Award-winning Refracted Theatre Company announces the final two plays as part of the The Shortlist: A Refracted Festival, now playing through October 18, at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. The Shortlist replaces the previously announced Dream Hou$e, written by Eliana Pipes and is a festival including workshops and staged readings of possible future Refracted productions. All performances are free/pay-what-you-can and reservations may be made at RefractedCo.com..
Refracted Theatre Company releases this statement with the announcement:
“Canceling Dream Hou$e was a difficult decision for our team. We had been eager to share this play with you and letting it go was not something we took lightly. But in making that choice, we were reminded of what grounds us as a company: our mission to create professional-caliber theatre in Chicago, our commitment to paying artists for their work, and our belief in the ensemble of collaborators who make Refracted what it is.
Rather than allowing this season to be defined by what we lost, we’re choosing to move forward in a way that celebrates our values and supports our community. Out of this moment comes The Shortlist—a new festival of workshops and staged readings, showcasing plays we’re considering for our seventh season in 2026.
The Shortlist is about more than just testing scripts. It’s a chance to gather with audiences, elevate Chicago talent, and share the stories that are inspiring us right now. These workshops are part of our process of season-building—and by joining us, you’re part of shaping Refracted’s future, too.”
The Shortlist 2025 lineup includes:
Basically Children
Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
By Charlie O’Leary
Directed by Patrick Starner
LUMIN
Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
By Emma Gibson
Directed by Kenya Ann Hall
New Oleanna
Friday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
By Zach Barr
Directed by Katy Campbell
Everybody
Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
By Brandon Jacobs Jenkins
Directed by Amy Carpenter
Dance Nation
Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
By Clare Barron
Directed by Tova Wolff
All The Shortlist events take place at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.
ABOUT REFRACTED THEATRE COMPANY
Refracted Theatre Company was started by co-founders Graham Miller and Tova Wolff in 2019 in New York City. At the time of Refracted’s conception, Miller and Wolff observed a fractured nation, polarized and insular in its political/social motivations, a world inhabited by people deeply distrustful of those with whom they did not share ideological overlap. Miller and Wolff ventured to create a theatre company that would challenge their audience’s biases, a space to become a mental and emotional fitness center where audiences could use theatre to grapple with the issues/feelings/forces in their lives. They wanted to inspire healthy discourse and empathic discussions, to encourage people to seek nuance and understanding again.
In Refracted’s first season ever, they were able to produce a Refracted Reading...before everything came to a screeching halt. The pandemic changed the landscape of theatrical engagement in a way Wolff and Miller could never have predicted. But they stuck true to their mission, which seeks not only to provide Refracted content, but also Refracted form. While most theaters shuttered their doors, the co-artistic directors relied on adaptivity and innovation to continue to produce safety driven, live theatrical events that combined audio, immersive and movement theatre. In 2021, Refracted moved from New York to Chicago, where it continues to invite audiences to engage with new forms of storytelling, forms that are sure to upend their expectations.
In the four years since its arrival in Chicago, Refracted has set a new standard for storefront theatre in a city renowned for its theatre scene. In 2023, the company was heralded as a “Rising Star in Storefront Theatre” by NewCity, nominated for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award, had sold out performances, received rave reviews and swept the Joseph Jefferson Awards, winning eight awards for its production of Tambo & Bones by Dave Harris, including Best Production. In 2024, Refracted’s production of Coronation, written by Laura Winters and directed by Tova Wolff, received the most Jeff Non-Equity nominations for a non-musical offering and won three Jeff Non-Equity Awards for lighting Design (Garrett Bell), projection design (Abboye Lawrence) and supporting actor (Jodi Gage). Refracted aims to always remain a home for people seeking to understand the world through a more nuanced, empathic lens. The truth, like a prism, has many sides and in order to see the light, Refracted asks to show the spectrum of colors that comprise it.