Interrobang Theatre Project is pleased to continue its ninth season, exploring "identity/crisis" with the Chicago premiere of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's drama I CALL MY BROTHERS, a day in the life of an Arab-Swedish man who must dodge suspicion after a car bomb rattles Stockholm. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles and directed by guest director Abhi Shrestha, I CALL MY BROTHERS will play January 5 - February 2, 2019 at ITP's new resident home, Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org or by calling (312) 219-4140. The press opening is Monday, January 7, 2019 at 8 pm.
I CALL MY BROTHERS features ITP Ensemble Member Salar Ardebili* with Tina El Gamal, Chris Khoshaba and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.
Stockholm, Sweden. A car bomb rocks the peaceful city and leaves the Arab-Swedish Amor on guard and on edge. But he doesn't have time to let his fear get the best of him; he's got places to be. As Amor attempts to run his errand and grapple with his own anxieties, we follow him through a fraught 24 hours, cautiously navigating the city he calls home. Balancing paranoia and humor, Jonas Khemiri's nuanced account dares us to question our own perceptions and prejudices, while offering a singular and harrowing take on the labyrinth of global identity politics.
Comments Director Abhi Shrestha, "At the heart of I Call My Brothers, is a beautiful and tragic interrogation of how a community navigates fear. At a point in time where my community feels explicitly under attack - doing this play is scary... but it is a ritual, it is a love letter to my MENASA community saying 'I hear you, I see you, you are not alone' - and a challenge to folx outside the community to examine their own complicity and ask themselves 'What do you do when the wind howls?'"
The production team for I CALL MY BROTHERS includes Eleanor Kahn (scenic design, props design), Michelle Benda (lighting design), Jeffrey Levin (sound designer), Alec Silver (movement dramaturg), Nadya Nauman (dramaturg) and Shawn Galligan* (stage manager).
*Denotes Interrobang Theatre Project Ensemble Member or Artistic Associate.
Photo Credit: Emily Schwartz
Chris Khoshaba and Salar Ardebili
Chris Khoshaba, Salar Ardebili and Tina El Gamal
Gloria Imseih Petrelli, Salar Ardebili and Chris Khoshaba
Salar Ardebili and Tina El Gamal
Tina El Gamal and Salar Ardebili
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