Set in 17th century Rome, Malta, and Naples, Caravaggio is the story of the great Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the father of the Baroque, whose daring art and volatile personality attracted the favor and wrath of the church he both loved and reviled.
Whether undertaking commissions from the Vatican or confronting the cruelties of the Inquisition, Caravaggio's short life was charged with artistry, violence and passion.
Two government officials pay Khalid, an Arab-American man, a seemingly innocuous visit. What begins as a "friendly" inquiry soon devolves into a chilling, full-blown investigation of Khalid's presumed ties to terrorists.
At times surreal and comic, Back of the Throat examines the way in which facts, evidence and (mis)perceptions are used to distort the truth and how notions of cultural "otherness" impact the relationship between the accusers and the accused.
“Race has nothing to do with being attracted to someone,” says Travis Park, the protagonist of Cowboy vs. Samurai. But that statement is tested constantly in this savage comedy about love and friendship, a 21st century update of Cyrano De Bergerac, in which the nose is replaced by race. Travis loves Veronica Lee, the only Korean American woman living in the tiny town of Breakneck, Wyoming. Veronica only dates white men; the crucial detail that sets Travis on a journey of composing love letters that test our perceptions of race and romance.
Performed as part of Silk Road Chicago: Summer 2006
Balacarita: The Adventures of Young Krishna is a classical Indian play adapted for the American stage by Christopher Johnson. Amidst a host of divine portents, Vasudeva and his wife have given birth to their seventh son, the human embodiment of the divine Krishna. Fearing their divine prodigy will be slain by the evil King Kansa, they hide the enfant with another family where he grows to manhood. Upon reaching maturity, Krishna reveals himself and embarks upon a series of trials to secure his place as master of both men and gods. Aided by the Bird-King Garuda and an arsenal of supernatural weapons, he slays the demon-bull Arista, subdues the great serpent Kaliya and finally confronts the murderous Kansa and his warrior-assassins in a spectacular and action-packed climax. Seeming to draw equal inspiration from the Hindu religious epics and Hellenic heroic drama, Balacarita represents a unique gem in the canon of Sanskrit drama and in the history of world theatre.
Performed as part of Silk Road Chicago: Summer 2006
A daughter’s love. A mother’s final blessing. Jessica’s homecoming forces past and present to collide as she learns to understand intolerance and tolerate her mother’s lack of understanding. Sun Sisters is a play about unspoken desires and how even silence cannot prevent their realization.
Performed as part of The Many Voices Project
Set against the backdrop of a small, wind-swept, midwestern college, Double Happiness is a loss-of-innocence story about three friends who tread unawares the wide open spaces of the heart. Anisha, recently arrived from India, starts school with her traditional beliefs in love, sex and friendship intact. Savitri, her American-born cousin and roommate, doubts love and prefers the anonymity of the casual encounter. Together they meet Kevin, susceptible to the allure of both women. Friendship turns into longing and longing into heartache. The triangle collapses, throwing all three into free fall with no obvious place to land.
The Details of Silence is a new play by Nathalie Handal. This sensual, political and daring new play explores the internal and external landscapes of Arab women. Set in present-day New York, Details gives voice to eleven Arab women of different ages and religions coming from different parts of the world. Azza interviews each woman for a story she is writing. As she unveils the details of their lives, sexuality, and silences, she also unveils the details of her own personal tragedy.
Performed as part of Silk Road Chicago: Summer 2006
Publish or Perish is a comedy about the intricacies of blasphemy and the lengths to which people will go to gain literary immortality. Two hopelessly failed writers, Michael Jordan and Mohammed Ali, share none of the glory of their famous namesakes and, now in old age, seem destined to die in obscurity. In a last ditch effort, Mr. Jordan writes a blasphemous book in hopes of attracting a Muslim fatwa (or edict) demanding his death. Sadly, no such fatwa materializes, and the book goes unnoticed in the Islamic world. Ever more determined to attract fame, or at least notoriety, a disgruntled Mr. Jordan convinces Mr. Ali to stage a “deadly act” before a video camera. Mr. Ali’s sole qualification for performing the act? He happens to “look” Middle Eastern.
Performed as part of Silk Road Chicago: Summer 2006
Set in 17th century Rome, Malta, and Naples, Caravaggio is the story of the great Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the father of the Baroque, whose daring art and volatile personality attracted the favor and wrath of the church he both loved and reviled. Whether undertaking commissions from the Vatican or confronting the cruelties of the Inquisition, Caravaggio's short life was charged with artistry, violence, and passion.
