In a letter to the community, Jamil Khoury wrote:
“It is with great sadness that we announce the cancelation of My Dear Hussein. Out of concern for the health and safety of our artists and patrons, we cannot in good conscience ask anyone to gather at our theater at this time.
“We were very excited to begin preview performances tonight. Nahal Navidar has written a poetic, powerful play about childhood imagination and innocence against the backdrop of war. Throughout the rehearsal process, our extraordinary cast was bringing passion, depth, and commitment to Nahal’s exquisite words. Our design team was thoughtfully creating a beautiful world for this rich story. And our director team of Tlaloc Rivas and Marie Tredway were seamlessly weaving the fabric of a poignant, theatrical experience.
“Due to the unprecedented spread of COVID-19 and with the guidance of the Center for Disease Control, we feel it’s best to cancel the show and encourage everyone to stay home. We hope that this stunning play will have another life, and we know that Chicago audiences will be hearing from Nahal Navidar.”
Supporting Artists Hurt During this Pandemic
Silk Road Rising and Momentary Theatre take very seriously the financial implications of this cancelation. We are paying artists a severance to help offset the sudden termination of the production.
Ticketing Concerns
Silk Road Rising will be reaching out directly to patrons who have purchased tickets for the show. Patrons will be given the options of turning their tickets into donations, applying the cost of their tickets towards future performances, or getting a refund.
The Silk Road Rising box office can be reached at 312.857.1234 x201.
A Statement from Silk Road RIsing Against Racism
Silk Road Rising is an anti-racist organization serving peoples of Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds. Many of our artists, friends, and the communities with which we work have been experiencing a racist backlash to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the powers that be tweeting about a “Chinese virus” and appealing to xenophobic fears, we should all be standing with our Asian and Middle Eastern siblings at this time of great panic. Fight racism whenever and wherever you see it. We all need allies. Check-in on your family and friends and reach out to loved ones if you yourself need support.
About Silk Road Rising
Silk Road Rising creates live theatre and online videos that tell stories through primarily Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. In representing communities that intersect and overlap, we advance a polycultural worldview.
About Momentary Theatre
Through our investigation of shared mythologies, we curate works of live performance that record, reveal, and react to human progress over time.