Announcing the West Ridge Story Festival, December 14–17

"West Ridge is more than just a neighborhood on Chicago’s far north side. In a city known for its distinct neighborhoods, it is a work-in-progress, uniquely situated at a crossroads of immigration, cultural preservation, and what some might call, integration interrupted. We like to think of West Ridge as both an American experiment and an exciting reboot of the American dream. Depending on whom you ask, and how you frame the question, West Ridge is a destination, a refuge, a way station, a launching pad, a window, a bridge, a laboratory, a microcosm, a metaphor, a history, and a home. Undoubtedly a place where people have interesting stories to tell."

-Jamil Khoury & Malik Gillani

Over the summer and throughout the fall, Silk Road Rising has been working with students of all ages at Mather High School, Boone Elementary School, Indian Boundary Park, and Warren Park. At Mather, high school students participated in EPIC (Empathic Playwrighting Intensive Course) through a partnership with After School Matters. Boone was host to two Silk Road Rising teaching artists who taught EPIC to the entire 7th grade. Indian Boundary Park and Warren Park hosted multi-generational students who opted in to participate in this community building version of EPIC.

This showcase is the opportunity for Silk Road Rising to highlight some of the creative, brilliant, and savvy students we had the pleasure of working with this summer and fall.

We invite you to visit West Ridge and hear the stories of this diverse community, which are both distinct and reflective of multicultural and multireligious neighborhoods across the US.

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Four Performances across Three Venues

Our festival begins with a free preview performance at the Northtown Branch, Chicago Public Library on Saturday, December 14 at 3:00pm.