Rose Freeman (BA ’07), a graduate of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department‘s theatre directing program, is directing the midwest premiere of Arab-American composer Mohammed Fairouz‘s opera Sumeida’s Song, running October 23-November 8 at Prop Thtr, 3502-04 N. Elston, Chicago. For tickets, click here.

Presented by the Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, this 60-minute, four-character opera examines social justice on a global scale. Based on Egyptian writer Tawfiq al-Hakim’s play Song of Death, it’s the story of a woman seeking retribution for the murder of her husband. Asakir has waited 17 years for her son, Alwan, to avenge her husband’s death. Alwan’s university education causes him to question whether he can be a violent man. Now Alwan must decide if he will restore his family’s honor and fulfill his mother’s only wish. Sumeida’s Song examines the universal conflicts of tradition versus modernity, revenge versus forgiveness, and blind faith versus enlightenment.

Composer Mohammed Fairouz is expected to attend the opening night on Friday, October 23, and to participate in a post-show talkback. Hailed by the New York Times as “an important new artistic voice” and by BBC World News as “one of the most talented composers of his generation,” Farouz creates works that engage major geopolitical and philosophical themes with persuasive craft and a marked seriousness of purpose.