Open Space Arts today announced that it will extend its Chicago premiere of MR. PARKER, by two weeks, based on its strong sales. The drama of a suddenly widowed middle-aged gay man, his return to the dating scene, and his efforts to establish a new life on his own, opened Friday, January 31. It had been scheduled to close on February 16 but will now play through March 1st. Chicago Theatre Review’s Colin Douglas said it “is a soulful, thought-provoking drama, that also features many welcome moments of humor…. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.” Alli Doubek of Entertaining Chicago called it “a can’t miss show!”
Michael McKeever’s play, which originated in 2019 at the Penguin Repertory Theatre in suburban New York City, transferred to off-Broadway at Theatre Row in 2022. Terry Parker is a middle-aged man navigating life after a profound personal loss. As he works to rediscover his identity and adjust to unexpected changes, Terry is challenged by a world that feels unfamiliar when he begins to date a much younger man. Terry must also adjust to the change from his identity as the “better half” of a “power couple” to a single man without any public image of his own. “I was defined by the man I married,” Terry says. “And now, suddenly, for the first time, I’m just … ‘Mr. Parker.’ And I don’t know how to do that.” Rex Reed judged it “A very intelligent, absorbing look at contemporary relationships and the conflicts that keep us all from aging with joy and peace of mind. The writing is both honest and engaging. This play is a real discovery.”
Cast in the title role is Andrew Kain Miller, remembered for his role in the drama inspired by Tennessee Williams’s life, HIS GREATNESS, produced by PrideArts in 2019. Mr. Parker’s new love interest, Justin, is played by Chicago newcomer Riley Capp, an MFA graduate of the Actors Training Program of the University of Houston whose most recent credits include Edmund in KING LEAR and Claudio in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Chicago veteran Mary Ann Bowman, seen most recently at Open Space Arts in MASSAGE THERAPY, plays Cassandra, the acerbic sister of Terry’s late lover. Bowman has performed with such Chicago theaters as The Gift, City Lit, Sideshow, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Prop Thtr, Griffin Theatre, and Babes with Blades. The production team includes Anna Burke (Set Design), Lex Newman (Lighting Design), Tadhg Mitchel (Social Media), and Greta Zandstra (Intimacy Coordinator).
L-R: Riley Capp, Mary Ann Bowman, Andrew Kain Miller. Photo by David Zak.
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 Queer Expressions 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, LIGHT SWITCH, and THE KRAMER PROJECT in live performances, and produces the Queer Expressions 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
MR. PARKER
by Michael McKeever
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Directed by David G. Zak
January 31 – February 28, 2025
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays 2 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
Terry Parker is a middle-aged man navigating life after a profound personal loss. As he works to rediscover his identity and adjust to unexpected changes, Terry is challenged by a world that feels unfamiliar when he begins to date a much younger man. Terry must also adjust to the change from his identity as the “better half” of a “power couple” to a single man without any public image of his own.
BIOS
Michael McKeever (Playwright) has written 35 full length plays that have been produced at theatres around the world. Theaters in the United States and Canada include Penguin Rep, Marin Theatre Company, New Conservatory Theater Center, Phoenix Theatre, Stage West, Island City Stage, 1st Stage, Buffalo United Artists, Actors’ Playhouse, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Florida Studio Theatre, and Florida Stage. His plays have also received productions in some of the most prestigious theaters in Europe and Russia, among them, Komödie Dresden (Dresden, Germany), Och-Teatr (Warsaw, Poland) and Theater in der Josefstadt, Kammerspiele (Vienna, Austria). His most produced plays include CLARK GABLE SLEPT HERE, SOUTH BEACH BABYLON, 37 POSTCARDS and SUITE SURRENDER.
His play DANIEL’S HUSBAND ran Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre, following successful New York runs at Penguin Rep and Primary Stages, where it was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Work. His plays AFTER and MR. PARKER enjoyed successful runs Off-Broadway at 59E59 and Theatre Row.
McKeever is the proud recipient of the prestigious George Abbott Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. He has won numerous Carbonell and Silver Palm Awards and has received three Florida Individual Artist Fellowships. His work has been nominated four times for the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics New Play Award. He is a three-time finalist for Humana Festival’s Heideman Award, and an NEA Residency Grant recipient. He is also an award-winning actor, designer and illustrator.
McKeever and his husband, Stuart Meltzer, are co-founders of Zoetic Stage, a Miami-based theater company dedicated to developing new work and bringing different and exciting points of view to established plays. Since its inception in 2010, the company has won numerous honors and citations and has become a leading force in the region’s artistic landscape. Several plays developed at Zoetic Stage have gone on to receive celebrated productions around the world.
David G. Zak (Director) has won seven Jeff Awards in Chicago, including four for Directing (ANIMAL FARM, DR. SEX, PARADE, POPE JOAN), two for writing (THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO) and a special Jeff for “Fostering Diversity in Chicago Theater.” In his 27-year stint as Artistic Director of Bailiwick Repertory, he directed the world premiere production of THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER, the US premieres of Sir Peter Hall’s ANIMAL FARM and JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA, and many original works including the political dramas THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT and SIN: A CARDINAL DEPOSED. He has directed in London (THE IRISH CURSE), Seoul (DOLLHOUSE, FANTA STICK, THE GHOST’S COOKBOOK), Dublin (OH, HOLY ALLEN GINSBERG, AT THE FLASH), Boston (SIN: A CARDINAL DEPOSED), Los Angeles (DR. SEX, AT THE FLASH) and New York (MARLOWE and POSEIDON: AN UPSIDE-DOWN MUSICAL). His productions of the American Premieres of JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA, Sir Peter Hall’s ANIMAL FARM, PARADE, POPE JOAN, and Dennis DeYoung’s HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME all won the Jeff Award for best musical. His most recent Chicago productions have included: THE BOY FROM OZ, Terrence McNally’s SOME MEN, AFTERGLOW, PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE BOOK OF MERMAN, HIS GREATNESS, and UNDER THE RAINBOW FLAG. He was inducted into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2013.
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.