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Media Relations

"White White Black Stork" brings Abdulla Kadyri's stories to life on stage

The Indiana University Department of Theatre and Drama and the IU Auditorium have teamed up to present a very special event.

From Tashkent, Uzbekistan, The Ilkhom Theatre of Mark Weil is visiting the IU Bloomington campus with a dynamic performance. White White Black Stork, based on the stories by Abdulla Kadyri will perform on the stage of the IU Auditorium, Wednesday, April 23, at 8 p.m. This show will involve the audience by bringing several people onstage for an intimate, invigorating theatrical experience.

White White Black Stork, based on the novel by 19th-century Uzbek writer Abdulla Kadyri, tells the universal and tragic tale of love confronted by the prejudices of custom and law. Set in turn-of-the-20th-century Uzbekistan, this beautiful, transgressive play centers on a young Muslim poet and dreamer. The boy falls in love with another boy, but submits to an arranged marriage to a girl who also has another love. Their wedding leads to despair, family quarrels and untimely tragedy.

Ilkhom Theatre, the only professional company in Uzbekistan operating independent of government support, is renowned for its boundary-pushing uncensored works. Its American debut of White White Black Stork offers a rare glimpse into Uzbek culture through a work that is haunting and deeply poetic.

White White Black Stork was directed by Mark Weil (1952-2007) who was the founder (1976) and artistic director of The Ilkhom Theatre. Ilkhom Theatre was the first historical independent theatrical company in the former USSR to reject state censorship and government subsidy. Weil's work has been seen throughout the world in more than 22 international festivals in 18 countries.

Due to increasing unrest in Uzbekistan, Weil moved his family to Seattle in the 1990s, though he maintained a residence in Tashkent, where he continued to work despite the ongoing threat to his well-being. This past September, Weil made the ultimate sacrifice to his art. While he was leaving his apartment, two unidentified assailants fatally stabbed the dissident director.

During their visit to Bloomington, Ilkhom company members also will work with students in the IU Department of Theatre & Drama, teaching master classes devoted to their unique style of performance.

White White Black Stork will perform at the IU Auditorium in Russian and Uzbek with English supertitles. As the performers and audience will share the stage together, tickets are very limited. Seats are $19 each, or $12 for IU students. Tickets may be purchased at the IU Auditorium Box Office. For ticket information, call 812-855-1103 and ask for information about Ilkhom tickets. To purchase tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 812-333-9955 or visit www.iuauditorium.com.

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