Written By
Paul Michael Thomson
February 12 — March 1, 2026
6157 N Clark St
Directed By
Ayanna Bria Bakari
Synopsis
What is the duty of the artist? Well, tonight, her only duty is to get stoned and celebrate!! Caryl is getting her first big Olivier-eligible production with a smart, sexy new play that centers women in the workplace. Her nearest and dearest friends—an assortment of feminist writers from throughout space and time—come to her London flat to kiki and drink grasshoppers. (Did I mention it’s 1982?) But when the party’s over and Caryl is presented with the ways her new play may be causing harm, she must decide whether or not she’ll learn from history or else abdicate her responsibility altogether. What is the role of critique in creation? Can we judge the artist’s politics by the artwork’s problems? And is any of our art really activism?
Cast
- Myah Bridgewater
Phillis Wheatley/Naomi/Ayanna - Brenna DiStasio
Caryl - Peter Ferneding
Edward Carpenter/Max/Paul Michael - Tamsen Glaser
Sappho/Annie/Brenna - Emily Marso
Lady Murasaki Shikibu/Mei-Lin - Ireon Roach
Edith - Laney Rodriguez
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz/Christine - Jack Bowes
u/s - Sierra Coachman
u/s - Jennifer Ledesma
u/s - Lizzy Mosher
u/s - Hannah Rule
u/s
Creative Team
- Katelyn Montgomery
Scenic Design - Racquel Postilgione
Costume Design - Seojung Jang
Lighting Design - Ellie Fey
Assistant Lighting Design - Gina Montalvo
Sound Design - Spencer Diaz Tootle
Properties Design - Jyreika Guest
Intimacy Direction - Stina Taylor
Technical Direction - Eva Breneman
Dialect Coaching - Emma Sipora Tyler
Dramaturgy - Anastar Alvarez
Stage Manager - Liv Morris
Assistant Stage Manager - Shelbi Weaver
Production Manager - Mark Brown
Master Electrician - Marlene Slaughter
Assistant Director - Terry Guest
Producer - Brianna Buckley
Producer
At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen
Written By
Terry Guest
April 26 — May 11, 2025
6157 N Clark St
Directed By
Mikael Burke
This production is made possible by the generous season sponsorship of the Michael and Mona Heath Fund and the Iole Foundation.
Synopsis
Courtney Berringers would like to welcome you to her wake! But—make no mistake—this ain’t your grandma’s funeral. Loosely based on the life and death of playwright Terry Guest’s Uncle Anthony, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen is a one-act, two-hander play set in 2004 that centers Blackness, southern queerness, and the fine art of drag. From African gods and goddesses to Trina and Whitney Houston, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen thoughtfully uses storytelling, drama and drag to explore identity, illness, and the narratives we construct for ourselves. Come party at the wake. Bring your own heels!
Cast
- Terry Guest^ — Courtney/Anthony
- Paul Michael Thomson^ — Vickie/Hunter
- Winter Olamina — Courtney/Anthony u/s
- D. Shea Petersen — Vickie/Hunter u/s
Creative Team
- Olivia Sullam — Stage Manager
- Tessa Huber — Assistant Stage Manager
- Shelbi Weaver — Production Manager
- Alyssa Mohn — Scenic Design
- Stina Taylor — Technical Director/ Assistant Scenic Design
- Brenden Marble — Lighting Design
- Ethan Korvne — Original Music, Remixes, & Sound Design
- Racquel Postigilione — Costume Design
- Madeleine Shows — Assistant Costume Design
- Spencer Diaz Tootle — Props Design
- Ayanna Bria Bakari^ — Wig Design
- Danyelle Monson — Choreographer
- Victoria Nassif — Intimacy Direction
- Brenna DiStasio^ — Associate Director / Producer
- Ayanna Bria Bakari^ — Producer
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Las Fantasmas y Frida Kahlo
Written By
Spencer Diaz Tootle
February 15 & 22, 2025
Chicago Cultural Center
Directed By
Laura Alcalá Baker
This program in sponsored by the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
Synopsis
Set in Frida Kahlo’s iconic home-cum-museum, La Casa Azul, Las Fantasmas y Frida Kahlo is a dark comedy haunted by the magical realism of una casa embrujada (a haunted house). While protesting Frida’s overwhelmingly uncomplicated and positive legacy, our protagonist Carmen (a tour docent in La Casa Azul) finds herself spirited back in time, face to face with Frida herself. Through this forced proximity, Frida is invited to wrestle with Carmen’s historical indictment and Carmen is compelled to rethink her beliefs. What do we lose when applying binary thinking to the liminal nature of identity? How have our notions of Latinidad, queerness and political praxis shifted across a century? And how do we navigate the heartbreaking tension of holding our historical heroes in modern day complexity? Can Carmen survive the confrontation she’s conjured?
Cast
- Ashlyn Lozano — Frida
- Jocelyn Zamudio — Carmen
- Nelson A. Rodriguez — Diego
- Sonya Madrigal — Herminia
- Soleil Pérez — Stage Directions
Creative Team
- Lauren Littlejohn — Stage Manager
- J Isabel Salazar — Dramaturg
- Brianna Buckley — Producer
- Paul Michael Thomson^ — Producer
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Explore the archive of The Story Theatre's past shows, including production photos and videos.