The DNA Trail: A Genealogy of Short Plays about Ancestry, Identity, and Utter Confusion Reviews

 
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Blazing the DNA Trail</span>: Theater Review
Blazing the DNA Trail: Theater Review

Asia Pacific Arts
By Howard Ho
January 26, 2011

Put seven of the most celebrated Asian American playwrights into a room and give each of them the topic of DNA heritage as the basis for a ten-minute play. Oh, and make them all take DNA tests and have them grapple with the results. It sounds like it might be a reality TV show, but in fact, theatre impresario Jamil Khoury did just that.

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The DNA Trail</span> centers around life issues
The DNA Trail centers around life issues

Daily Trojan
By Corine Gaston
January 24, 2011

The actors were skilled and seemed in touch with their numerous characters, while the plays themselves utilize humor and drama to explore the many facets of DNA and genetics through topics such as family relationships, ethnicity, religion, adoption, mental disease and self.

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The Silk Road Converges with The DNA Trail</span>
The Silk Road Converges with The DNA Trail

Theatreworld Internet Magazine
By Ruth Smerling
March 28, 2010

[Playwright Jamil Khoury says,] "Seeing that such a distinguished group of playwrights agreed to take this journey with me (responding affirmatively to my invitation typically within the number of seconds it took to explain the concept) is testimony both to the power of ancestry and our innate desire to discover something new and unexpected about ourselves.”

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When DNA Takes Center Stage
When DNA Takes Center Stage

On the Edges of Science and Law
By Lori Andrews
March 18, 2010

Oh, oh, I thought. I'd seen data showing that the genealogical tests are not very accurate... When the performances began, though, my concerns about determinism vanished. The playwrights had caught the nuances, complexities, heart-wrenching conflicts, and occasional zaniness of DNA testing.

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The DNA Trail</span> Theatre Review
The DNA Trail Theatre Review

Windy City Times
By Catey Sullivan
March 17, 2010

[In the] provocative seven-play pastiche that is The DNA Trail, Khoury's WASP is a highlight as it spotlights the danger of assumptions. And the gobsmacking depths of stupidity light skinned fellows named Jamil encounter on a regular basis.

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Genetic theater: On the DNA Trail</span> with Silk Road
Genetic theater: On the DNA Trail with Silk Road

Chicago Journal
By Bonnie McGrath
March 17, 2010

This panoply of seven plays by seven playwrights seems perfect for Silk Road. Its mission to showcase playwrights of Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean descent, and the short form allows the playwrights behind "The DNA Trail" to range wide 'globally' to trace out who they and their families are.

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The DNA Trail: A Genealogy of Short Plays about Ancestry, Identity and Utter Confusion</div>
The DNA Trail: A Genealogy of Short Plays about Ancestry, Identity and Utter Confusion

Chicago Free Press
By Lawrence Bommer
March 16, 2010

Playful and philosophical, personal and educational, the short works, warmly staged by Steve Scott, richly explore the mystery of ancestry, specifically how much we owe to the gene pool we swam in and how free we are to forge a future different from the cumulative contributions of centuries of chromosomes.

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The DNA Trail</div>
The DNA Trail

TimeOut Chicago
By Melissa Albert
March 11, 2010

The combustive combination of identity politics and science leads several playwrights toward pedagogy, though it’s largely tongue-in-cheek... It proves that the solitary act of self-examination can, indeed, be made to entertain.

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Searching for Meaning in the Genes: Seven playwrights got genetic tests for Silk Road’s DNA Trail</span> project. The results are in.
Searching for Meaning in the Genes: Seven playwrights got genetic tests for Silk Road’s DNA Trail project. The results are in.

Chicago Reader
By Kerry Reid
March 11, 2010

[On] the whole it's a smart and challenging production, directed with clarity by Steve Scott, that focuses far less than one might expect on identity politics. At its best, it's a poignant meditation on how difficult it is to recognize the impact of our immediate families, much less whatever came down to us through the double helix of history.

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The DNA Trail</span> Review
The DNA Trail Review

Chicago Stage Review
By Venus Zarris
March 10, 2010

Funny, poignant, absurd, and thought-provoking; The DNA Trail highlights the work of gifted playwrights and represents a shining example of Silk Road Theatre Project’s dedication to presenting diverse perspectives through the creation of extraordinary theater. Don’t miss this wonderfully entertaining ride through genetic coding, self-examination and human interaction.

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The DNA Trail</span> at Pierce Hall
The DNA Trail at Pierce Hall

Gaper's Block
By Jessica Palmer
March 10, 2010

Even the theater space evokes the feelings of twoness that come from inheriting mixed ancestry and culture; located in the basement of The First United Methodist Church at The Chicago Temple Building, the audience sits in the bowels of a mixed-use building whose original purpose was to observe faith. There is more than one story to the building, and more than one story to each piece of The DNA Trail.

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Thoughtful Drama in Silk Road’s DNA Trail</span>
Thoughtful Drama in Silk Road’s DNA Trail

Chicago Sun-Times
By Hedy Weiss
March 9, 2010

The production, smartly directed by Steve Scott and performed by seven deftly morphing actors, also is a handsome, quirky, frequently moving, thought-provoking exploration that considers its subject in myriad ways while taking some wildly unexpected detours.

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Intriguing ideas lead to seven unique short plays
Intriguing ideas lead to seven unique short plays

Chicago Critic
By Tom Williams
March 8, 2010

Jamil Khoury’s idea for a series of short plays centering on the genealogical DNA test has produced an intriguing evening of theatre. The seven plays contain humor, fantasy, personal revelation and poignancy.

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