Modern Women: A Production Reading with The Story Theatre

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  • 110% contributed

A traditional play reading with actors stuck behind music stands hardly ever shows us enough. I am partnering with The Story Theatre to produce a fully lived-in staged reading of my play, Modern Women, with rehearsal time, blocking, costumes, lights, sound, a set, a cultural consultant, director, and producers on July 27 and 28 at The Raven Theater. With your support of this campaign, we’ll show how a limited run of a play can be thoughtfully and gorgeously produced with a budget that a single person can raise.

About This Project

My new play, Modern Women, was originally commissioned by The Goodman Theater in 2022 as part of their Playwrights Lab. I am now partnering with The Story Theatre, a new and beloved Chicago non-equity theater, to produce a reading production of this very special play. It follows the story of Manju, Ambika, and Nina, three Indian immigrant sisters who decide to make Can, a new-comer and new employee in Manju’s salon, their surrogate child. It enjoys the special way immigrants decide to choose one another, and then the beautiful way they collectively shoulder pain, joy, and deaths. I don’t see many plays of six brown people talking about life and not war so it felt incredibly important to write. This play works toward the world where brown stories about brown life are happenstance. I have also been lucky enough to have many surrogate mothers and this is dedicated to them.

The Story Theatre has a festival of new works every summer, called the “(W)rites of Summer.” My play will be directed by Karina Patel and will perform three times at the Raven Theatre on July 27 and 28. We will rehearse for three and half weeks at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Steep Theatre, and Raven Theatre. The cast includes six incredible non-equity brown performers who deserve more chances play parts that speak to their histories (Sonal Aggarwal, Sahar Dika, Lavina Jadhwani, Esho Rasho, Sophia Talwaker, and Preeti Thaker). We have a Language and Cultural Consultant (Alka Nayyar) who will add nuance to the script and the incredibly specific world we want to build. We have sound, costume, props, lights, and set designers, bringing the Skokie salon to life. Our play is produced by three incredible Chicago performers Brenna DiStasio, Paul Michael Thomson, and Ayanna Bria Bakari. I am too lucky!

Donors to this project will help fund all of this irreplaceable effort and they can see it at work during our rehearsal process, our tech week, or the performances. This project has a budget, a schedule, a performance venue and at this stage, just needs some gas for the engine.

My goal for presenting this play in this way is to invite producers and show regional producing theaters what this incredible play can look like. In an upcoming season, during an election year, when immigration becomes an issue that literally touches more Americans every day, this play is endlessly relevant. We’re using the fully staged plays of New Stages at The Goodman as our template, which has sadly been retired. It will be pretty revolutionary and much more accessible to see that kind of investment in a new work at a Chicago non-equity theater and it can hopefully start a new way of self producing limited runs. This is an ambitious commitment we’ve all made to each other and I hope you can help us make it a reality!

Thank yous

Contribute any amount or choose from the levels below.

• $25
  A shoutout on social media and a special thank you in the performance program. ($25.00 is tax deductible.)
• $69
  A personal love note written by the playwright to a person of your choosing. ($69.00 is tax deductible.)
• $150
  Above, plus a one-on-one, 30 min chat about writing, theater, editing, self producing, etc with the playwright. ($150.00 is tax deductible.)
• $301
  Above, plus a monologue written about your magnificence by the playwright, plus 1 complimentary "Modern Women" ticket to your preferred performance. ($286.00 is tax deductible.)
• $505
  Above, plus an invitation to join a rehearsal to participate in our process, plus receive a special live thank you before each reading performance. ($490.00 is tax deductible.)

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Omer Abbas Salem

SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation Awardee in honor of Samuel G. Roberson Jr.

Omer Abbas Salem (he/they) is an actor and playwright. As an actor, they've worked at Roundabout Theatre, Atlantic Theatre, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Goodman Theatre, Steep Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, Silk Road Rising, First Floor Theatre, …

View Omer Abbas Salem's profile

• 3 updates
• 53 supporters

• Update 1: I cannot believe you!!!

  Posted on May 25, 2024

   

  My beautiful friends with incredible taste,

  Thank you so much for this! After three days, we are already at 86% to goal. I am ASTOUNDED. It's difficult being an artist and support like this is the most beautiful reminder that even though I may not always be creating the kind of work/art I want, my friends believe in more for me. That generosity and love is immeasurable. Thank you again for helping make this come true. I am truly (and consentually) touched.

  Update 2: WE DID IT!!

  Posted on May 28, 2024

   

  MY FRIENDS!! You helped me hit my goal in four days!! How freakin' incredible! This funding goes entirely to the budget of our produciton reading and I hope you'll join us, if you are able. This is my favorite play I've written so far and I'm grateful for all of your help in bringing it to life. Thank you for supporting me and Chicago's theater scene. I am dancing in my living room! 

  Update 3: Final Update from Modern Women!

  Posted on July 22, 2024

   

  Hello Friends,

   

  Thank you so much for your generosity. We did it! Our project is fully funded, fully rehearsed, and about to enter tech next week. For those of you who will be in Chicago this weekend, it would be incredible to have you at show. Tickets are available here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/34415/production/1205283. The shows are Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 3:00. 

  For those of you who have thank you gifts coming your way, thank you, thank you and keep an eye out for an email. I hope you're having a beautiful summer and I'm sending you a hug.

  xo,

  Abbas

• Thank you to the following for contributing to 3Arts with the recommendation that we support this project.

  • Shivani Stadvec

  • Stu Kiesow

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  • Barbara Stengle

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