One Performer and Five Characters in a Post – 9/11 World
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UNVEILED
Written & Performed by Rohina Malik
Co-Directed by Wayne Maugans & Nick Westemeyer With Live Music by Violinist Steven Gibons Racism. Hate crimes. Love. Islam. Culture. Language. Life. Five Muslim women in a post-9/11 world serve tea and uncover what lies beneath the veil in this compelling one-woman show. “In her rich, upbeat and very enjoyable 70-minute collection of five character studies of Muslim women in modern-day America, Rohina Malik gives voice to characters from whom we hear far too little in the theater.” -Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune “A compelling piece rich with illuminating surprises, drawing the audience into worlds that are both unique and truly universal. It is terrifically entertaining.” -Catey Sullivan, Chicago Examiner “Unveiled offers a provocative, insightful and uplifting theater experience.” -Tom Witom, Pioneer Press Performance Schedule Tickets
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A note from playwright & performer Rohina Malik  Growing up in London, as the daughter of South Asian immigrants, racism was intense.  When I turned fifteen, I moved to Chicago. The racism of London was difficult, but nothing prepared me for the backlash after 9/11 in the US.
Everybody had a story, which ranged from silly to bone chilling. People were murdered because they were Muslim or because they were mistaken for Muslim. As ugly as the backlash was, it inspired me to write Unveiled. The first story was personal; it was based on a painful incident at my friend’s wedding, where I was pushing my double stroller, with my baby and toddler, and a man began to insult me. He had a problem with my veil. The incident almost turned to violence and felt like one of the worst days of my life. It’s interesting how that painful day became the seed that would later become Unveiled. Art can sometimes be inspired by the things that are ugly and scare us. |
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Listen: Radio Interview on St. Louis Public Radio  Willis Ryder Arnold of St. Louis Public Radio, speaks with playwright and performer Rohina Malik about Unveiled. Listen >> |
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Kashmiri Tea Recipe from Unveiled  One of the common elements in Unveiled is that each character is having a conversation with the audience over a cup of tea. One of the characters, Shabana, makes Kashmiri Chai. Here’s her recipe:
Kashmiri Chai Using a medium size saucepan, boil the water and tea for one hour. Add some salt and watch the tea change color. Then add the baking soda and keep stirring the tea. Add the milk to the tea and watch it turn pink. Serve the tea with sugar and garnish with Ground pistachio nuts. The image above is designed by local artist Michael Klaus Schmidt. Michael was inspired by Unveiled to create five unique posters, each representing the tea served by the five characters in the play. |
