Muslim playwright returns to high school stage – chicagotribune.com.
As a teenager, Rohina Malik went to great lengths to hide her Muslim heritage.
While some girls her age chose to wear the traditional headscarf, she opted against it. And when teachers read “Rohina” at roll call on the first day of school, she asked them to call her Mariam, her less Muslim-sounding middle name.
Unable to hide her caramel skin or overcome her shyness, the aspiring actress and playwright didn’t audition for a role until her senior year at Niles North High School. She was astounded when she landed the lead.
But what was once a source of shame in her adolescent mind has grown into inspiration. After putting her craft on hold for nearly two decades, Malik’s breakout one-woman show, “Unveiled,” has positioned her as one of Chicago theater’s rising stars, critics say.