Silk Road Theatre–Road Trips Subscription

Silk Road Theatre Project announces its three show 2008 - 2009 Season Road Trips, traveling the locations and cultures of the Silk Road.  Executive Director Malik Gillani and Artistic Director Jamil Khoury ask their fellow Chicagoans to consider their new subscription, pointing out "We have a unique subscription that offers theatre patrons a virtual trip through many of the locations and cultures of the Silk Road while never leaving their theatre seat."
 
Silk Road Theatre Project is establishing a rolling subscription plan, which will be comprised of three plays, with a new play announced at the closing of each production. The rolling season, called Road Trips, is meant to evoke images of travel; a theatrical journey amidst new cultures and perspectives. The seasons will be fluid, flexible and continuous, not defined by a beginning or an end.
 
Silk Road Theatre Project's subscription offers people the ability to purchase three shows for under $50 with a 20% discount off regular priced tickets and an added bonus of a dinner valued at $25, at Catch 35, for each of the first 100 subscriptions purchased.
 
ROAD TRIPS includes:
 
The Midwest premiere of
Durango by Julia Cho, directed by Carlos Murillo
Now through June 15, 2008
Old memories, secrets, and unhealed wounds break open on a Korean American family's road trip to Durango, Colorado.
 
The Midwest premiere of
Yohen by Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Steve Scott, produced in association with Goodman Theatre
September 18- November 2, 2008
Clashing cultures collide in a Japanese & African American love story, forty years in the making.
 
The Midwest premiere of
Pangs of the Messiah by Motti Lerner, directed by Jennifer Green
February 19- April 12, 2009.
An apocalyptic yet fiercely humane drama about a family of religious West Bank Jewish settlers pitted against an Israel they feel betrayed by.
 
This season initiative grew out of the collaboration between Broadway In Chicago and Silk Road Theatre Project. This collaboration was created out of the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award, of which Silk Road Theatre Project was the 2008 recipient. The award provides $5,000, a marketing consultation provided by Broadway In Chicago, as well as a component of advertising provided by the Chicago Tribune and Time Out. This has provided Silk Road Theatre Project with the access to communicate to hundreds of thousands of people along with the marketing expertise to craft their message in a way that will increase their visibility.
 
"Our request of Broadway In Chicago was to work with us to create a more powerful subscription base that could provide a foundation for our theatre company. With Broadway In Chicago's support, we are launching a subscription campaign that we believe matches the quality of the work that our artists present" said Khoury. "We had no idea that winning the Emerging Theater Award would yield the sort of tangible support that Broadway In Chicago is providing. We are thrilled to be partnering with an organization that really understands the dynamics of subscription marketing."  
 
 
ABOUT THE BROADWAY IN CHICAGO EMERGING THEATER AWARD
2008 marks the second year of the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award, which provides $5,000 award along with a marketing consultation by the staff of Broadway In Chicago, as well as advertising support coordinated by Broadway In Chicago and provided by the Chicago Tribune and Time Out.
 
Nominations for the award were accepted from late-November through mid-December. Eligible companies must be a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, have been in existence at least 3 and no longer than 10 years, and have demonstrated artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility in business practices.
 
A nomination committee comprised of industry professionals, educators and League board members reviewed the applications and selected five finalists. The finalists were presented before the entire League membership for a vote in January and Silk Road Theatre Project received a majority vote from the membership.
 
 
ABOUT SILK ROAD THEATRE PROJECT
Silk Road Theatre Project showcases playwrights of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean backgrounds, whose works address themes relevant to the peoples of the Silk Road and their Diaspora communities. Through the creation and presentation of outstanding theatre, we aim to promote discourse and dialogue among multi-cultural audiences in Chicago.