Panels and Lectures - Lectures

Creating and facilitating conversation, discourse, and debate around timely and topical matters has been integral to our mission since day one. Exploring and exchanging ideas and perspectives has lived in our company’s DNA, and presenting panel discussions has been a great means of fostering the sort of “deep dive” inquiry that audiences have come to expect from us. Panels have allowed us to introduce and shape urgent conversations in both Silk Road communities and theatre communities, and to feature experts in numerous disciplines, vocations, and causes.

 
Featured
Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams in Damascus
Lectures
Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams in Damascus
Lectures

February 1, 2017

Riad Ismat, a well-known Syrian playwright and director, shares his thoughts and recollections about interpreting Miller and Williams for Arab audiences.

 

Co-sponsored by Silk Road Rising.

Lectures
Shakespeare in the Middle East
Lectures
Shakespeare in the Middle East
Lectures

February 8, 2016

Hamlet was first performed in Egypt around 1893 as a historical romance in which Hamlet defeats his uncle, and reigns with the Ghost’s blessing. “Culturally transplanted” Shakespeare has a lengthy performance history in the Middle East, especially among the educated elite. Yet how is Shakespeare connecting today to a broader Middle Eastern audience?

Lectures
Motti Lerner: Playwriting in Wartime
Lectures
Motti Lerner: Playwriting in Wartime
Lectures

March 19, 2009

Motti Lerner, playwright of Pangs of the Messiah, spoke on the role of playwrights in societies struggling with war and militarism.

Lectures
Precious Stones Course / University of Chicago Graham School of General Studies
Lectures
Precious Stones Course / University of Chicago Graham School of General Studies
Lectures

Led by Jamil Khoury
February 23, 2003

Course included a performance of Jamil Khoury's Precious Stones, followed by a post-show discussion with the playwright, the actors, and two experts on the socio-political background of the play, Dr. Ghada Talhami, Professor of Politics at Lake Forest College, and Rabbi Rebecca Lillian. The discussion explored the complex and divisive questions that the play raises about belonging, love, family, and community.

Lectures