opinions on both sides. My students were awed and impressed by it."
-Dr. Barbara L. Speicher
Acting Chair, Communication Department
De Paul University
"I arranged for two sections of my gay and lesbian history course to see Precious Stones. The play's exploration of the impact of culture and politics on a lesbian relationship provoked considerable discussion and lively interest in both classes. In its very unique way, Precious Stones sheds unusual and engaging light on the current Arab-Israeli conflict.
-Dr. Andrew Suozzo
Professor, Modern Languages
DePaul University
Praise for Precious Stones from Dr. Maya Roth
Director of the Theater Program at Georgetown University
"Jamil Khoury's Precious Stones effectively taps the depth of pain and mistrust for so many people, Palestinians and Jews in the Diaspora, Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East, as they struggle with the effects of generations of dispossession, loss, and violence. It is moving and articulate, both: painful in its testimony, imaginative in its reach for transformation. The play compels us not only to witness, but indeed to recognize that as individuals and diversified communities we must figure out together how best to bring peace and justice to Israel-Palestine. By contextualizing Middle Eastern politics in relation to a lesbian love relationship, Precious Stones fashions the possibility, perhaps the imperative, of imagining new ways of linking somehow mirrored cultural traditions across difference, staging the need for complex negotiations of belonging, identity, and solidarity in our "homes" as well as the world stage. It is a play of compassion, wit, and theatrical imagination. As each actor performs both Arab and Jewish characters, we begin to witness the human capacity for recognizing difference with respect, the transformative lesson of empathy, and the ways in which we perform self and other in everyday lives. This play is best digested over a couple of days' time, for its force of inquiry, no less than its force of testimonial, will make you think, feel, question."
November 10, 2003
Dear Colleague,
I strongly encourage you to bring Jamil Khoury's powerful new play Precious Stones to your campus. Produced by Silk Road Theatre Project, Precious Stones presents a wonderful opportunity for campus communities to consider the complexities of identity, experience and politics, and the possibilities for building alliances and coalitions across multiple differences.
Precious Stones is a great pedagogical tool. The play
situates the "divide" between Jews and Arabs vis-à-vis
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, while simultaneously revealing
the fissures within such polarized opposition. It does so by illuminating
a variety of identities and experiences on both sides, and embodying
their voices in a most theatrical manner (namely two actors playing
six distinct characters). The play asks questions, provides multiple
perspectives, and avoids simplistic
reductionism. By refusing to elevate one truth over the other, Precious
Stones forces audiences to think and rethink their own positions
and positionality. The play's themes resonate with theories and
issues integral to Women's Studies, ethnic studies, cross-cultural
communication, history and politics of the Middle-East, lesbian
and gay studies, among others.
I first saw Precious Stones last February (2003) at the Chicago Cultural Center and found the play to be such an amazing and thought provoking experience that I immediately began working to bring it to DePaul University for the Autumn Quarter of 2003. At DePaul, the play enjoyed enormous success; over 225 students from a variety of classes attended the play (including students enrolled in Women's Studies, Performance Studies, Anthropology, Communication, and Political Science courses. The response was enthusiastic and powerful; students and faculty alike were blown away by the play and spent considerable time afterwards discussing the issues it raised. Many were moved to rethink their own internalized homophobia, their stereotypes of Arabs and Jews, and their lack of understanding and knowledge about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I was more than pleased with the strength of the play's messages, particularly that dialogue is difficult, trust is an on-going process, the conversation is unending, and the possibilities are there and yet forever tenuous.
Once again, I would highly recommend working with Silk Road Theatre
Project to bring Precious Stones to your campus. Silk Road
Theatre Project is an important endeavor, as it is committed to
theatre that is cutting-edge, provocative, and socially relevant.
The company's co-founders and
producers, Jamil Khoury and Malik Gillani, are wonderful to work
with and I plan to continue our collaboration in the future. If
you would like to talk with me further about Precious Stones and ways to build a collaborative, campus-wide event around the
play, please feel free to contact me at the
address and phone number above or email me at arusso@depaul.edu.
Best,
Ann Russo
Director, and Associate Professor, Women's and Gender Studies Program
DePaul University