For the first time in decades, Syrians are speaking freely. In coffee shops, classrooms, and village squares, voices once silenced by tyranny are rising—bold, unscripted, and full of possibility. The fall of Assad has cracked open the door to something Syrians haven’t tasted in generations: hope. But who’s standing in that doorway? The New Guy in Charge, the fourth installment in the Rebuilding Syria series, takes us into the heart of that question. Interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa—once Abu Mohammed Al Jolani, jihadist commander and internationally-wanted terrorist—now wears a tailored suit and speaks the language of democracy, growth, and inclusion. A man with a deeply violent past is suddenly being cast as the architect of Syria’s rebirth. Listen in as the dream of a freer Syria collides with the shadows trailing its new leader. A fragile future hangs in the balance.
Silk Road Cultural Center, About Face Theatre, and Northeastern Illinois University are partnering to present the first Chicago staged reading of the Say Gay Plays project. Say Gay Plays is an initiative of New York City's Voyage Theater Company aimed at countering harmful anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric. The project involves the commissioning of short 10-minute plays by Queer playwrights, and producing royalty-free readings of the plays. The Chicago staged reading of Say Gay Plays will feature new works by local playwrights, and explore the intersection of Queer joy and activism.
Silk Road Cultural Center's Jamil Khoury speaks with Assyrian American theater artist, Atra Asdou, about her new play "Iraq, But Funny," premiering at Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company, May 29 - July 20, 2025.
The conversation also explores Assyrian identity in the diaspora, and a Who's Who of Assyrian American art makers.
For more information about the production, read HERE
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