

MR. PARKER
by Michael McKeever
Directed by David G. Zak
Featuring
Mary Anne Bowman, Riley Capp, Andrew Kain Miller
Terrence -- Andrew Kain Miller
Justin -- Riley Capp
Cassandra -- Mary Anne Bowman
Set Design Anna Burke
Lighting Design Lex Newman
Costume Design Benjamin Mills
Sound Design Angela Joy Baldasare
Production Stage Manager Lauren Littlejohn
Assistant Stage Manager Kate Schnetzer
Intimacy Coordinator Greta Zandstra
Graphics Veronica Kloss
Social Media Coordinator Tadhg Mitchel
Public Relations John Olson
Producer David Zak
Special Thanks: Michael Hagedorn, Christopher Kirbabas, Donald Cortelyou, Myopic Books
MR. PARKER is presented through special arrangement with
TRW PLAYS, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.trwplays.com
Open Space Arts is a member of the League of Chicago Theaters, the Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals,
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Cast
Creative Team
Meet the Company

Mary Anne Bowman has been an actor in Chicago since 1991, appearing with a number of theaters, including The Gift, City Lit, Sideshow, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Prop Thtr, Griffin Theatre, and Babes with Blades. She was last seen onstage in Open Space Arts’ production of Massage Therapy and is thrilled to be collaborating again with David on Mr. McKeever’s wonderful play. She gives alpha and omega thanks to her husband and polestar, Michael John Hagedorn and dedicates this performance to her sister, Joyce Ann Bowman.

Riley Capp (EMC) is excited to make his Chicago theatre debut with Open Space Arts! He is eternally grateful for the support of his family and friends, without whom this journey would not be possible. Recently, he played Gus in Bankside Repertory Theatre’s production of The Dumb Waiter, The New Jewish Theatre’s production of All My Sons as Frank, and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s summer season of King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing, playing Edmund and Claudio. Training: University of Houston, Professional Actor Training Program, MFA | Principia College, Theatre, BA

Andrew Kain Miller is originally from Indiana, and moved to Chicago in 1995. An alumni of Columbia College, he's had the privilege of being a company member of MidTangent Productions, Urban Theater Company and The People's Theater of Chicago. He has a love for theater that tells queer stories and preserves gay history. He is grateful to include this show to his list of productions that includes A Normal Heart, A Perfect Relationship, Torch Song Trilogy and His Greatness. He would like to thank his friends for their amazing support and Mr. McKeever for creating new roles for middle aged folks.

Michael McKeever has written 35 full length plays that have been produced at theatres around the world. Theaters in the United States and Canada include Penguin Rep, Marin Theatre Company, New Conservatory Theater Center, Phoenix Theatre, Stage West, Island City Stage, 1st Stage, Buffalo United Artists, Actors’ Playhouse, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Florida Studio Theatre, and Florida Stage. His plays have also received productions in some of the most prestigious theaters in Europe and Russia, among them, Komödie Dresden (Dresden, Germany), Och-Teatr (Warsaw, Poland) and Theater in der Josefstadt, Kammerspiele (Vienna, Austria). His most produced plays include Clark Gable Slept Here, South Beach Babylon, 37 Postcards and Suite Surrender. His play Daniel’s Husband ran Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre, following successful New York runs at Penguin Rep and Primary Stages, where it was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Work. His plays After and Mr. Parker enjoyed successful runs Off-Broadway at 59E59 and Theatre Row. McKeever is the proud recipient of the prestigious George Abbott Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. He has won numerous Carbonell and Silver Palm Awards and has received three Florida Individual Artist Fellowships. His work has been nominated four times for the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics New Play Award. He is a three-time finalist for Humana Festival’s Heideman Award, and an NEA Residency Grant recipient. He is also an award-winning actor, designer and illustrator. McKeever and his husband, Stuart Meltzer, are co-founders of Zoetic Stage, a Miami-based theater company dedicated to developing new work and bringing different and exciting points of view to established plays. Since its inception in 2010, the company has won numerous honors and citations and has become a leading force in the region’s artistic landscape. Several plays developed at Zoetic Stage have gone on to receive celebrated productions around the world.

Anna Burke (Scenic Designer) is delighted to be making their debut with Open Space Arts. Recent/Favorite credits include The Midnight (Holiday) Circle, produced by RCSA, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Pillars of Salt, both produced by Columbia College Chicago. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Design and Technology from Columbia College and is based in Chicago. More at Annaburkedesign.com
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Angela Joy Baldasare is an Ohio University Graduate with a BFA in interdisciplinary arts and interdisciplinary arts. Chicago Sound Design Credits: Every Brilliant Thing, Writer's Theatre (Co-Sound Designer), Little Bear Ridge Road, Steppenwolf Theatre (assistant sound designer), Bottle Fly, Redtwist Theatre (sound designer), Wolves, Redtwist Theatre (sound designer), I, Custer, The Den Theatre (sound designer). COCK, Open Space Arts (sound designer). College Sound Design Credits: ..."Iron" Mike Malloy, Ohio University (sound designer), Alice in Slasherland, Ohio University (sound designer), The Martha Mitchell Effect, Ohio University (co-sound designer), Stupid Fucking Bird, Theatre Columbus State (sound designer)

LAUREN LITTLEJOHN she/her (Stage Manager) is an actor, stage manager, and lover of movement. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, she is proud to call Chicago her artistic home. Recent production credits: Stage Manager on "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?" (Galaxy Theatre); "Hurricane Diane" (UIC Theatre); The (W)rites of Summer Play Festival (Story Theatre); "I Don't Wanna Play Myself"; "Measure Of A Man" (Prop Theatre); "a hit dog will holler" (Artemisia Theatre); "Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation" and the 4th Annual BIPOC Play Festival (Perceptions Theatre); Production Assistant for "No Man's Land"; "Chlorine Sky" and the world premiere of "Purpose" (Steppenwolf).
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Veronica is a graphic designer and house manager currently living in Alabama. This is her first show with Open Space Arts. She has previously worked with New York Stage and Film, The Contemporary American Theater Festival, and Glimmerglass Festival. She is currently in her final semester at the University of Montevallo.
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Benjamin is an Actor, Designer, and Chicago theatre jack of all trades. Recent Costume Design credits include The Swan, Freaky Friday The Musical, and the world premiere of Today, Tonight, Soon. Favorite on stage credits include Spring Awakening, Grey Gardens The Musical, The Learned Ladies, Our Town, and a three show tour with Great Works touring theatre. Benjamin is a Company Member/Resident Costume Designer with Theatre L’Acadie.
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Tadhg Mitchel is a Chicago-based theatre artist, documentarian, and editor. He serves as the Director of Communications for Gender Fucked Productions and is a House Manager at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building. He studied Theatre and Digital Media Production at Butler University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Communication at DePaul University. When not working or studying, he can be found spending time with his husband, Adam, and their four cats. He began his work with OSA with LIGHT SWITCH.
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Lex is excited to return for their second production with Open Space Arts! They are still somewhat new to Chicago theater; their other Chicago productions include Mercy Killing with OSA in October 2024 and the Alice Gerstenberg Play Festival 2024 at Berger Park Cultural Center. Outside of theater, they can be found at work in Myopic Bookstore or making mixed media art and covered in glue.

Kate Schnetzer (she/her) holds a B.A. in Theatre & Drama from Indiana University, Bloomington. She previously stage managed for Open Space’s ROSENBERG and is glad to be back. Additional Chicago stage managing credits include [TITLE OF SHOW] (ASM) for Pride Arts and PLAYGROUND I, PATCHWORK III (ASM) for Eclectic Full Contact Theatre. Currently, she is also directing and sound designing for Eclectic’s fourth annual PATCHWORK PLAYFEST, where she is also a company member.
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David Zak is the driving force behind the QUEER EXPRESSION Film and Theater Fest, an initiative of Open Space Arts. With over 40 years of experience as an award-winning theater director, Zak’s diverse body of work spans from the thought-provoking musical Animal Farm to the audacious Jerry Springer - The Opera and the beloved The Christmas Schooner. Recently, he directed The Kramer Project at the Center on Halsted, along with Sunsets and Massage Therapy for Open Space Arts. A six-time Joseph Jefferson Award winner for his outstanding contributions as both a writer and director, Zak’s legacy extends beyond the stage—he was inducted into the City of Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Additionally, Zak has ventured into film production, producing Dan Pal’s award-winning short film Counting.

Greta Zandstra (Intimacy) is delighted to return to Open Space Arts for another project. She is a Chicago-based director, actor, and intimacy professional. Recent favorite projects include intimacy direction for Angels in America (Eastline Theatre in New York) and Sex Please We’re 60! (Cornwell Dinner Theatre in Michigan), adapting and directing A Christmas Carol (Encore Center in North Carolina) and Henry V (Viroqua Shakespeare Festival in Wisconsin), and playing Eliza in The Güt Life Christmas (Blue Gate Musicals in Kentucky), and Annabella/Margaret/Pamela in The 39 Steps with St. Patrick’s Summer Theatre here in Chicago. Thanks to the cast, crew, and you–the audience! GretaZandstra.com
Upcoming Events at Open Space Arts
Theater
OSA presents the world premiere of
it's been ten years since everyone died (a play about final girls)
Directed by Teri Talo
March 21 to April 6
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OSA and PlaywrightPower.org present the world premiere workshop of
100 DAYS
Directed by Tara Blau Smollen, '
playwrights reflect on our current political situation
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Films Screenings in-person at Facets
SALT WATER, from Colombia, written and directed by Steven Morales Pineda, Feb 26 7:00 pm
CHERUB, from Canada, written and directed by Devin Shears, April 29 at 7:00
Save the dates March 25 and May 28 for additional films to be announced.