onward
Theater-lovers of Chicago, we are thrilled to announce our upcoming season; ONWARD.
This season, we aim to take our audience on a journey of progress and growth, showcasing the best in theater and entertainment.
We kick off our 2022-2023 season with 'Girlfriend' by Todd Almond and Alan Sweet, a sweet love story of teenage love that will warm your heart.
Next, we bring a new tradition to Chicago audiences with 'Jack Off the Beanstalk' by Tom Whalley. This rambunctious panto has been a hit overseas, and we are proud to bring the US premiere to our stage.
Following that, we are presenting the Chicago premiere of Donja R. Love's 'one in two.' This powerful play of the African-American queer experience shook audiences in New York during its run and we are excited to bring it to the PrideArts stage.
We round out our season with Joel Tan’s 'Tango.' An elderly waitress at a Chinese restaurant in Singapore refuses to serve a same-sex couple and their adopted son because of her religious beliefs. When a video of her actions is shared online, this erupts into vitriol, heated debates and a protest rally that rocks the country.
We invite you to join us as we move onward to better days, through the stories we tell on stage. Get your tickets now and experience the powerful and thought-provoking plays we have in store for you this season.
season 2022-2023
season 2022-2023
Girlfriend
by Todd Almond and Matthew Sweet
Based on Sweet’s album of the same name. Set in Nebraska in the 1990s, this heartwarming coming-of-age story is a celebration of friendship, love, and, of course, music. Will, a bit of a social outcast, and Mike, the popular baseball player, start to explore their relationship days after graduation, experiencing the awkwardness and intensity of first love.
This romantic musical has been a hit in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere since it first opened in Berkeley, CA in 2010. And now GIRLFRIEND will have its Chicago premiere. It will open to the press on Monday, August 29, 2022, following previews from August 25-28, and will play through September 25th.
August 25, 2022-
September 25, 2022
jack off the beanstalk
by Tom Whalley
A tradition with roots going back to Commedia Dell'Arte, panto (short for pantomime, but not to be confused with mime) is a loud, fun, enjoyable musical comedy theatre production that takes well-loved children's tales and turns them into a show full of giggles for kids along with subtle adult-minded jokes. PrideArts' strictly for adults holiday panto will be the US Premiere of JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK, by Tom Whalley - a gay adult take on the holiday panto tradition that premiered in London in 2013 and has enjoyed multiple productions around the UK since then.
November 28, 2022- December 18, 2022
one in two
by Donja R. Love
Love brings this statistic to life through the story of one character - a young man named Donté who is diagnosed with HIV. The play follows Donté through his experiences in a bar, the bedroom, a waiting room, a medical office, and in his childhood. one in two was originally produced by New York City's The New Group in December 2019 and was a New York Times "Critics Pick." The Times said of it, "Defiantly life-embracing, it's a call to action over what Love describes as "a hidden state of emergency" in his own community." Love has become recognized as one of America's leading young African American Playwrights and has in the past four years had four plays produced off-Broadway - by the prestigious non-profit companies Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theatre Company, The New Group, and MCC Theatre.
February 16, 2023 - March 19, 2023
Tango
by Joel Tan
Gay Londoners Kenneth and Liam and their son Jayden relocate to Singapore to spend time with Kenneth's ailing dad. It's not a happy situation. Kenneth has a dark hate-hate relationship with Singapore, and the city's tetchy policies around homosexuality present towering administrative hurdles. Then, a homophobic encounter with an elderly waitress launches the family into a social media war between ideological factions. Meanwhile, Poh Lin, the waitress, is caught in the same storm, and weathers it with her closeted nephew, Benmin.