о’s Stage Center Theatre presents “Full-On Cleopatra”
Monday, April 13, 2026
о’s Stage Center Theatre and have collaborated to launch “Full-On Cleopatra,” a new work by playwright .
Performances will be held on April 15, 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and April 25 at 3:00 p.m. Stage Center Theatre is located at 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Tickets are free for оn students, faculty and staff with a valid University ID; $5 for alumni; and $12 for the general public. They can be claimed at the Welcome Desk and Box Office on the Main Campus before each performance or reserved . It is presented by special arrangement with the playwright and Elaine Devlin Literary, Inc.
This marks the second collaboration between Stage Center Theatre and the Silk Road Cultural Center, and third collaboration with оn overall. The first was in 2024 when they collaborated on “Black Bear Island,” written by Karissa Murrell Myers. In 2025, Silk Road Cultural Center presented the Midwest premiere of “Say Gay Plays” with About Face Theatre at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies.
Founded in the aftermath of 9/11 and the anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-South Asian sentiment that followed, Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Road (a more than 4,000 mile trade route throughout Asia and Europe) and the diaspora.
Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Silk Road Cultural Center said that conversations about collaborating with оn’s College of Arts and Sciences Stage Center Theatre began in 2021 because the respective missions of the university and cultural center align so well.
“The idea was to explore ways we could work together to serve our diverse communities,” Khoury said. “We have this beautiful alignment in terms of how we create within and between cultures, how we approach the intersections of art and pedagogy, and how we commit to artistic activism, or artivism. We also share an understanding about how we, as communities, evolve, grow, and better ourselves through storytelling.”
“Full-On Cleopatra” was commissioned and developed by Seattle Repertory Theatre (Artistic Director Damaso Rodriguez, Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann) with support from the Vanguard Arts Fund at the Olney Center in Olney, Maryland. When Khoury read the script, he felt it would be the ideal production to mount with Stage Center Theatre.
“Yussef is an incredibly versatile and talented writer,” Khoury said. “‘Full-on Cleopatra’ is a great fit for the NEIU community because it draws from both history and contemporary sensibilities.” He continued, “It’s an entertaining and captivating vantage point from which to imagine the final days of Anthony and Cleopatra. Yussef does so with theatricality, humor and irony.”
Associate Professor of Communication, Media and Theatre (CMT) Sarah J. Fabian is Stage Center Theatre’s Managing Director and the Scenic Designer, Charge Artist and Technical Director for “Full-On Cleopatra.” Associate Professor of CMT and Stage Center Theatre Artistic Director Adam Goldstein is directing the production.
“I have long been an admirer of Yussef El Guindi’s work,” Goldstein said. “So, when I read ‘Full-On Cleopatra,’ I was not surprised to love this piece. In spectacular El Guindi style, it clashes theatrical modes and gnaws at our collective view of ‘history’ with a critical yet playful eye. I was taken aback, though, with how invested I became in this play’s particular pursuit of reclamation of Cleopatra, self, Egypt and legacy.”
Goldstein also said the partnership with Silk Road Cultural Center has been beneficial, especially because of how it brings together оn students and theatre professionals from polycultural backgrounds.
“Our collaboration with Silk Road Cultural Center has grown from the seed of an idea to one of the core relationships of Stage Center Theatre,” Goldstein said. “They have redefined what a true professional partnership can be for our University. They seek to craft polycultural bridges through their work and to nurture narratives that restore wholeness to history and optimism for the future.”
It is in that spirit that there will be two post-show discussions:
- April 16: Goldstein, El Guindi, (dramaturg) and members of the cast
- April 23: Elnaggar and
“Stage Center Theatre is an absolute treasure,” Khoury said. “It is a tremendous asset to the NEIU community and to the Chicago community at large. In fact, it is one of the most cherished partnerships we’ve had in our 24-year history. The entire community — faculty, students, and alums — is gracious, generous, thoughtful, ethical, and reliable. I love singing their praises. Stage Center Theatre is truly a Chicago gem.”
Top photo: оn students Aiden Mendoza and Mary Chlimon in rehearsals for "Full-On Cleopatra" at Stage Center Theatre.