Malik Gillani
Co-Founder & Executive Director, Silk Road Cultural Center
Playwright, The Art of Aphasia
Malik is nationally recognized for his leadership in the arts and education sectors. He has innovated programs that expand cultural representation and artistic access. Most notably, he conceived of and developed Silk Road Cultural Center’s model for creating online video plays which are now being viewed around the world. He also conceived of, developed, and piloted our two arts education programs, Myths to Drama and EPIC (Empathic Playwriting Intensive Course), and spearheaded their growth from school classrooms to include community-based learning for immigrants and refugees.
In his arts service capacity, Malik has been a volunteer grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the City of Chicago’s CityArts Program. He has presented papers at local and national conferences on creative entrepreneurship, community organizing, and cultural production. Malik has also played a pivotal role in encouraging Chicago-based theatre companies to expand their repertoires of storytelling.
Malik earned a Master’s in Non-Profit Administration from North Park University, and a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, with an emphasis on the Great Books. He is a Kellogg Executive Scholar (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University) and has been awarded a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Nonprofit Management. He is the recipient of the St. John’s College Alumni Association Award of Merit, Chicago Community Trust Fellowship Award, the Changing Worlds Award, and the Leader for a New Chicago Award, among others. In the fall of 2019, Malik suffered a heart attack and stroke, and is currently living with aphasia (a language disorder) and apraxia of speech (a speech disorder). As his recovery continues, Malik is proud to be developing The Art of Aphasia.
Join us for a special staged reading of The Art of Aphasia, a new play-in-progress written by Malik Gillani and Jamil Khoury
The Art of Aphasia Staged Reading
A New Play-in-Progress
Written by Malik Gillani & Jamil Khoury
Directed by Dipika Cherala
About The Art of Aphasia
The play centers Malik’s ongoing journey of recovery from stroke and aphasia (a language disorder), exploring one family’s experience navigating the challenges and discoveries of living with disability. The Art of Aphasia offers a moving reflection on resilience, healing, marriage, and the power of storytelling.
When: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Performance begins at 2 PM, followed by a talkback and reception
Where: Theater East, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
Accessibility: We believe the arts should be accessible to all. If you have any accessibility needs or accommodation requests, please reach out in advance, and we will be glad to work with you to support your participation.
We're especially excited that Malik will be performing as himself and making his acting debut.
We would be honored to have you join us for this powerful afternoon of theatre and conversation.
