One Night Only -- "Shams (Arabic for Sun)" Tonight at New Route

Although New Route Theatre has now branched out into a venue at the YWCA for longer runs, the company is not giving up on its popular "One Shot Deals," which offer the opportunity to produce shows in more of a workshop setting at the Eaton Gallery in downtown Bloomington. Several of last year's "One Shot" shows have been revised and given a bigger platform in this year's main-stage schedule from New Route; seeing a new play "now" and "then" offers a perfect opportunity for would-be playwrights and directors to see how a play can evolve and grow, or how to tell what's working as you begin the play production process.
There's no guarantee that any "One Shot Deal" will come back later, however, so you should plan to catch this "One Shot Deal" tonight if it sounds like the right show for you.

Tonight is the night for "Shams (Arabic for Sun)," by Rana Konkar, which will open at the Eaton Studio and Gallery, 411 N Center Street in Bloomington, at 7 pm.

Konkar wrote the piece and will perform it; "Shams" is directed by Don Shandrow, Artistic Director at New Route. As a brand new work written about the experience of a Palestinian-American woman, "Shams" sounds perfect for New Route's mission as "a multi-racial and multi-cultural theater company that produces new as well as established works that explore the nature of the human spirit in the context of ethical, political, and social choices."

Here's a little more information provided by New Route to introduce this new piece:

"The name I have is the name I was given, not the one I chose. My true name came through an intense personal journey or revelation. Or so I like to believe. I looked at the sun rising from behind the mountains, and shams became my name; the sun. You can call me Shams."

Shams, a young woman who grew up in Palestine, is a naturalized American citizen who struggles with reconciling her turbulent past in Palestine with a future and people she grew up mistrusting. This personal reflection is well worth experiencing."

Seating is limited at the Eaton Gallery, so you are advised to make sure you have a seat by emailing your reservation to: new.route.theatre@gmail.com