September 06–September 25, 2016
The World Premiere
Written and Performed by Azhar Usman
Directed by Aaron Todd Douglas
Famed comedian, Azhar Usman, takes to the stage with this brutally honest, unflinching one-man show exploring the tensions and paradoxes surrounding the double consciousness of American Muslims living in an ever-polarizing modern world.
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February 18–February 28, 2016
The World Premiere
Written and Performed by Ronnie Malley
Directed by Anna C. Bahow
Take an enchanting musical journey to 9th century Islamic Spain with Muslim American musical impresario Ronnie Malley. Arabic music, poetry, and songs breathe life into the story of Ziryab, a former slave whose musical abilities brought him fame throughout Al-Andalus: a land where Christians, Jews and Muslims co-existed for more than seven centuries and created a unique and diverse society.
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November 19–22, 2015
A Workshop Production
Written and Performed by Jameeleh Shelo
Directed by Jessica Mitolo
Through a diverse group of characters, this sketch comedy show offers a lovable view into the life of a Middle Eastern American woman from the South Side of Chicago as she navigates her way through cultural pressures and societal assumptions. What happens when the Mid-East meets the Mid-West? The answers will fill you with laughter and joy!
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October 1–4, 2015
A Workshop Production
Written and Performed by Marissa Lichwick
Directed by Lavina Jadhwani
Born out of her experiences growing up as a Korean-adoptee in a family of ten in upstate New York, this coming-of-age, one-woman show follows two orphans through the streets of South Korea, into the suburban American heartland, and their fortuitous journey back. Back to Korea, back to their past.
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August 13–16, 2015
A Workshop Production
Written and Performed by Puja Mohindra
Directed by Andrew Volkoff
Geeta Gidwani doesn’t want the arranged marriage her parents have. She’s an American girl and wants to fall madly in love, like she’s seen in Shakespeare, Bollywood movies and her favorite show, Friends. But after a family trip to a holy Indian temple inspires her to wish for a soulmate, she meets Manish, standing at the corner of tradition and fairytale.
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June 11–14, 2015
Written and Performed by Rohina Malik
Co-Directed by Wayne Maugans and Nick Westemeyer
Racism. Hate crimes. Love. Islam. Culture. Language. Life. Five Muslim women in a post-9/11 world serve tea and uncover what lies beneath the veil in this compelling one-woman show.
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April 23–26, 2015
A Workshop Production
Written and Performed by Minita Gandhi
Directed by Heidi Stillman
The life of a young Indian-American woman is forever changed when, on a retreat to her homeland, she unearths family secrets, encounters a prophet, and ultimately discovers her own voice. The Familiar and the Foreign swap roles in this dark comedy about culture, identity, spirituality, and sexuality.
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February 19–22, 2015
The Chicago Premiere
Written and Performed by Kim Schultz
Original Direction by Sarah Cameron Sunde
Falling in love with an Iraqi refugee was never part of Kim Schultz’s plan, but a man named Omar changed all that. No Place Called Home is that unexpected story—a story about an American woman and an Iraqi man, a story about one refugee in 2 million, a story that isn’t supposed to be a love story.
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February 15–16, 2013
Written by Alaudin Ullah
Directed by Chay Yew
Auditioning to play a terrorist in a major Hollywood movie may be stand-up comedian Aladdin’s big break. As he prepares for his audition, he finds himself thinking back on his deceased father, who left Bangladesh for a better life in New York, and his parents’ futile attempts to raise him Muslim in Spanish Harlem. Accompanied by the tabla, Aladdin takes us on a hilarious and moving journey through art, immigration, family, the Yankees and the nature of the American dream.
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