2010 Staged Readings
November 1, 2010
CONFESSION by Leslie CroxfordAugust 14-15, 2010
TALIB by Michael Malek NajjarJune 12, 2010
100 Days by Weiko Lin
CONFESSION Written by Leslie Croxford
Presented by Pegasus Players in association with Silk Road Theatre Project
Directed by Ilesa Duncan
Featuring: Stephanie Diaz, Richard Henzel, and Madrid St. AngeloSilk Road Theatre Project at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 West Washington St., Pierce Hall, Chicago
Monday, November 1, 2010 at 7:30pm
CONFESSION is set in Spain towards the end of decades of dictatorship and civil war in the 1930s. On a late winter afternoon an old American Priest sits waiting to hear confessions in a derelict church. As he begins to fall asleep, the Priest is disturbed by a presence entering the church. Not sure at first if it is real or part of a dream, the Priest eventually recognizes the figure as the Dictator come to say his final confession and receive absolution. The Priest has, however, no intention of granting absolution to a tyrant whom he has always despised. But the Dictator is not used to being thwarted, and an intense power struggle ensues with the characters locked in a deadly embrace.
Followed by a Q & A session with playwright Leslie Croxford.
TALIB Written by Michael Malek Najjar
Directed by Michael Malek Najjar
Featuring: Adrianne Cury, Susaan Jamshidi, Vincent Mahler, Diana Simonzadeh, and Clayton Stamper
Silk Road Theatre Project at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 West Washington St., Pierce Hall, Chicago
Saturday, August 14 at 7:30pm and Sunday, August 15 at 2:00pm
TALIB (Arabic for student) is set amid the aftermath of the Iraq War. Famous Iraqi actress Hannan Al-Najaf is invited by her friend Aida Al-Masri to stage her war drama at a major American university. When she discovers that an Iraq War veteran has been cast in her play, Hannan must confront her past and decide whether or not she can go on with the show. TALIB explores the complicated dichotomies of war from the point of view of the soldiers and civilians and asks if, after so much loss on both sides, reconciliation is possible.
Followed by a Q & A session with playwright Michael Malek Najjar.
100 DAYS Written by Weiko Lin
Directed by Weiko Lin
Featuring: Weiko Lin and Einat TubiSilk Road Theatre Project at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 West Washington St., Pierce Hall, Chicago
Saturday, June 12 at 7:30pm
After his Buddhist mother dies of cancer, a college circuit comedian on the road has 100 days to marry in order for his mother's spirit to transition in peace. Reluctant to fulfill this superstitious condition, the man awkwardly reunites with his estranged and married high school sweetheart. The death that reconnects these two as adults turns out to be their source of salvation.
100 DAYS is based on a Taiwanese tradition that stipulates that when a parent passes away before his or her child is wed, the child has 100 days to get married in order to ensure that the parent's spirit transitions peacefully or risk a delay of 3 years. Inspired in part by the death of his own mother, this tradition planted the seed for what would eventually become Weiko Lin's newest stage work, 100 DAYS.
Followed by a Q & A session with playwright Weiko Lin.
