Adapted and Directed by: Lauren Wells-Mann

Shirley Carney is a celebrated writer. Her short stories have twice been adapted in critically acclaimed productions (Relevant Hearsay & Radical Hearsay). “Her stories unspool like a winding highway, traveling from crowded urban barrooms to the front parlors of small towns. These are not stories of violence and powerlessness, but those of hope and bravery.

When two moon janitors clock in for their shift, it seems just like any other

night. Only tonight, the moon has been stolen by the most dastardly criminal in the whole galaxy! Join us as our heroes encounter cows, comets, and

werewolves. Prepare to be moo-ved! Inspired comic clowning, live music,

and all manner of lunar lunacy abound in this sci-fi vaudeville show about two “moon janitors” that was a runaway hit of the 2022 MN Fringe Festival.

Family, friendship, community—the whole neighborhood has the HULA HOOPIN' itch!

Evanston playwright Gloria Bond Clunie’s sweet, funny, and energetic adaptation follows three Harlem girls as they vie for the crown of Hula-Hoopin’ Queen! 

Championed by Oprah Winfrey, this Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best” award-winner is a joyful reminder of the essentials that bind our communities.

What does it mean when a box of hornets is preferable to the perverse power that institutions hold over you? 

A story interrogating the alienation, isolation, and irrationality of working life, Hornets stages labor as a surreal and dreamlike odyssey, an odyssey that lives in the heart of anyone confronting an increasingly illogical world.

Peer into the mysterious and absurd, the horrifying and provoking. Undetached from the world we inhabit, this multi-media play presents a tale of resilience, courage, and the everlasting battle between optimism and pessimism. 

*This production will contain flashing lights that may be sensitive to some. Viewer discretion is advised.

On the night of his 35th birthday, Robert, the only single member of his friend group, contemplates his unmarried state. Over the course of a series of dinners, drinks, and even a wedding, his friends – "those good and crazy people [his] married friends" – lead Robert to examine marriage, his relationships, and his life in this musical comedy from legendary composer Stephen Sondheim.

When Eden and Michael become accessories to murder, they face a crisis that is compounded by the fact that the murderer is their pet Rottweiler, and the victim is their neighbor’s Toy Poodle. As they try to reckon with the bloodshed, this act of violence threatens to maim their relationship in the process. 

A play about instincts, commitment, and what happens when unconditional love stops being unconditional.

Content warning: depictions of violence

Two actors. One has rehearsed the play. The other has neither seen nor read it.

A different performer joins the show each night. The play is as new to them as it is to you. The result is unpredictable and ephemeral. An Oak Tree is a meditation on identity, loss, and a reminder that theatre exists only in the moment it’s shared.

Produced in association with Theatre Arcana. Learn more about them on Instagram @theatre.arcana

Rated 13+ for mentions of suicide and themes of loss

This play examines the injustices perpetrated by the upper class of America, the inherent ignorance and damage caused to the lower classes by our richest citizens. "Dry Powder" follows a private equity firm as they begin their routine inheritance and gutting of a small-time luggage company. 

This play largely serves as an allegory for the ruthless nature of the 1% on their never-ending quest for, as Burgess delicately states in the play, “Making the most. Money. Possible”.

Pritish Narula makes his U.S. debut with PICHE KYA BAJTA HAI in Chicago. This is the final run of his celebrated stand-up special before he retires it for good — sharp wit, observational humour, and laugh-till-it-hurts comedy that's filled rooms across India and Canada. Performed primarily in Punjabi/Hindi.Presented by Beacons Club.