First Floor Theater

09/24/2026

New staff alert‼️ We've brought on two of our favorite FFT artists to join us in our day-to-day work across our Artistic and Production departments: Tina El Gamal (Co-Artistic Producer) and Kendyl Meyer (Production Manager).

Can't wait to launch our 14th year with this team and bring you all some more Chicago new work. Stay tuned for what's up next 👀 (And read more about our amazing team?)

First Floor Theater is made-up of an eclectic mix of staff, board, and companys from across disciplines and artistic field working together to pave a new road for American Theater.

06/09/2026

We've packed the last box and said goodbye to the Chicago Premiere of reid tang's WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY.

Thanks to everyone who clocked in for a warehouse shift ❤

Director: Tina El Gamal
Playwright: reid tang
Assistant Director & Dramaturg: Olivia Gregorich
Fight and Intimacy Director: Samantha Kaufman
Scenic Designer: Spencer Donovan*
Costume Designer: Nathan Rohrer
Lighting Designer: Conchita Avitia*
Sound Designer: Jae Robinson
Props Designer: Lolo Ramos
Stage Manager: Kendyl Meyer*
Assistant Stage Manager: Eve Pahoresky
Casting Director: Adelina Feldman-Schultz
Technical Director: Peter Wilde
Production Electrian: Brenden Marble

06/05/2026

Our play full of absurd machines and humans is down it's final three shows this weekend.

If you haven't gotten a chance to get your tickets yet, don't miss miss out. Reserve your seat for one of the most experimental plays of the season at firstfloortheater.com/work-hard-have-fun-make-history

📸 Michael Brosilow

Scenic Design by Spencer Donovan
Costume Design by Nathan Rohrer
Lighting Design by Conchita Avitia
Sound Design by Jae Robinson
Props Design by Lolo Ramos

06/01/2026

Our 2026 Blueprint Commission recipient is having a year to remember.

We're so happy to see Netta Walker's feature in the Chicago Reader detailing her rise as an artist from her early days in Chicago storefront to landing world premieres across the city.

With keerah opening this week with Definition Theatre, and Hayward coming up with Gift in October, Walker is a writer to watch.

05/31/2026

"This play is itself a testament to that very spirit, to our desire to hold fast to all the things that make us human." —Shane Hogan, Manage the Stage

Read more on Manage the Stage about our hilarious and unsettling absurdity comedy about corporations and service.

We're entering the final stretch of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY with only two chances left this weekend. Get your tickets before we close June 6!

managethestage.substack.com/p/smiling-through-the-pain

First Floor Theater’s ‘Work Hard Have Fun Make History’ is like getting bunch of bricks thrown at you

05/28/2026

Tomorrow begins the final two weekends of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY— a "...a theatrical experience of existential dread and cerebral laughs" (BroadwayWorld)

Don’t miss your chance to catch the absurdist comedy before we close June 6. Tickets at firstfloortheater.com/work-hard-have-fun-make-history

📸 Michael Brosilow

Scenic Design by Spencer Donovan
Costume Design by Nathan Rohrer
Lighting Design by Conchita Avitia
Sound Design by Jae Robinson
Props Design by Lolo Ramos

05/27/2026

Coming up next: Netta Walker, our 2026 Blueprint Commission recipient!

Her play, "Nordica", draws inspiration George S. Schuyler’s Harlem Renaissance novel "Black No More" and will explore culture, mythology, and identity through a contemporary lens.

The Blueprint Commission is made possible with the generous support of Michael and Mona Heath.

05/20/2026

Get an inside look into the warehouses of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY.

reid tang's absurdist comedy that "isn’t afraid to get weird" (Chicago Tribune) continues performances this weekend at the Raven Theatre.

Get your tickets for this limited run at firstfloortheater.com/work-hard-have-fun-make-history

📹 Rhett Thompson

Scenic Design by Spencer Donovan
Costume Design by Nathan Rohrer
Lighting Design by Conchita Avitia
Sound Design by Jae Robinson
Props Design by Lolo Ramos

05/16/2026

“WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY uncovers truths about our current moment and where we are headed if nothing changes through genre-bending depth and humor.” — Angelina Lin, BroadwayWorld Chicago.

Don’t miss our Chicago premiere by reid tang—“a theatrical experience of existential dread and cerebral laughs.”

When you really stop to think about it, the late stage capitalist grind we find ourselves in (or rather, that billionaires and certain politicians have forced upon us) has created a disembodied culture marked by rampant labor, optimized efficiency, and fractured connections — and that’s a pretty...