Silk Road was founded in 2002 as a response to 9/11. Had 9/11 not happened, we probably would still be leading our other lives, which were not in the theater. [Cofounder] Malik [Gillani] was an IT consultant, and I was an international relocation consultant.
Read MoreCreative Movement Award /
Presented by Insight Arts
Awarded to Silk Road Rising
December 9, 2011
This award celebrates Silk Road Rising's contributions through the arts in creating a climate for social change in the United States.
Read MoreThreads of Silk 2011: A Gala to Benefit Silk Road Theatre Project /
November 5, 2011
An exquisite dining experience featuring cuisine inspired by cultures along the Silk Road. Guests can also enjoy luscious Silk Road Cocktails created exclusively for Threads of Silk by North Shore Distillery, the first boutique distillery in Illinois.
And while you dine, enjoy the fun and ever-so-lovely music of the Silk Road Cabaret Singers in a performance emceed by WTTW’s Cheryl Hamada.
A Dress of Steel Mesh /
September 30–October 2, 2011
Written by Kemba Saran
Directed by Amanda Respess
Design Consultation and Photography by Vinod Menon
When Kemba was eighteen years old she met a charming man who claimed that, despite her hesitation, their fates were sealed—she was destined to be his wife. So begins the play, A Dress of Steel Mesh, which tells the story of a young woman who comes of age in a marriage marred by domestic violence. Compelled to turn inward for comfort, she finds solace by documenting her journey of survival. For nearly twenty years she navigates a terrifying labyrinth of oppression, gradually finding her way to a place of healing and wonderment. Relayed by a chorus of three female voices, A Dress of Steel Mesh offers hope and inspiration to those who, in losing their way, are forced to reclaim it.
Read MoreMosque Alert: "The Prologue" /
WATCH: "The Prologue" is the second step of the journey in a new play development process and civic engagement tool. Playwright Jamil Khoury describes in great detail his latest project "Mosque Alert."
Read MoreMosque Alert: "The Spark" /
WATCH: Playwright Jamil Khoury begins step one in a ten step new play development process and civic engagement tool that's designed to assist him in writing his new play "Mosque Alert." This video blog, The Spark, introduces the ideas and inspirations to "Mosque Alert."
Read MoreCalligraphy /
August 25–28, 2011
Written by Velina Hasu Houston
Directed by Lisa Portes
With the humor that survival demands, two cousins—one in Los Angeles and one in Tokyo—struggle to navigate change as they confront their mothers’ aging and the impact it has on their lives.
Read More‘Version 3.0′ Gives Platform to Asian American Playwrights /
About five years ago, Chay Yew, a playwright and the artistic director of the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, was approached by schools for copies of Asian American plays that could be taught and performed. Except Yew couldn’t find a recent compilation of Asian American plays. So when Theatre Communications Group (TCG) approached him about editing a new anthology, he agreed, and the result is “Version 3.0,” released by TCG yesterday.
Read MoreThe Sultan's Dilemma /
July 12, 2011
Written by Tawfiq al-Hakim
Directed by Adam Webster
The Sultan’s Dilemma explores the tale of a Mamluk sultan at the height of his power who is suddenly faced with a problem: he has never been manumitted and thus is ineligible to be ruler.
Performed as part of the 2011 International Voices Project
Read MoreDavid Henry Hwang Talks Race, Chinglish and Yellow Face /
Chicago Magazine
By Catey Sullivan
July 1, 2011
The only Asian American ever to win the Tony for best play (M. Butterfly), David Henry Hwang has made a career out of dramatizing the issues of race, identity, and getting lost in translation.
Read MoreYellow Face /
Windy City Times
By Jonathan Abarbanel
June 29, 2011
In Yellow Face, playwright David Henry Hwang exhibits his characteristic flare for structural and emotional mechanics. He incorporates a play-within-a-play, has actors taking multiple roles and mixes real and fictional characters caught up in both real and fictional events.
Read Moreboth/and /
Written by Jamil Khoury
Directed by J. Paul Preseault
June 26, 2011
"both/and" breaks the shackles of "either/or" in this semi-autobiographical short video play by Jamil Khoury. In "both/and," the characters of Jamil, Arab Man, and Gay Man explore and explode the constructed borders between American and Arab, Arab American and gay, for profit and not for profit, and assorted other disputed territories.
Read MoreYellow Face /
Centerstage Chicago
By John Dalton
June 24, 2011
This is a tight, enjoyable, thought-provoking show. Staged in brisk, clean strokes by director Steve Scott, the skilled ensemble falls easily into a gallery of roles ranging from amusing caricature to nuanced portrait.
Read MoreSchaumburg man makes his Silk Road debut in David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face /
Daily Herald
By Barbara Vitello
June 22, 2011
“Theater can connect people from very different communities and show how we are linked together, how we as human beings deal with the same issues and problems in different ways,” [director Steve Scott] said. That’s when theater gets it right.
Read MoreYellow Face /
Chicago Reader
By Tony Adler
June 22, 2011
Hwang shows up as a character (played by David Rhee), and a big part of what makes the ambivalence fascinating is his willingness to apply it to himself. Sometimes portrayed sympathetically, Hwang is just as often exposed as a damned fool. Steve Scott's production is smart and strong...
Read MoreYellow Face raises timely questions /
Chicago Sun-Times
By Hedy Weiss
June 21, 2011
Directed by Steve Scott, “Yellow Face” is... provocative, caustically funny and touching. And it certainly raises questions about this country’s ever-shifting relationship with China and the Far East.
Read MoreStepping in and out of the role of race /
Chicago Tribune
By Chris Jones
June 21, 2011
[If] you've ever been around debates about racial politics, and, no doubt secretly, found yourself engaging in some kind of Orwellian double-think, then this is your show, whatever the color of your visage.
Read MoreSilk Road Creates Compelling, Entertaining Production /
Chicago Theatre Beat
By Catey Sullivan
June 21, 2011
Yellow Face just may be one of the smartest plays about race currently running in our allegedly post-racial world. But that’s not the main reason it’s worth seeing. No, the reason to see Yellow Face is that Scott has created a show that’s wholly absorbing.
Read MoreDavid Henry Hwang’s metatheatrical take on color and culture has an appealing tint /
TimeOut Chicago
By Kris Vire
June 20, 2011
Hwang’s mix of characters creates its own witty comment on color-blind casting: Public figures such as Sen. Fred Thompson and producer Cameron Mackintosh are played by an Asian-American woman (ensemble member Tanya McBride) without our blinking an eye. Scott’s clean, spare staging is paced effectively...
Read MorePlaywright Henry David Hwang /
TimeOut Chicago
By John Beer
June 20, 2011
Silk Road boasts the local premiere of Hwang’s daring 2007 satire Yellow Face, which grew out of the playwright’s protest against casting white actors in Asian roles and features a heavily fictionalized protagonist named David Henry Hwang.
Read More