Displaying items by tag: Jenn Geiger

Chicago’s First Floor Theater today announced the cast and production team for the Chicago Premiere production of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY, written by reid tang and directed by Tina El Gamal, running May  7 – June 6, 2026 (previews May 7, 9, 10, and 13) on The Schwartz Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets ($10 – $40) available at www.firstfloortheater.com. 

Originally developed through Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks Festival, WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY is an experimental dark comedy that explores chaos, alienation, and the absurdities of modern capitalism. Framed as “a catalog of all the possible phone calls that exist,” the play, which is “not about Amazon, not about Jeff Bezos, and certainly not about Elon Musk,” unfolds through surreal encounters and fractured conversations, creating a genre-bending theatrical experience that blends humor, technology, and existential dread. 

“WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY sits right at the center of First Floor Theater’s mission,” said Andrew Cutler, Artistic Producer of First Floor Theater. “It’s hilarious, dark, and incisive, and it invites the kind of bold theatrical choices our artists love to make. Presenting the production at Raven Theatre also gives us the chance to introduce our work to a new neighborhood and new audiences in Chicago.”

“I’m always drawn to plays that are ‘out there’ - a little scary and untouchable, wacky and daring,” said Tina El Gamal, director of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY. “reid tang’s bird’s-eye view of humanity’s struggle to stay human is exactly that. It grapples with the costs of innovation and consumption as they threaten to outpace our humanity and asks, just how far are we willing to go to keep up with the next-day deliveries? It’s funny, unsettling, and unexpectedly moving–exactly the kind of work I want to make with this incredible team.”

The cast includes Sahar Dika, Jenn Geiger, and Alice Wu, with understudies Joelle Denhof, Kennedy Frazier, and Maliha Sayed.

The production team is led by director Tina El Gamal and includes Conchita Avitia* (Lighting Designer), Spencer Donovan* (Scenic Designer), Adelina Feldman-Schultz (Casting Director), Olivia Gregorich (Assistant Director & Dramaturg), Samantha Kaufman (Violence & Intimacy Director), Kendyl Meyer* (Stage Manager), Lo Ramos (Props Designer), Jae Robinson (Sound Designer), and Nathan Rohrer (Costume Designer)

* Denotes First Floor Theater Company Member

First Floor Theater’s Chicago premiere of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY runs May 7 – June 6, 2026, with previews May 7, 9, 10, and 13. Performances are held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at The Schwartz Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets range from $10 – $40. To purchase tickets, visit www.firstfloortheater.com. 

WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY

Written By: reid tang

Directed By: Tina El Gamal

Cast: Sahar Dika, Jenn Geiger, and Alice Wu, with understudies Joelle Denhof, Kennedy Frazier, and Maliha Sayed

Production Team: Conchita Avitia* (Lighting Designer), Spencer Donovan* (Scenic Designer), Adelina Feldman-Schultz (Casting Director), Olivia Gregorich (Assistant Director & Dramaturg), Samantha Kaufman (Violence & Intimacy Director), Kendyl Meyer* (Stage Manager), Lo Ramos (Props Designer), Jae Robinson (Sound Designer), and Nathan Rohrer (Costume Designer)

*Denotes First Floor Theater Company Member

Dates: May 7 – June 6, 2026 (Previews May 7, 9, 10, 13)

Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.

Run Time: 90 minutes

Location: The Schwartz Stage at Raven Theatre (6157 N. Clark St., Chicago)

Tickets: General Admission: $10 - $40

Limited number of $10 access tickets available for all public performances.

Box Office: https://www.firstfloortheater.com

Opening Trap Door Theatre’s 32nd season as part of the Trap Open Series with its world premiere, Suz Evans’ Ghost Fetus is a rough-edged, bold original work that delivers a performance as both humorous and cathartic as it is unexpected.

With a small, five-person cast, the play centers on two queer teenage girls, Whitney and Sarah Jane, as they navigate their relationship and identities within their church community. While turning to Pastor Craig for guidance, the trio encounters a ghost fetus and must also confront the more personal “ghosts” within themselves.

The play, experimental and unpolished, tells a timeless coming-of-age story, creating space for the audience to laugh both with the characters and, at times, at them, and the absurdities that may accompany a strict religious upbringing. Evans’ script balances wry, biting humor with a keen sense of the dissonance between belief and lived experience. Sprinkled throughout are bursts of original music (by Laila Eskin) – hymn-like chants with absurd lyrics – that heighten the satire and draw frequent laughter from the audience.

Under the direction of Anna Klos, the 45-minute production radiates a raw, communal energy. It was clear that the full cast was committed to the show entirely: even without mics, the cast filled the theater with every line delivery, and took up the whole space with every movement, at times even invading the audience. Although not polished in the traditional sense, the acting aligned with the unvarnished vibe of the production perfectly. While Ghost Fetus is truly an ensemble show, Tia Pinson (playing Ghost Fetus) was a particular standout, with emotional delivery and physicality that feel almost otherworldly.

The production’s design further reflects the overall feeling of raw authenticity, with a modest but impressively constructed set mainly consisting of a scaled-up picnic basket full of surprises. The lighting (which includes one prolonged instance of heavy strobing, a fair warning to sensitive audience members) and sound were fitting and understated, tying the show together without being a primary focus. Adding to the spirit of the production, the program arrives in the form of a zine, an inventive touch that sets the playful, offbeat tone before the first line is spoken.

Ghost Fetus may not offer the polish of a mainstage production, but its rawness – feeling more like a communal act of introspection than a neatly packaged play – is precisely what makes it compelling. The audience responded in kind: laughter bubbled up at obvious jokes and, just as often, at the uncomfortable truths the characters voiced. That shared reaction—half amusement, half recognition—was part of the evening’s quiet power. It captures the messy, often contradictory feelings of grappling with faith, sexuality, and loss, and it does so with a mix of audacity and heart. For those willing to embrace its unvarnished energy, the play offers a uniquely personal – and unexpectedly healing – experience.

Ghost Fetus is running at Trap Door Theatre through October 27th. Tickets are available at https://trapdoortheatre.com/ghost-fetus/.