About Face Theatre

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About Face Theatre

About Face Theatre advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance.

10/07/2026

PREVIEWS BEGIN TOMORROW! Here’s some behind the scenes action from tech rehearsals for A Strange Loop!

You may have noticed that our entire run has already SOLD OUT before performances have begun. We are blown away by the support and demand for Michael Living Jackson’s one-of-a-kind musical. An in-person waitlist will open one hour before every show.

PS, About Face Futurists (our monthly donors) will have access to booking any future tickets first. 👀😏 Click the link in our bio to check out the perks that come along with being an About Face Futurist!

Slide 2: lighting designer Brendan Marble, SM Chris Freeburg, director Mikael Burke
Slide 3: (L to R) understudies Simmery Branch, Shawn Smith, Aiden McCoy, Michael Davis Arnold, and Jordan Harris
Slide 4: ASMs Rachel Simmons and Charlotte Horton
Slide 5: lighting designer Brendan Marble

09/18/2026

About Face Theatre is hosting EPAs on Tuesday, September 22nd for our upcoming production of i never asked for a gofundme by Jayne Deely. Five roles are available including two roles that require Spanish proficiency. Considering AEA and non-AEA actors for all roles. Prepare the sides found at the link in bio.

Please share this casting call widely! Can’t wait to see you there.

09/14/2026

With heavy hearts, we share the news that our beloved Artistic Associate and friend, Scott Bradley, passed away on Tuesday, September 8. Scott passed peacefully, surrounded by loving family. You can learn more about his brief battle with glioblastoma through the family’s gofundme page. Link in bio.

Memories have been pouring in from the About Face Theatre community and we will always treasure our experiences with Scott. He was a true multi-hyphenate talent — he wrote and starred in the wacky, wonderful We Three Lizas and starred in our landmark production of Philip Dawkins’ The Homosexuals. Scott wrote and performed an incredible solo show titled Packing, a three-decade odyssey of reinvention and self-discovery, from small-town Iowa to England, New York City, and Chicago, navigating relationships, addictions, the AIDS crisis, and the fight for marriage equality.

Since 2007, Scott performed as “Scooty” alongside Jonny Stax in the Scooty & JoJo show. Together they created theatrical events like Alien Queen that became instant cult classics — full of outrageous q***r anarchy and an abundance of gender-f**kery.

Megan Carney, Producing Artistic Director, called Scott, “a visionary truth teller and phenomenal dancer. He was talented and exuberant, mischievous and brave. He was a cherished collaborator and an inspiration to so many of us. This is a tough loss and he will be missed greatly.”

The family plans to organize a memorial in Chicago in the future. We’ll share information when we know more.

Rest in peace, Scooty. 💜

09/10/2026

to last year’s incredible Spotlight Gala, hosted by League of Chicago Theatres. (ChicagoPlays) We were so moved to receive the Artistic Excellence Award in recognition of our impact on Chicago’s theatre landscape.

It was a fantastic night celebrating our community and being treated to a thrilling performance from Teatro ZinZanni Chicago. The next Spotlight Gala is October 19! Thank you again to LOCT for this honor.

All photos by Joe Mazza

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09/03/2026

to last September’s Say Gay Plays! We were thrilled to expand on this vision by Voyage Theater Company with the addition of four Chicago playwrights from whom we commissioned new 10-minute plays! This event was a fantastic collaboration with Silk Road Cultural Center to blend activism with q***r joy. Thank you to the writers, performers, and audience who came out to create this magnificent afternoon of inspiration and togetherness. ***rtheatre

09/01/2026

Mark your calendars for September 18th because we are bringing you a free Backstage Pass to our co-production of the Chicago premiere of Broadway smash hit A Strange Loop. This backstage tour offers hands-on theater education and direct, behind-the-scenes access to the Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning musical.

Participants will walk onto the production’s set and through backstage areas, experiencing the stage from a performer’s perspective while learning about the technical and design elements that sustain a professional production night after night.

Following the tour, the audience will take part in an open discussion with members of the staff and crew. Our Production Manager Audrey Kleine will offer insight on the logistics of running a professional show, and the journey from idea to built set. Audrey, our Set Designer Sydney Lynne, and our Dramaturg Christopher Pazdernik will lead participants in a Q&A regarding design and the importance of visual storytelling, creative leadership, and a strong collective vision.

We’ll host a reception with light refreshments in the lobby afterwards to keep the conversation going!

The program aims to demystify professional theater, expose students to career paths beyond performing, and connect the stories they see onstage to the craft and collaboration that make them possible.

This experience is open to all audiences, and we are especially excited to share it with Chicago’s high school and collegiate artists. We invite you to share this opportunity with a young Chicagoan who loves theatre! Space is very limited, so RSVP today at the link in bio.

08/24/2026

And just like that… we are less than $700 away from our summer fundraising goal! Big gratitude to everyone who has donated so far, and an enormous thank you to Stonewall Sports Chicago for their very generous donation to About Face at last week’s Give Back Bash, hosted by Roscoe's Tavern.

We’re looking for a few more community members to help us cross the $30K threshold this week. It’s also your last week to become an About Face Futurist (monthly donor) and receive your season tickets along other great perks. Stay tuned this week for more info about this epic upcoming season.

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08/20/2026

One more clip of Megan Carney’s wonderful conversation with John Parker of The Gaily Show. Here, she shares the premise of Jayne Deely’s i never asked for a gofundme. We can’t wait to bring this hilarious and poignant brand-new play to life!

Want to hear the full interview? Check out the link in our bio. You can also hear more of The Gaily Show right here in Chicago on Heartland Signal 820AM every night from 10-11pm.

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08/19/2026

Did you catch the Q***r Youth Ensemble’s performance of Vantage Point during Re/Generation Studios? If so, worry not! You can enjoy this zine our QYE created to accompany the show. You’ll also find some quotes about the ensemble members’ experiences working together. We are so thrilled that our youth ensemble is back up and running and grateful that we get to collaborate with the next generation of artists and leaders. ***ryouth ***rcommunity

08/14/2026

Meet Amy and Miles, our summer 2026 S.L.A.Y. Apprentices! (Space for Leaders and Artistic Youth)

The S.L.A.Y Apprenticeship cultivates interest in theatre making! About Face Theatre received a Youth Employment for the Arts grant from the Illinois Arts Council to hire two emerging artists/leaders to work closely on the staff team and learn about the day-to-day operations through meaningful artistic and administrative collaboration.

Two members of the Q***r Youth Ensemble have joined our staff for the summer through a Youth Employment in the Arts Grant. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

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Address

About Face Offices, 1922 W Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL
60613

Telephone

(773) 784-8565

Website

http://aboutfacetheatre.com/

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