Open Space Arts has announced programming for its QUEER EXPRESSION series of four LGBTQ+ - themed plays. QUEER EXPRESSION, which will include film presentations as well as stage productions, is one of two series the company entering its second full season of operations will present in 2024-25. The other, ARTS JUDAICA, will consist of a series of plays to be announced later. The two series will serve the company’s stated mission “to combat prejudice through the transformative power of creativity. Through our ARTS JUDAICA and QUEER EXPRESSION programs, we confront homophobia and antisemitism head-on using theater, film, and the arts.”
The QUEER EXPRESSION series will present three Chicago premieres by emerging LGBTQ+ playwrights, and one classic of gay theater. AS IS, by William Hoffman - the AIDS themed drama that premiered in New York in March 1985 - will be performed in March 2025, in observance of the play’s 40th Anniversary.
The series will open with LIGHT SWITCH, the hilarious and heartbreaking story of an autistic gay man's journey toward love and acceptance over the span of twenty years. LIGHT SWITCH is by Dave Osmundsen, an autistic gay writer. It premiered in 2022 at the Spectrum Theatre Ensemble, a Providence, Rhode Island company with a mission to serve neurodiverse actors and playwrights and audiences, including those with sensory concerns. Michael D. Graham (director of Open Space Arts’ ROSENBERG) will return to direct LIGHT SWITCH. LIGHT SWITCH will open to the public and the press on Friday, September 13 and play through September 29, 2024.
The series will continue in November with PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT, by Miranda Rose Hall. The play, which premiered in 2018 in New York City at Lincoln Center’s LCT3, is a two-character play about the breakup of a love affair between a cisgender lesbian and a self-described “genderqueer trans person who is not a woman and is not a man, but is kind of a man, who loves lesbian jokes.” THE NEW YORK TIMES’ Jesse Green said it was “never less than intriguing… Transgender people deserve to see that joy onstage. And lots of other people can share the feeling by analogy.” PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT will be directed by Teri Talo and will open to the public and the press on Friday, November 1 and play through November 17, 2024.
The third play in the series will be the dark comedy MERCY KILLING, by Alandra Heilman. The play, which premiered in 2018 at the Awesome Theatre Company of Oakland, California, concerns Mercy, a barista who is also a serial killer, and her girlfriend. Greta Zandstra will direct. MERCY KILLING will open to the public and the press on Friday, February 7, 2025, and play through February 23, 2025.
QUEER EXPRESSION will conclude its 2024-25 series with a 40th Anniversary production of William Hoffman’s AS IS. AS IS portrays the effect that AIDS, a relatively new epidemic at the time in the 1980s, has on a group of friends living in New York City. It was one of the early plays and subsequent TV movies depicting how the epidemic was affecting gay Americans. AS IS opened on Broadway in March 1985, shortly before Larry Kramer's play THE NORMAL HEART opened. It ran for eight months on Broadway and was later produced as a television film. It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. Michael D. Graham will direct the Open Space Arts production. AS IS will open to the public and the press on Friday, March 28, 2025, and play through April 13, 2025.
Performances are at Open Space Arts’s hyper-intimate 20-seats theater at 1411 W Wilson, in Chicago. Individual play tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for students or seniors, and $15 for OSA members; and season passes are available for all four plays at $60.00. Tickets and season passes will be on sale soon at https://openspacearts.org/ Information on all Open Space Arts events is available at https://openspacearts.org/ and Pride Film Fest events at https://openspacearts.org/qe-film-fest%2Fbest-of-fest.
OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and antisemitism through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes. OSA has produced SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH, ROSENBERG, MASSAGE THERAPY, COCK, and THE KRAMER PROJECT in live performances, and produces the Pride Film Fest, a hybrid fest of streaming and in-person events, which runs from November 1 to July 1 annually. Open Space Arts is led by Directors Elayne LeTraunik and David Zak.
LISTING INFORMATION
LIGHT SWITCH
by Dave Osmundsen
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Directed by Michael D. Graham
September 13 – 29, 2024
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays 2 pm
Press opening Friday, September 13, 2024, at 7:30 pm
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Tickets $25.00 ($20 for seniors and students, $15 for OSA members),
Tickets available at
Website: www.openspacearts.org
Henry Sullivan, 27, single, gay, and autistic, lives his life vicariously through the heroes and heroines of the 19th-century British novels he devours. But no marriage plot has prepared him for dating as a contemporary gay man. When he meets a potential match in Joseph, every romantic notion of his will finally come true — or will it? Hilarious and heartbreaking, LIGHT SWITCH tells the story of one remarkable young man's journey toward love and acceptance over the span of twenty years.
PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
by Miranda Rose Hall
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Directed by Teri Talo
November 1 -17, 2024
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays 2 pm
Press Opening November 1, 2024, at 7:30 PM
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Tickets $25.00 ($20 for seniors and students, $15 for OSA members),
Tickets available at
Website: www.openspacearts.org
A play about the breakup of a love affair between a cisgender lesbian and a self-described genderqueer trans person who is not a woman and is not a man, but is kind of a man, who loves lesbian jokes. Theo and Cecily want to be honest about their sexual histories, but what happens when telling the truth jeopardizes everything?
MERCY KILLING
by Alandra Hileman
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Directed by Greta Zandstra
February 7 – 23, 2025
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays 2 pm
Press Opening February 7, 2025, at 7:30 PM
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Tickets $25.00 ($20 for seniors and students, $15 for OSA members),
Tickets available at
Website: www.openspacearts.org
Mercy is a barista in San Francisco. She’s also a serial killer. But it’s fine, the only person who knows is Thana, the Grim Reaper who keeps showing up at the murder scenes. She’s also Mercy’s girlfriend.
AS IS
by William M. Hoffman
Directed by Michael D. Graham
March 28 – April 13, 2025
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays 2 pm
Press Opening March 28, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Tickets $25.00 ($20 for seniors and students, $15 for OSA members),
Tickets available at
Website: www.openspacearts.com
In the early 1980s, Rich, a young writer who is beginning to find success, is diagnosed with AIDS, he is shunned by his family and loses his job. His ex-lover Saul, a professional photographer, invites Rich to move in with him for support. AS IS portrays the confusion and fear that gripped the nation as the disease first spread. It details how the queer community responded with compassion, support, and humor in the face of ignorance about the disease and hostility toward its victims. At its heart, it is a love story about acceptance and holding on to each other for strength and comfort in disastrous times.
BIOS
Dave Osmundsen (Playwright, LIGHT SWITCH). Dave Osmundsen (He/Him/His) is an autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work has been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, Purple Crayon Players, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, the Valdez Theatre Conference, and more. He was one of two recipients of the Blank Theatre and Ucross Foundation’s inaugural Future of Playwriting Prize. His play LIGHT SWITCH received its world premiere with Spectrum Theatre Ensemble in April 2022. LIGHT SWITCH was also the 2021 Distinguished Achievement recipient of the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, an Honorable Mention finalist for BAPF 2021, longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, a finalist for the 2020 Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize, and a semi-finalist for the 2020 National Playwrights Conference. His one-act, “A Firework Unexploded,” was a semi-finalist for the NYC Audio Theatre Writing Contest and was produced by Pint-Sized in London. His plays have been published by The Dionysian, Canyon Voices, Exposition Review, Fresh Words: Contemporary One Act Plays Volume 5, and Broadway Play Publishing. MFA: Arizona State University.
Michael D. Graham (Director, LIGHT SWITCH, AS IS) most recently directed ROSENBERG for Open Space Arts. He also directed Promethean Theatre Ensemble’s Jeff award-nominated MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION, and PrideArts' productions of CASA VALENTINA, HOLDING THE MAN, TEN DOLLAR HOUSE, and BARNEY THE ELF. Other favorite directing credits include: THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, THE MISANTHROPE, SMASH! (adapted from Shaw's THE UNSOCIAL SOCIALIST), PARALLEL LIVES, and THE MEMORY OF WATER for Piccolo Theatre; SPREADING THE NEWS (Halcyon Theatre), EXPATRIATES (the side project), METROPOLITAN OPERAS (ActOne Studios), THE YEARS (Appetite Theatre), and BUTLEY (Hubris Productions). In addition to directing, Michael has worked in the Chicago area as an actor, producer, playwright, dramaturg, dialect coach, and designer.
Miranda Rose Hall (Playwright, PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT). Miranda Rose Hall is a playwright from Baltimore, MD. Her play PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT premiered at LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater in October 2018. Her play THE HOUR OF GREAT MERCY premiered at Diversionary Theater in San Diego in February 2019. She is currently under commission from LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater, Yale Repertory Theater, and Trinity Repertory Company. She has developed her work with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Playwright's Realm, New York Theater Workshop, Baltimore Center Stage, Woolly Mammoth, NNPN National Showcase of New Plays, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and the Orchard Project. She is a member of the Emerging Playwrights Group at Two River Theater and is currently Resident Playwright and ensemble member with LubDub Theatre, a New York-based physical theater company. Miranda was the 2013-2014 Hot Desk Playwright in Residence at Baltimore Center Stage, where she helped launch the program Wright Right Now. She has taught at Georgetown and Wesleyan University, and as a teaching artist with Baltimore Center Stage and Arena Stage. Miranda spent two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, serving marginalized populations in Anchorage, AK and Missoula, MT. She graduated with her BA from Georgetown University and her MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Teri Talo (Director, PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT). Teri Talo is a Non-Binary Boriquen/Mexican Theatre Artist and is excited to be making their Directing Debut. At Open Space Arts, they have previously served as Assistant Director and Assistant Stage Manager of COCK. Though their primary focus is acting they are thrilled to be on the other side of the table. Acting Credits include: a NYC debut in the Queerly Festival as Grace in Virtue and Grace. Originally performing as Grace in the LookOut Series at Steppenwolf Theatre’s 1700 space. Other Credits are Caius Lucius in INNOGEN at Forest Park Theatre, and Slim in A TOWN CALLED PROGRESS at The Den Theatre. They were recently cast as ychorida/Bawd/Priestess in Pericles at Forest Park Theatre as well. Having an acting background, they are thrilled to bring that experience in their directing style.
Alandra Hileman (Playwright, MERCY KILLING) is a writer, TTRPG creator/player, podcast producer, recovering former stage manager, and ancient bog witch. Her plays have been read and produced on small stages throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and you can occasionally find her playing TTRPGs and board games with Quests & Chaos on Twitch or yelling about theater, vampires, and Arthurian Legend on Twitter. She holds a double B.A. in Drama (Play Development & Dramaturgy) and English (Literature), and an M.F.A. in Playwrighting, all from San Francisco State University.
Greta Zandstra (Director, MERCY KILLING) is delighted to return to Open Space Theatre for another project. She is a Chicago-based director, actor, and intimacy professional. Recent favorite projects include intimacy direction for ANGELS IN AMERICA (Eastline Theatre in New York) and SEX PLEASE WE’RE 60! (Cornwell Dinner Theatre in Michigan), adapting and directing A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Encore Center in North Carolina) and HENRY V (Viroqua Shakespeare Festival in Wisconsin), and playing Eliza in THE GÜT LIFE CHRISTMAS (Blue Gate Musicals in Kentucky), and Annabella/Margaret/Pamela in THE 39 STEPS with St. Patrick’s Summer Theatre here in Chicago.
William Hoffman (Playwright, AS IS) is the author of the Broadway play AS IS, which, in 1985, earned him a Drama Desk Award, and an Obie, as well as a Tony Award nomination for best play, and was one of "Time" magazine's best plays of the year. He also wrote the libretto to THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES (music by John Corigliano), which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1991, and was brought back in 1995. Hoffman is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, three National Endowment Awards, ASCAP and Fund for New American Plays awards, two grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Erwin Piscator Award. In 1992 his television work brought him an Emmy nomination and received a Writers Guild award. He is co-founder and co-chair of Prima le Parole, the international librettists organization. Hoffman is co-director of the Department of Dramatic Writing at Purchase College, SUNY, and has written critically for THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, VILLAGE VOICE, and VOGUE. In December of 2001 he premiered THE COWS OF APOLLO, OR THE INVENTION OF MUSIC, a masque, with composer Christopher Theofanidis, under a commission from the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has also written MORNING STAR, with Ricky Ian Gordon, for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, an opera with John Corigliano, and the play RIGA.
About Open Space Arts
OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and antisemitism through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes.
Open Space Arts illuminates contemporary and historical issues through film and live performances. OSA will perform where the arts can have the most impact. With the freedom to perform anywhere, from libraries, theaters, empty storefronts, and online, OSA can respond quickly to bring important issues to life. www.openspacearts.com.