Open Space Arts
David Zak, Director
Presents The Chicago Premiere of
THE SWALLOW
by Guillem Clua
English Translation by Tim Gutteridge
Directed by Laine Rogers
FEATURING
Michelle McKenzie-Voigt and
CAST
Emily - Michelle McKenzie-Voigt Ray -
PRODUCTION TEAM
Production Stage Manager — Dorothy Sargent
Music Director - Mark Forbis Sound Designer — Sean Smyth
Lighting Designer — Ruby Low Scenic Designer — Rick Paul
Costume Designer — Dominique Favre
Publicity - John Olson Communications Photography - Abbas Tayeli
SMILEY is presented through special arrangement with The Gurman Agency
No Photography or Recording: Unauthorized video, photo, or audio recording is strictly prohibited and violates U.S. copyright law. All devices must be turned off and put away. Suspected use will stop the performance immediately—and it will not resume.
Open Space Arts. 1411 W. Wilson, Chicago, 60640
Opening Night Septemnrtr 11, 2026
Open Space Arts openspacearts.org
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Open Space Arts is a member of the League of Chicago Theaters, Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals, LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and the Uptown Chamber of Commerce.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
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OPEN SPACE ARTS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to combating homophobia and transphobia through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Through theater, film, and other artistic programs, Open Space Arts seeks to foster inclusion, encourage understanding, amplify LGBTQ+ voices, and challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes.
Open Space Arts has received numerous Joseph Jefferson Awards for its recent productions, including Production of a Play – Short Run for COCK; Direction of a Play – Short Run for Michael D. Graham’s direction of LIGHT SWITCH; Performer in a Principal Role – Short Run for Philip Andrew Monnett in LIGHT SWITCH and A.K. Miller in MR. PARKER; and Performer in a Supporting Role – Short Run for Sonya Robinson in COCK and Joshua Oder in GANGSTA BABY.
Recent Open Space Arts productions include SMILEY, also written by THE SWALLOW playwright Guillem Clua, as well as SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH, ROSENBERG, MASSAGE THERAPY, MERCY KILLING, IT’S BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE EVERYONE DIED: A PLAY ABOUT FINAL GIRLS, SCANDALOUS BOY, DORIAN, THE KRAMER PROJECT, and MY LIFE AS A COWBOY.
Open Space Arts also presents QUEER EXPRESSION, a hybrid film festival featuring monthly in-person screenings at FACETS in Chicago and streaming programs available to audiences throughout the United States and around the world.
Open Space Arts presents the QUEER EXPRESSION Film Festival Screening Series—a
monthly celebration of bold, intimate, and internationally acclaimed queer cinema. Held at FACETS Film Forum, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago, these curated screenings bring powerful LGBTQ+ stories to the big screen while creating space for conversation, community, and connection.
Our September presentation is BOOKENDS, screening Monday, September 28, at 7:00 p.m. Directed by Mike Doyle and featuring a cast that includes F. Murray Abraham, this warm and engaging film explores friendship, love, and the unexpected turns that shape our lives.
Tickets: https://www.goelevent.com/OpenSpaceArts/e/Search
Bulk ticket packages for the full series are also available.
BOOKENDS
Monday, September 28, 2026 • 7:00 PM
FACETS FILM FORUM • 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago
United States | 99 min
Director: Mike Doyle
After a painful breakup, aspiring novelist Nate leaves New York City and moves into a retirement community with his grandparents. What begins as a temporary refuge quickly becomes a complicated journey through family, aging, responsibility, and unexpected love. As his Holocaust-surviving grandfather begins showing signs of dementia and his grandmother struggles to face the truth, Nate finds himself caught between the life he left behind and the family that needs him now. An unexpected romance with the community's handsome doctor further complicates his plans.
Starring F. Murray Abraham, Caroline Aaron, Noam Ash, and Charlie Barnett, BOOKENDS is a warm, funny, and deeply moving intergenerational story about love, memory, family, and second chances. The film premiered at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where it received the ADL Stand Up Award.
Critics have praised the film for balancing humor and emotion with honesty and grace. Reviewer Mark McPherson called it "a heartfelt story of family and romance that is more honest than schmaltzy," while festival audiences have celebrated its rich performances and moving portrayal of family caregiving.
Written by and starring Noam Ash and directed by Mike Doyle, BOOKENDS offers a refreshing queer love story that is equally concerned with family bonds, aging, and the unexpected connections that help us move forward.
Funny, tender, and life-affirming, BOOKENDS reminds us that every ending can also be a new beginning.
Click the link to purchase ticket packages.
https://www.goelevent.com/OpenSpaceArts/Package/Sale
