Open Space Arts
presents
100 DAYS,
new short plays
Directed by Tara Blau Smollen
Featuring
Mary Anne Bowman, Rachel Fox, Nathan Kabara, David Niemeyer, Niara Taylor
Plays
THE MORNING AFTER
By Stephen Taft, Republic, MO
ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
By Michael Burke, Chicago, IL
99 BOTTLES OF BEER
By Beth Harpaz, Brooklyn, NY
WRONG WHEN DECIDED
By Douglas Whaley, Dublin, OH
A NECROPSY
By Stephanie Heathcock, Knob Moster, MO
ASK YOURSELF
By Mike Ryder, Broomfield, CO
LEAKING
By Marguerite Louise Scott, Sante Fe, NM
world is a fuck
By Beckett Flynn, Brooklyn, NY
Open Space Arts is a member of the League of Chicago Theaters, the Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals,
Follow Us:
OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and transphobia through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes.
OSA won some of the top honors in the Joseph Jefferson Awards for work produced in 2024, including Production of a Play – Short Run (COCK), Direction of a Play – Short Run (Michael D. Graham - LIGHT SWITCH), Performer in a Principal Role – Short Run (Philip Andrew Monnett – LIGHT SWITCH), and Performer in a Supporting Role – Short Run (Sonya Robinson – COCK) .
OSA showcases powerful LGBTQ+ storytelling through five exciting components:
- Full productions of bold and innovative plays.
- Staged readings of classic and new plays.
- Staged readings of winners from our QUEER EXPRESSION WRITING CONTEST FOR STAGE AND SCREEN.
- In-person screenings of feature films at FACETS in Chicago.
- A virtual selection of short and mid-length films, available for streaming anywhere.
A NOTE from 100 DAYS director Tara Blau Smollen:
Today we offer eight plays—eight voices, eight windows into the soul of a country in motion.
Some speak from the heart of a single community. Others stretch across divides.
But all ask the same question: Where are we headed, and who do we want to become?
Tonight’s stories do not demand agreement.
They invite us to listen.
To feel.
To imagine a future shaped not by fear, but by courage.
May they move you to speak with honesty, to stand with compassion, and to keep walking toward the promise of a better day—for all of us.
Cast
Mary Anne Bowman
Ensemble
Rachel Fox
Ensemble
Nathan Kabara
Ensemble
David Niemeyer
Ensemble
Niara Taylor
Ensemble
Creative Team
Michael Burke
Playwright, ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
Beckett Flynn
Playwright, world is a fuck
Beth Harpaz
Playwright, 99 BOTTLES OF BEER
Stephanie Heathcock
Playwright, A NECROPSY
Mike Ryder
Playwright, ASK YOURSELF
Marguerite Louise Scott
Playwright, LEAKING
Stephen Taft
Playwright, THE MORNING AFTER
Douglas Whaley
Playwright, WRONG WHEN DECIDED
Sean Smyth
Stage Manager
Tara Blau Smollen
Director / Producer
David Zak
Producter, Director of Open Space Arts
Meet the Company
Mary Anne Bowman
Ensemble
Mary Anne Bowman has been an actor in Chicago since 1991, appearing with a number of theaters, including The Gift, City Lit, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Griffin Theatre, and Babes with Blades. She was last seen onstage in Open Space Arts’ production of Mr. Parker and is thrilled to be collaborating with David and Tara on 100 Days. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in the ongoing effort to preserve and defend one of our most precious gifts – a Democratic process that consists Of the People, is guided By the People and, most importantly, remains For the People.
Rachel Fox
Ensemble
Rachel is thrilled to be a part of 100 Days and make her Open Space Arts debut! She is a recent graduate of Roosevelt University, where she received her BFA in Acting. Her recent credits include 'Woman 3' in Survivors, 'Olivia' in Twelfth Night, and 'Ruth' in a staged reading of Jane: Abortion and the Underground. Keep up with her on Instagram @rachelsfox or check out her website rachel-fox.com!
Nathan Kabara
Ensemble
Nathan is thrilled to be making his Open Space Arts debut in 100 Days! He is a proud graduate of Roosevelt University. Recent credits: Survivors (Arts Judaica), Fiddler on the Roof (Drury Lane, Beef and Boards), Annie (Milton Theatre), Dragons Love Tacos (Northbrook Theatre), Newsies, Hairspray (Skylight Music Theatre), You Can’t Take It With You, Ella Enchanted (First Stage). This spring Nathan will also be part of the New York City reading of Paper Brigade. Special thanks to his friends and family who have always supported him. @nathan.kabara
David Niemeyer
Ensemble
David Niemeyer has had several acting roles in the Chicago theater scene, including Juror 10 in Twelve Angry Jurors at Governor’s State University, Father in Luna Park at Act One Studios, and Limping Man in Fuddy Mears at Act One Studios. He has taken a number of acting classes at Act One Studios and Sarantos Studios. He is a retired City Manager and is getting back to his love of theater acting in his retirement.
Niara Taylor
Ensemble
Niara Taylor (she/her) is a performance artist, writer, and activist from Chicago. She holds a BFA in Acting and a BA in Africana Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Her work is fueled by a passion for uplifting marginalized voices and sharing diverse narratives across theater, film, and TV. Favorite roles include Millie in Trouble in Mind (UMBC). Recently, she’s worked on various film and TV projects, including as a core Front of House member for the upcoming season of The Bear. She is also a Hip Hop dancer and was both an intern and choreographer for Black Ensemble Theater’s 2022 internship program. Niara is excited to join Open Space Arts for 100 Days and grateful to be part of this production.
Michael Burke
Playwright, ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
Michael Burke is the author of the plays, “Wama-Wama Zing Bing” (Strawdog Theatre) and “Let’s Spend Money” (OverBored Productions). In addition, an excerpt from his play, “State of the Union,” received a staged reading at Chicago Dramatists, and his story, “Together,” was dramatized in a From Page to Stage production. Burke also is the author of the short story collection, “What You Don’t Know About Men.” He lives in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood with his husband, magician Robert Charles.
Beckett Flynn
Playwright, world is a fuck
Beckett Flynn (they/them) is a transgender writer in Brooklyn. Their writing has been published in Horror Press, Culture Sonar, Dot Esports, Rebellion Lit, 13 Tracks, Scorched Earth Press, Typerbar Magazine, and Cusper Magazine. Their play Everyone in New York is Beautiful won the Cypress Productions New Play award in 2024. They are a two time semi-finalist for the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. They like heavy metal, kung fu movies, and their friends.
Beth Harpaz
Playwright, 99 BOTTLES OF BEER
Beth Harpaz is a fledgling playwright, a longtime journalist and a native New Yorker who's thrilled to have her work performed in Chicago!
Stephanie Heathcock
Playwright, A NECROPSY
Stephanie Heathcock is a playwright and sound designer with a deep love for theatrical storytelling. She holds a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from the University of Central Missouri and has explored a wide range of creative roles on and offstage. A self-declared novelist since the third grade, Stephanie was raised on Cats, Into the Woods, and a slightly-too-early introduction to the 1982 pro-shot of Sweeney Todd, which explains a lot.
Mike Ryder
Playwright, ASK YOURSELF
Mike Ryder has written several one-act plays and (so far) three full-length, one of which won a grant from the Ohio Arts Council, as well as a novel — an undercover spy spoof that was so good it managed to avoid detection by the publishing world, forcing him to self-publish on Amazon — "The White Out Sanction," since you asked (it comes with a warning due to salty language and improbable sex.) Mike thinks it’s funny but he knows
his sense of humor is not for everyone. Also, Mike has a couple of screenplays under his belt, where they chafe something fierce..
Marguerite Louise Scott
Playwright, LEAKING
Marguerite Louise Scott is a Playwright, Memoirist, Performer, Writing & Performance Educator who founded and runs the YOUNG CREATORS PROJECT, working with underserved kids & teens. She has also led workshops with low-income women and homeless shelter groups, using writing and theatre to help discover, nurture, uplift and empower their voices. Her short plays, full-lengths and solo pieces have been performed in theaters and alternative venues around the country including in NYC; Boston, MA; Durango, CO; Portland, OR and in her current residence on the unceded lands of the Tewa people, colonially know as Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is currently creating and performing a series of darkly-comic solo pieces illuminating a range of social issues such as the housing crisis, economic fragility, climate change, and how cats should take control of politics. Member of the Dramatist Guild and HONOR ROLL! - an advocacy & action group of womxn playwrights over 40. More of her plays can be found on on New Play Exchange https://newplayexchange.org/users/843/marguerite-louise-scott
Stephen Taft
Playwright, THE MORNING AFTER
Stephen Taft - Although primarily a director, Stephen has worn many artistic hats in his career including arts administrator, actor, designer and in recent years, playwright. His plays have been produced in Louisiana, New York, Missouri, Iowa, California, Ohio and Florida and include Nice and Kind, The Drive, Kreon and the musical, Storybook Christmas among others. He is a graduate of the Interdisciplinary Fine Arts Ph.D. program at Texas Tech University and retired from the University of Northern Iowa in 2022. More recently he and his wife, Cindy moved to the Springfield, Missouri area. www.swtaft.com
Douglas Whaley
Playwright, WRONG WHEN DECIDED
Douglas Whaley is a a retired law professor from The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law. He dabbled in writing plays all his life and in recent years has had five of them chosen for performance by Evolution Theatre Company in Columbus, Ohio. He was much involved in LGBTQ rights in Columbus, helping form Stonewall Columbus and being its President in the early 1980s.
Sean Smyth
Stage Manager
Sean Smyth (Stage Manager)has Stage Managed: Into the Woods; How to Succeed in Business; Les Misérables; High School Musical; Legally Blonde; Urinetown; The Lion in Winter; Oklahoma; The Complete Works of William Shakespeare; A Christmas Carol; Oleanna; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Around the World in 80 Days; Paint Your Wagon; Mystery of Edwin Drood; Fidler on the Roof; Nunsense; The Berlin Diaries, Survivors, and various events with the Chicago Writer’s Guild; and Perennial Actors; he has Stage Managed world premieres of Oxy-Ohio, MIA, and INVISIBLE, he also Stage Manages at The Bridge Church. He has done Sound Design for Nunsense, Bed, Book and Candle, The Man Who
Came to Dinner, 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Sean is a professional member of the Stage Manager’s Association.
Tara Blau Smollen
Director / Producer
Tara Blau Smollen is an award-winning actor, director, playwright and theater professor. She holds an MFA in acting from the National Theater Conservatory in Denver and has worked extensively both Off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the U.S. During her tenure as the Artistic Director at Porchlight Theater Company her children’s plays reached over 10,000 students in schools in the SF Bay Area. As a playwright she was excited to be named a finalist in Lifeline Theater Company’s 3rd Annual BIPOC Adaptation and Showcase for her play “Sisters” an African American reimagining of Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’. She recently finished directing Jen Silverman’s The Moors which was named by the SF Chronicle as one of the best plays in the Bay Area in 2024. She is excited to be working with David Zak bringing new voices to the American stage during these interesting times.
David Zak
Producter, Director of Open Space Arts
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.
Upcoming theater events at Open Space Arts, 1411 W Wilson, include:
- NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS by Tom Reda, a staged reading the screenplay winner of the QUEER EXPRESSION WRITING CONTEST FOR STAGE AND SCREEN on May 10
- SCANDALOUS BOY by David Atfield, the international premiere of this award-winning new play from Australia, about Emperor Hadrian and his great love for Antinous, May 23 to June 8
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Films Screenings in-person at Facets
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Streaming Films
Upcoming streaming films are the BEST OF THE FEST for spring 2025, including:
Upcoming streaming films are the BEST OF THE FEST for spring 2025, including:
- BEST OF FEST FEATURE WARM FILM April 23 to May 6
- BEST OF FEST FEATURE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ME April 30 to May 13